Jay Gatsby is the main character of the novel "The Great Gatsby" that carries his name in the title describing him as being "great", but is he really great? Throughout the novel there are many aspects and actions taken by Jay Gatsby that can actually make him be considered a great person, nevertheless there are also many controversies to that idealization and therefore by analyzing both views a partial equilibrium conclusion can be reached. The aim of this essay is to analyze thoroughly the novel "The Great Gatsby" and reach to a conclusion of what's so great about Jay Gatsby.In the novel "The Great Gatsby", Jay Gatsby has as his main target to make all of his dreams eventually become reality.
In order to define Gatsby's character, Nick Carraway the narrator of the novel describes in depth the exaggerated exposure of wealth and social status, which is demonstrated through the abundant parties and the people that attended it. Before gaining all this fame and money, Jay Gatsby worked his way along the south shore of Lake Superior until he was employed by a very wealthy yachtsman, Dan Cody. While working at the Tuolomee, Gatsby develops a huge desire to gain money and become extremely wealthy as Cody.To young Gatz, resting on his oars, looking up at the railed deck, that yacht represented all the beauty and glamour in the world" (page 106), this quote shows the point that Gatsby had found for the first time wealth and power. This quote can also be considered to be a symbol of Gatsby's economic and social status as he arrives in a rowboat to warn Dan Cody in a yacht, of the wind that was arriving. From the previous quote it is also conveyed that Jay Gatsby considers beauty a materialistic value and this may be confirmed by the following quote: "her voice is full of money" (page 127) as he refers to Daisy.
This quote suggests that Gatsby relates his love for Daisy with his love for money and this is clear since the narrator tells us that Gatsby lied to Daisy when they met in Louisville. Jay tells her that he comes from a rich family in order to fulfil all the futile desires that she has and to give her hope to wait for him to come back from the war. Despite all the efforts made by Gatsby so that he wouldn't lose his love to any other men, when he returns from war he finds out that Daisy marries Tom Buchanan, who is a very wealthy and powerful man.This is the point when Gatsby defines his target (transform his dream in to reality), which is to regain Daisy.
To accomplish this, Gatsby must first be able to provide Daisy with all the luxury and extravagance that Tom does and he achieved his goal. Nonetheless, this is attained because Gatsby participates in organized crime, as well as distributing illegal alcohol and trading in stolen securities during the "Prohibition era". The money gained from the bootlegging business makes Gatsby a very wealthy man and consequently he was able to buy a house in East Egg, which was across the bay from the Buchanan's house.A few weeks later, Gatsby starts giving a weekly party that exhibited all of his wealth and brought many important people to the same place. Daisy goes to the parties at Gatsby's house and she becomes impressed by the excessive amount of wealth obtained by him and therefore she is willing to see him.
Gatsby used his materialism and excessive displays of wealth to reunite with his former love. It is conveyed now that Gatsby is a man that will pass over any moral and/or illegal barriers to obtain his own success, which is in this case getting Daisy back, even though he is aware that she is married and has a daughter with Tom Buchanan.This is confirmed when Gatsby tells Jordan to ask Nick if he could invite Daisy to his house for tea so that he could all of a sudden (in Daisy's case) show up. Once again Jay Gatsby is able to turn his dreams into reality, Nick arranges the meeting. Gatsby primarily asks for this because he feared that Daisy would not want to see him and with this arrangement she wouldn't have much of a choice. As the novel moves on, the love between Daisy and Gatsby becomes clear to everyone, including Tom.
Nick identifies the reason of Gatsby's devotion to Daisy because of her impression of wealth and privilege, her perfect house, numerous clothes, lack of fear or worry. This is all that Gatsby ever wanted for himself and consequently for a future wife; as he says "the orgastic future" referring to Daisy. The green light in Daisy's dock is Gatsby's target, he wants to reach Daisy and take her with him. Although as the closure of the novel approaches Nick Carraway tells us that Tom and Daisy recon ciliate after the big fight in New York, at The Plaza Hotel.When returning to Long Island, Daisy accidentally hits Myrtle Wilson with her car but leaves the place without helping or even stayed to call for help.
When everyone arrives back to the Buchanan's house, Gatsby stays hidden outside. He looks into the house to see whether Tom would harm Daisy, although instead he stares at the scene of reconciliation of both. This is even more frustrating to Jay Gatsby because he was eager to take the guilt for the accident so that Daisy wouldn't be punished.Gatsby then leaves and goes to his house where he was in the pool floating on an air mattress during the next day.
Wilson illuminated by the eyes of T. J. Eckleburg goes to Gatsby's house to murder him since Wilson believed that Gatsby had killed his wife. Considering the above analysis of the novel "The Great Gatsby" in contrast with the aim of the essay and with the definition of the word "great" it may be taken into account that Jay Gatsby was a man of great values since everything he went after he at least partially had it, as in the case of Daisy, which suddenly reconciled with Tom.
Nevertheless the money, luxury and lavish parties that were always part of the dreams of Gatsby he was able to achieve, although almost everything was a fake as it is conveyed by his funeral that almost nobody attended except Nick, Owl Eyes and Gatsby's father that is very proud of his son and brings with him a schedule of self-improvement made by Gatsby when he was young so that he could become a better person. Even though Gatsby gets involved with illegal business I don't think his merit should be taken away because battled very hard before he even had the chance to do any of this.Gatsby is definitely considered "great" in the book because he's a dreamer and what makes him special is that he makes most of these dreams come true, although he died with the frustration of not having Daisy, which according to Nick must have probably been the worst thing to him. Therefore it may be concluded that Gatsby is "great" in the sense that he realized most of his dreams but definitely didn't realize the most important one that was to win back Daisy, but in my opinion that doesn't make him less great.
