How can Gatsby be called Great Essay -- F. Scott Fitzgerald Great Gats

The title of F Scott Fitzgerald’s novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ can be seen as incredibly ironic: not only can the ‘greatness’ of the eponymous character be vehemently contested, he is not even named ‘Gatsby’. In fact, he is a criminal, James Gatz, who, although he appears to be an epitome of the idealistic American Dream, having grown from an impoverished childhood into a life of excess and splendour, he has obtained everything through crime and corruption. Indeed, it has been said that ‘The Great Gatsby’ is â€Å"a parable of disenchantment with the ‘American Dream’† , and it is, for the American Dream is the idea that â€Å"through hard work, courage and determination, one could achieve prosperity.† James Gatz did not obtain his prosperous lifestyle through â€Å"hard work†, but rather through felony. Of course, it may seem that he ‘worked hard’ for it, and there is no disputing hi s determination and perhaps even his courage, but the â€Å"hard work† on which the American Dream is based is not the work of criminals. Of course, we cannot deny that Gatsby has achieved a great deal in his lifetime, all, apparently, in the name of love. Indeed the narrator of the story, Nick Carraway, describes Gatsby as having â€Å"an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person†, and this forms the basis of his opening argument for the greatness of Gatsby. We must, however, examine the reliability of the narrator. Nick says himself that he is â€Å"inclined to reserve all judgement†, but then quickly goes on to say how â€Å"it has a limit†, that he cannot reserve judgement on everyone, and also that Gatsby was â€Å"exempt from my reaction†, following this with how Gatsby â€Å"represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn†,... ...l of Daisy, either. After all, Nick himself says that â€Å"Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply†, and one can assume that this would also be true for Daisy: Wilson would not have shot Daisy as he does Gatsby: it would appear that his â€Å"romantic readiness† was eventually the cause of his murder. The fact that he was killed by Wilson is deeply ironic: the underdog, the only poor character we see in the novel, running a â€Å"bare†, â€Å"whitewashed† garage under the god-like eyes of â€Å"Doctor T. J Eckleburg†, kills the prosperous, rich, idealistic hero, showing not only the â€Å"disenchantment of the ‘American Dream’†, but also that there really is no place for Jay Gatsbys in the world: the qualities which Nick perceives as â€Å"great† slowly pave the way for his defeat. Was Gatsby â€Å"great†? No, he was simply naively idealistic in a society completely deficient in morality. How can Gatsby be called Great Essay -- F. Scott Fitzgerald Great Gats The title of F Scott Fitzgerald’s novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ can be seen as incredibly ironic: not only can the ‘greatness’ of the eponymous character be vehemently contested, he is not even named ‘Gatsby’. In fact, he is a criminal, James Gatz, who, although he appears to be an epitome of the idealistic American Dream, having grown from an impoverished childhood into a life of excess and splendour, he has obtained everything through crime and corruption. Indeed, it has been said that ‘The Great Gatsby’ is â€Å"a parable of disenchantment with the ‘American Dream’† , and it is, for the American Dream is the idea that â€Å"through hard work, courage and determination, one could achieve prosperity.† James Gatz did not obtain his prosperous lifestyle through â€Å"hard work†, but rather through felony. Of course, it may seem that he ‘worked hard’ for it, and there is no disputing hi s determination and perhaps even his courage, but the â€Å"hard work† on which the American Dream is based is not the work of criminals. Of course, we cannot deny that Gatsby has achieved a great deal in his lifetime, all, apparently, in the name of love. Indeed the narrator of the story, Nick Carraway, describes Gatsby as having â€Å"an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person†, and this forms the basis of his opening argument for the greatness of Gatsby. We must, however, examine the reliability of the narrator. Nick says himself that he is â€Å"inclined to reserve all judgement†, but then quickly goes on to say how â€Å"it has a limit†, that he cannot reserve judgement on everyone, and also that Gatsby was â€Å"exempt from my reaction†, following this with how Gatsby â€Å"represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn†,... ...l of Daisy, either. After all, Nick himself says that â€Å"Dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply†, and one can assume that this would also be true for Daisy: Wilson would not have shot Daisy as he does Gatsby: it would appear that his â€Å"romantic readiness† was eventually the cause of his murder. The fact that he was killed by Wilson is deeply ironic: the underdog, the only poor character we see in the novel, running a â€Å"bare†, â€Å"whitewashed† garage under the god-like eyes of â€Å"Doctor T. J Eckleburg†, kills the prosperous, rich, idealistic hero, showing not only the â€Å"disenchantment of the ‘American Dream’†, but also that there really is no place for Jay Gatsbys in the world: the qualities which Nick perceives as â€Å"great† slowly pave the way for his defeat. Was Gatsby â€Å"great†? No, he was simply naively idealistic in a society completely deficient in morality.