“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.”
Gatsby never achieves his true ambitions (to marry Daisy and becomes as respectable as those in East Egg)
This shows that the American Dream is flawed, however it is Gatsby’s unwavering determination which makes him an admirable character to Nick nonetheless.
“And as i sat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsbys wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock.”
- Nick wonders how early European settlers must have felt when they discovered America, as an untouched vast of opportunity and curiosity - he compares this to Gatsbys fascination at the idea of Daisy, and marrying her (to have a leg up in society, ultimately).
The green light is a symbol not only of Gatsby’s desire for Daisy but also of the American dream in general, which is often just out of most people’s grasp.
“You may fool me, but you can’t fool God!”
- George Wilson is the husband of Myrtle; he is victimised by the ‘American Dream’ - capitalism/class discrimination has destroyed him, and his paranoia has manifested in his thinking that the Dr T.J Eckleberg billboard is like the eyes of God, seeing everything - like God has been replaced by greed and money.
“They were careless people, Tom and Daisy.”
Ultimately, the extremely wealthy are aware of their privileges in society, and are very selfish as a result.
Tom and Daisy both destroy whatever threatens them throughout the novel, Daisy kills Myrtle and Gatsby is blamed, and Tom kills Gatsby, but orders for George Wilson to pull the trigger.
They don’t like those ambitious enough to attempt to pollute their sectors in society.
'’An Oxford man!’ He was incredulous. ‘Like hell he is! He wears a pink suit.’’
We, as well as Nick, already know that Gatsby has lied about nearly everything from his backstory, including his education at Oxford, because this is his attempt to create an awesome image of himself and present himself outwardly as an idea he has crafted in his head of what he wants to be.
The fact that Tom calls him out for his outfit symbolises that the rich are aware of the class system and intend to reinforce it.
This disables the idea of the ‘American Dream’, which is an ideology that claims that anyone can achieve anything, no matter where they started off.
“It’s full of—”I hesitated. / “It’s full of money”
Daisy’s voice is dwelled on heavily throughout the novel, and is emphasised as a tool of seduction and power.
Her voice is what draws people to her; it’s almost magical, something is so ethereal about it.
However, as Nick is attempting to verbalise just what makes her vocals so enchanting, Gatsby answers that it’s because her voice carries her status and wealth within it; this shows us again that Daisy is not the draw herself for Gatsby, but rather what her position in society can offer to him, she, her demeanour, voice, personality etc. are all attractive because by these traits, it’s evident that she is rich
‘I hope she’ll be a fool - that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool’
- this quote offers a revealing glimpse into Daisy’s character.
- Daisy is not a fool herself but is the product of a social environment that, to a great extent, does not value intelligence in women.
- The older generation values subservience and docility in females, and the younger generation values thoughtless giddiness and pleasure-seeking.
- Daisy’s remark is somewhat sardonic: while she refers to the social values of her era, she does not seem to challenge them.
- Instead, she describes her own boredom with life and seems to imply that a girl can have more fun if she is beautiful and simplistic.
- Daisy herself often tries to act such a part.
- She conforms to the social standard of American femininity in the 1920s in order to avoid such tension-filled issues as her undying love for Gatsby.
