Essay on The Great Gatsby

Essay on The Great Gatsby

            The theme of the American dream dominates the story of “The Great Gatsby.” However, another theme comes up from the theme of the American dream: the theme of false hope. The setting of “The Great Gatsby” presents social stratification where characters are developed around the theme of false hope for a desire to achieve certain goals. The central conflict that comes up in the hope of the characters is that they do not accept the responsibility of using the right channels towards achieving their dreams. The poem on “Elimination of Hope” supports the idea presented by the poem on “Dreams are Color-blind” as well as the entire “The Great Gatsby” that the hope of most characters is not based on achievable dreams but the desire to satisfy their desires. While the poem on “Elimination of Hope” is based on an unrepeatable past, the poem on “Dreams are Color-blind” considers the inability to change the past.

The poem on “Elimination of Hope” clarifies the fact that Gatsby’s hope was based on a weak foundation and was bound to fail. Gatsby appears obsessed with his love for Daisy. Therefore, Gatsby decides to do anything within his reach to win Daisy’s love. Gatsby hopes that coincidence has brought him back to love Daisy and wants Daisy to admit that she has stopped loving her current husband. Unfortunately, Gatsby’s hope is based on fiction, and coincidence has not played any role in bringing the two together: “You can’t repeat the past.” Similar to the fading American dream, Gatsby’s dream of having Daisy does not pay attention to the consequences that the whole process may have on either party. The belief on coincidence was only aimed at overlooking the reality that Gatsby was supposed to move on from Daisy because Daisy was already married. The poem on “Dreams are Color-blind” further creates a more evident contribution to the way Gatsby’s dream was not effective. Generally, the reliance on false hope by characters in “The Great Gatsby” is similar to the fading nature of the American dream.

“Dreams are Color-blind” attempts to argue that Gatsby was unable to see the signs that he had no future with Daisy. False hope appears authentic when characters are persistent for a long time. Persistence creates a positive rapport between characters and may impact the strength of the hope held by the characters. Gatsby hopes that his love is destined to find Daisy: “He wanted nothing less of Daisy.” The belief leads Gatsby to do several actions in a bid to convince Daisy to hold a similar opinion. For example, Gatsby holds several parties in his house, although he does not actively take part in the parties. Gatsby’s general is that Daisy would attend one of the parties, and Gatsby would get a chance to talk to her. Although the process was costly, Daisy finally meets Gatsby. Forgetting that the dream has not yet come real, Gatsby decides to convince Daisy that they had mutual feelings of love. For example, Gatsby asks Daisy to tell her husband that she did not love him. Daisy appeared reluctant to hurt her husband’s affections. For some time, the hope of Gatsby seemed to be becoming real because Daisy was growing interested in Gatsby. Generally, false hope and exaggerated hope do not appear different from sincere hope, and individuals seem determined to go to any extent, only to have their desires attained.

The wide application of metaphors and imagery in both “Dreams are Color-blind” and “Elimination of Hope” is used to pass a crucial message on the idea of false hope. Gatsby and invested heavily in the green light used in most of the parties held at his house. Generally, Gatsby believed that Green was a sign of hope and that Daisy would eventually be convinced to come to the party due to the color of the lights. Also, the positioning of the house bought by Gatsby was just across the bay, and Gatsby felt that he needed to be close to Daisy: “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay.” In “Dreams are Color-blind,” Gatsby is presented with the representation of realism while Daisy is said to be golden: “What realism! There was something gorgeous about him”. Generally, the definition leads the reader into believing that the love between Gatsby and Daisy was real: “His golden girl, the autumn leaf yellow of her hair.” Also, the environment created by the meeting of Daisy and Gatsby appears tense since Daisy is losing on the love for her husband while Gatsby is paying dearly to get the attention of another man’s wife.

In sum, the poem on “Elimination of Hope” supports the idea presented by the poem on “Dreams are Color-blind” as well as the entire “The Great Gatsby” that the hope of most characters is not based on achievable dreams but the desire to satisfy their desires. The poems are essential in bringing out the idea of the American dream and false hope in “The Great Gatsby.”