Illusions and Reality in The Great Gatsby Essay - 3057 Words

According to Cynthia Wu, no matter how many critical opinions there are on The Great Gatsby, the book basically deals with Gatsbys dream and his illusions (39). We find out from the novel that Jay Gatsby is not even a real person but someone that James Gatz invented. Wu also tells us that Gatsby has illusions that deal with romance, love, beauty, and ideals (39). Wu also points out that Gatsbys illusions can be divided into four related categories: he came from a rich upper class family, a never ending love between him and Daisy, money as the answer to every problem, and reversible time. Through Nicks narrations we can really see who this Jay Gatsby is and the reality to his illusions, and from this we can make our own decision†¦show more content†¦Nick seems compassionate when he said that Jay invented the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would invent (Fitzgerald 104). I think it would have to be a desperate and miserable seventeen year old boy to invent a p erson and take on that new identity. Nick supports me on this idea when he says: But his heart was in a constant, turbulent riot (Fitzgerald, 105). Nick goes on to say that Gatsbys thoughts of him himself haunted him in bed at night. The dreams Gatsby had were a beautiful hint of the unreality of reality they were a promise that the rock of the world was found securely on a fairys wing (Fitzgerald 105). Andrew Dillon points out that James Gatz, the son of a ineffectual Midwestern farmer, is the son of God in his own self idealization of who he should be (54). We already know that his parents were poor and unsuccessful, and Gatsby couldnt accept them for that so he promotes his actual name to what he thinks should be his real name: the elegant and appealing Jay Gatsby. Now that Gatsby has left James Gatz behind and is a new person he begins to look for more. Wu argues that in order for Gatsby to completely delete his background he would have to change his father. She continues by saying that he does this when he rejects his natural father and adopts Dan Cody as his father.Show MoreRelatedIllusion and Reality in The Great Gatsby Essay1548 Words   |  7 PagesIllusion and Reality in The Great Gatsby  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚   The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a novel about one mans disenchantment with the American dream. In the story we get a glimpse into the life of Jay Gatsby, a man who aspired to achieve a position among the American rich to win the heart of his true love, Daisy Fay. Gatsbys downfall was in the fact that he was unable to determine that concealed boundary between reality and illusion in his life.      The Great Gatsby is a tightlyRead MoreExamples Of Illusion And Reality In The Great Gatsby1454 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout the novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. 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