Analysis Of The Book The Great Gatsby - 1533 Words

A Mirage in a Desert: The Duality of Dreams in The Great Gatsby Dreamers are those who dedicate themselves to bringing the world in their minds into reality, unwilling to accept compromise. Dreams are the realities that everyone holds in their minds giving their lives meaning and direction, but what happens when a dreamer dreams a dream far too grand for reality? Scott F. Fitzgerald critically examines the duality of dreams in The Great Gatsby, a story about a young gentleman trying to achieve the American Dream through the love of a wealthy girl from his past, and in The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald places a heavy significance in lights of various forms and sources as lights not only serve as symbols of deception and truth, but also as the†¦show more content†¦Just as light is conventionally depicted as an illuminating force due to its ability to reveal something even if darkness enshrouds it, Gatsby’s true desires behind his love for Daisy is revealed on the â€Å"sidewalk[which] was white with moonlight,† and â€Å"Out of the corner of his eye Gatsby saw that the blocks of the sidewalks really formed a ladder and mounted to a secret place above the trees†¦ and once there he could suck on the pap of life, gulp down the incomparable milk of wonder†(117). The sidewalk symbolizes Gatsby s true desire, which is to blime the social ladder due to the peculiarity of Fitzgerald comparing a sidewalk, which is an object one uses to travel horizontally, to a ladder, an object that one uses to travel vertically. Further, this image comes to Gatsby’s attention just as he is about to kiss Daisy whom, too, stood as the end of the sidewalk. Therefore, a parallel is drawn between Daisy and the â€Å"pap of life,† a purà ©e usually fed to newborns, implying that Daisy is a necessary nutrient to fueling Gatsby’s dream of becoming a member of the upper class. Prior to this passage, one is led to believe that Gatsby is simply lovesick due to Daisy’s unique physique and personality , but the fact that Gatsby has equated acquiring Daisy to acquiring his American dream is revealed by the moonlight as Gatsby was only able to see the sidewalk due to illumination from the moonlight. In this instance, light served to reveal truth, however, Fitzgerald also