Gatsby and the concept of the 'American Dream' (1 Viewer)

[forbes_mitch]

While studying Gatsby I have come across various link to the american dream, including love, money and posessions.

I was interested in what other pepople studying this text have to say about it??
thanks

 

[Ostentatious]

I'm sure we'd like to know about your links first

 

[forbes_mitch]

well gatsby has nearly everything (money and possesions) he needs to complete his dream but he is missing one more important aspect to his dream which is daisy. chasing after daisy is a significant purpose in his life......

thats all i got

 

[29smash29]

well at our school we are looking at gatsbys love as more of an obsession, as in where it says somewhere in the book he was dazzeled by thr youth and mystry wealth came with (or something to that extent), so you could tie it in with the american dream in the sense that what he needs to complete his dream is daisys love and he alters his entire self/personality in order to get daisy...

does that make sense?

 

[PantherZ]

well gatsby has nearly everything (money and possesions) he needs to complete his dream but he is missing one more important aspect to his dream which is daisy. chasing after daisy is a significant purpose in his life......

thats all i got

If I remember correctly, I claimed that his superfluous pursuit of Daisy was emblematic or a resemblance of the faux nature of the American Dream.

 

[forbes_mitch]

yeah, his love for daisy is like a quest and without this quest for love he would have no purpose in life, chasing daisy with his wallet rather than his heart perhaps??

 

[Ostentatious]

yeah, his love for daisy is like a quest and without this quest for love he would have no purpose in life, chasing daisy with his wallet rather than his heart perhaps??

I'd say you're spot on there. Don't forget to analyse the other relationships in the novel as well. Like Tom and Myrtyle. How did they come to be together? Why aren't they out of their respective relationships and into their ideal relationship? I don't know if it's necessary, but if you study these aspects it might also shed some light on the links between context and text.