The development of Gatsby's dream in connection with his fascination to Daisy. About "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald (PDF)

Seminar paper from the year 2014 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1.0, University of Constance, language: English, abstract: The Great Gatsby by Fitz Scott Fitzgerald is considered to be one of the greatest American novels, one of the key themes in the book is Gatsby ¿s dream and it will be the centre of this term paper. Out of the various approaches to the book, this paper will focus on the character constellation of the protagonist Jay Gatsby and Daisy, the woman with whom he falls in love. How does Gatsby ¿s dream develop in connection with his fascination to Daisy? Claiming that, although two people are involved, his dream is only focused on himself, I will try to show, at least to a certain extent, how Gatsby ¿s dream has "three basic and related parts: the desire to repeat the past, the desire for money, and the desire for incarnation of 'unutterable visions' in the material earth." (Lockridge, 1968) Since Daisy represents all of these dreams when they meet for the first time, she becomes the personification of his dream, but in the course of the events their paths become separated. Therefore, this term paper will also investigate how Gatsby ¿s dream further develops since being separated from Daisy and finally what happens when he meets Daisy again - why does she in the end "[tumble] short of his dreams" (Fitzgerald, 2000)?

Regarding the often discussed issue, whether or not Fitzgerald was writing a myth specifically about America and the American Dream, or whether Gatsby ¿s dream can attain a wider relevance, I will not be able to refer to in much detail. The paper will also not discuss the point of narrative, but it is nevertheless crucial to mention that "Gatsby is presented almost entirely through Nick ¿s puzzled and often disapproving eyes." (Parkinson, 1988)