Balades 1

Diego Balades
Ms. Boloyan and Ms. Thorne
Humanities 11
29 October 2014
The Great Gatsby Literary Analysis
After the events that took place in World War I, America seemed to promise a variety of
opportunities for anyone willing to work hard, the American Dream. However, achieving and
realizing that dream has corrupted some of them. Through the lives of three characters in the
book, Jay Gatsby, George Wilson, and Daisy Buchanan, the author tries to prove one point and
one point only, that chasing dreams doesn't get you what you want.
One character who chases a dream of his own is George Wilson. George chases his dream
through living as an honest, hard-working man. Unlike Gatsby, who is a criminal that cheating
his way through life to become rich, or Myrtle who constantly dreams of cheating on her
husband with a man named Tom. As described at thegreatgatsbydream.blogspot.com, George
Wilsons dream is incorrupt; he wishes for a better life for both he and his wife, to escape the
harshness of the desolate area known as the Valley of Ashes. A dream which illustrates his love
and absolute devotion to his wife in marriage. George always wanted to live a successful life,
but in the end his dream didn't live up to his expectations. First of all, George tries to sell Toms
Car but is unsuccessful. Nick explains that there is a damp gleam of hope (Fitzgerald, Chapter
2) in his eyes. When Tom is confronted by George in the garage, Tom makes him back down.
This action shows that George doesn't have what it takes to be a strong

Balades 2
businessman. Lastly, his wife is unfaithful and doesnt love him. The only reason she married
him was because she thought that he was rich. When Myrtle died, Georges dream was
destroyed. She was the very reason he tried so hard to succeed and when she was gone, he had
no other purpose in life.
Another character who holds on tightly to an illusion is Jay Gatsby. Throughout the
course of the book, Gatsby's need to attain his dream of being with Daisy corrupts him to the
point of where he cant tell the difference between fantasy and reality. When Gatsby allowed
Daisy to drive his own car back home, which eventually leads to the death of Myrtle, Gatsby's
only concern was to see if Daisy was okay, not caring about the fact that they just killed a girl.
His obsession with Daisy constantly assumes control of his thoughts. He also felt no concern or
regret for the events that took place in reality. Nick says "He spoke as if Daisy's reaction was the
only thing that mattered (Fitzgerald, Chapter 7). By Gatsby using his wealth, throwing parties,
and committing crimes to get Daisy, shows how far and corrupt hes willing to go to get what he
wants. Daisy even says to Gatsby, oh, you want too much! (Fitzgerald, Chapter 7). This right
here shows Gatsbys desire to have it all. Things like money, class, power, and Daisy. In order to
achieve all of this, Gatsby engages in illegal activity. Gatsby tries to chase the American Dream,
but his idea loses its shine over the chapters of the book. He even tries to throws parties to fit in
with the socialites. Gatsby's actions show that his idea of the American Dream will have a poor
outcome because he tries to buy his way into a society that will never accept him. An article on
the Huffington Post website titled A Great American Character Analysis: Is Gatsby by Indeed
Great? says Gatsby was a compelling -- and daresay effective -- illusionist, but that is all he

Balades 3
amounted to be: an illusionist. I believe that this successfully shows how dreams dont always
give you the outcomes that you want.
Daisys habit of choosing money over love leads her to an unhappy life. Despite being in
love with Gatsby, she decided to marry Tom. She originally chose to marry Tom because of his
obvious wealth and status, but when Gatsby comes back and she finds out that hes richer, she
changes her mind about Tom. When Tom mocks Gatsbys background and newly found wealth,
she realizes that she made a mistake and suddenly chooses Tom again. She chooses him again,
even though Tom was the one who originally cheated on her. As you can see, Daisys obsession
to maintain her wealth leads her to make bad decisions. She breaks her promise of waiting for
Gatsby, she marries Tom because of his money, rather than because she loved him, and then she
cheats on him with Gatsby. Daisy only thinks of what she can do that will benefit her, even if it
hurts people around her. She returned to Tom, who she doesn't really love, just because of his
social status. Daisy used both Tom and Gatsby to further her own goals. In a way, the American
Dream was achieved by Daisy, but only through lies and deceit. Daisy represents both the
American Dream and the downfall that comes along with such a dream.
Throughout The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays a group of people that have
corrupted the true meaning of the American Dream. He does this by following the lives of three
characters, Jay Gatsby, George Wilson, and Daisy Buchanan. Each of these characters represents
various classes of American Society and were created to prove one point and one point only, that
chasing dreams doesnt get you what you want.

Balades 4
Works Cited
1. Gam, Karielle Stephanie. "A Great American Character Analysis: Is Gatsby Indeed
Great?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 12 June 2013. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
2. "The Demise of the 1920s American Dream in The Great Gatsby." Info Refuge. N.p., n.d.
Web. 27 Oct. 2014.
3. "Rise and Fall of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby."InterestingArticles.com.
N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
4. Baker, Katie. "The Problem With The Great Gatsbys Daisy Buchanan." The Daily Beast.
Newsweek/Daily Beast, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
5. "Criticism of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby." Literary Articles. N.p., n.d.
Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
6. "George Wilson." The Elusiveness of the American Dream in "The Great Gatsby" N.p.,
n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2014.