Judging a book by its cover is a mistake because it leads to wasted time. The Great Gatsby, a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a book that reflects that same idea of beauty always falling short. Through a semi-reliable narrator, Fitzgerald writes about obsessions and appearances to show his readers how the “American Dream” is falling apart. Right from the start, Nick, the narrator, introduces himself by giving insight on the way he was raised. His father had told him that whenever he felt “like criticizing anyone…[to] just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had” (Fitzgerald 1) .
This shows that she is only with him for his money and power. When Daisy gave birth to Pammy she said “I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool-that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.”(Fitzgerald 21).She implies here that the world is no place for a woman and all she can do is hope to survive through beauty rather than brains. However during the reunion Gatsby is still blinded by his dream. Even though Daisy isn’t the same as he remembers.
He made himself a rich man of high social standing, all for the sole purpose of trying desperately to win her back. He only thinks of Daisy as the girl he loved years ago in Louisville, and still loves. He refuses to forget the memories that he had with Daisy before the war. He can’t accept the fact that Daisy has changed since then, and has become an uncaring person who only thinks about herself and her social position. His biggest goal in life is to win back Daisy, so he has nothing to distract himself from that problem.
When he returned to his beloved Daisy, she had broken her promise and married a wealthy man as well as had a child. The person Daisy pretends to be is pure and beautiful but to the reader she is naive and too loyal for her
She achieved wealth by just being pretty. However if Daisy wasn’t as pretty then Tom would of never married her, which links to another theme. Jay Gatsby achieved wealth through illegal business. During 1920s there was Prohibition, meaning that alcohol was illegal. However his parties would have an abundance of alcohol.
As a result of his failure to make it to the baseball major leagues, Troy reflects his defeat on Cory, telling him he’ll never succeed because of the “white man”. In addition to his jealousy, another reason for Troy holding Cory back is he subconsciously does not want his son to surpassing his own life progress and accomplishments; this is unlike a usual Father who dreams of their child accomplishing more than themselves. Troy’s self-loathing also sabotages his seemingly satisfactory marriage. By cheating on Rose, Troy can escape his daily responsibilities and feelings of failure. He feels this way with his mistress, Alberta, because she does not know much of him or his past, unlike Rose.
In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby is blinded by his love for Daisy to the point that he will go to any length to protect her. His love and devotion for Daisy resulted in him overlooking the reality before him, and would ultimately get him killed. Holden Caulfield and Jay Gatsby both make the effort to generate what they have idealized in their dreams a reality, but doing so is not possible, as their realities cannot be changed. In The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Holden Caulfield struggles with accepting that what his ideals are in his life are not what actually exist in the outside world.
The mobsters of the 1920’s benefitted from these illegal activities and were able to make their own fortunes. The strength and profit that organized crime gained from this era allowed the Mafia to establish themselves in the country and become very influential in American culture. The power and influence that organized crime gained in the 1920’s as a result of bootlegging carried out through many future generations. The prohibition of alcohol in the United States in 1919 was revolutionary in that it had outlawed something that had been a part of American culture for so long. The proposal that alcohol could be completely eliminated from the country was rather ridiculous, and many took it upon themselves to make a profit off the opportunity presented by this new law.
Throughout the first section of the book, Charles is cautious about interfering too much in his son’s life. At the same time, he envies the two boy’s ability to run free and happy. About half way through the book, he jumps into action, surprising even himself. Charles realizes that something is not right about the carnival, and has suspicions about Mr. Dark and Mr. Cooger, the men who run the carnival.
He is still left unfulfilled, his money unable to substantiate his love for Daisy. She still went off with Tom and Gatsby is left there, his whole effort in vain. So it is clear through Gatsby’s plight, that money does not make a difference and is ultimately inconsequential in the value of one’s life. The irony in Owl-Eyes’ comment after Gatsby’s funeral, calling Gatsby “’the poor old son-of-a-bitch’”(175) illustrates this a little further. Gatsby tries all of his