Fistly,I want to express some doubts about the reliability of the narrator, Nick Carraway, who tells the life of the main character, Jay Gatsby, from his own perspective because Nick sometimes praises Gatsby and sometimes expresses critical thoughts about him. This situation shows that the narrator is not completely objective and tells the story according to his own feelings.
Secondly, we see the American Dream theme from the beginning to the end of the story. The American Dream is the belief that no matter which social class people come from, they can become rich and successful through hard work. This thought is Jay Gatsby’s main motivation. His obsessive love for Daisy Buchanan and his hope that she will return to him one day lead him to work harder and do everything he can to become rich. The novel conveys this hope through the symbol of the green light. The green light comes from Daisy’s house, and when Gatsby looks at it, he sees his dreams and hopes. So the green light shows Gatsby’s dreams and the future he wants, and it also shows how unreachable the American Dream can be.
In addition, Jay Gatsby organizes big and flashy parties to prove his wealth and to show it to Daisy Buchanan. However, this situation did not affect either Daisy or the other people. Because society was divided into two parts: “new money” (people who became rich later) and “old money” (people who inherited their wealth). Although Gatsby became rich through his own efforts, he was not appreciated and was even despised by society. Therefore, Daisy did not choose to be with him. This situation shows that for Daisy, social status and wealth were more important than love.
Finally, Jay Gatsby was left alone at the end of his life despite his struggles. Nearly nobody came to his funeral. This