The purpose of The Great Gatsby is to critique the American Dream and explore themes of love, wealth, and social class. The author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, examines the consequences of chasing an unattainable dream through Jay Gatsby.
Apart from acquiring wealth, a life with Daisy is Gatsby’s mission in life. Anything that gets in the way of his relationship with her is considered an enemy to Gatsby. Tom Buchanan, Daisy’s husband, is his most significant living obstacle. However, the biggest thing standing in Gatsby’s way is time because he can’t go back to retrieve what he has already lost.
Gatsby believes he can recreate the past and win Daisy back, despite the reality that time, circumstances, and social barriers have made this dream impossible. This highlights Gatsby’s inability to separate his dreams from reality. His fixation on the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock symbolizes his hope, but also the illusion of his aspirations. No matter how much wealth he accumulates or how lavish his lifestyle becomes, he can never truly reach the life he envisions.
Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s downfall to critique the American Dream, showing how it can become corrupted by materialism and the illusion of success. Gatsby’s dream is not just about love and winning Daisy back. It also represents an idealized version of life that can never exist. In the end, his tragic fate reveals the consequences of living in the past and chasing something that was never truly real. This is the silver lining of The Great Gatsby.
