Love and romance in The Great Gatsby - Book Report/Review Example

It is possible to single out two different worlds: the world of reality represented by wealth and money, and the world of dreams, which embodies love. Gatsby idealizes romance because only dreams have value for him. The theme of love plays an important role in lives of both characters, Gatsby and Daisy. The story is unique because the author depicts events, experience, time, memories through different people. Wealth and money symbolize stability and social recognition, while romance and love is desirable but unachievable.

" Daisy tumbled short of his dreams-not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion" (Gatsby, Ch. 5). Quite early Jay Gatsby explores the meaning and significanse of money in life. The theme of romance is closely connected with absence of wealth and money. Jay was not rich enough to marry Daisy, now he has a chance, as he thinks, to restore their love, because "she was the first "nice" girl he had ever known" (Gatsby, Ch.8). On the other hand, Gatsby has to idealize romance because love to Daisy is the only thing he values.

For this reason dreams rule his world. Romance reminds Gatsby his youth, when he met Daisy and felt in love. Those times, he felt lack of money but he was much happier than now to be in love with Daisy. Gatsby describes his past: "He knew that Daisy was extraordinary, but he didn't realize just how extraordinary a "nice" girl could be. her rich, full life, leaving Gatsby-nothing. He felt married to her, that was all" (Gatsby, Ch.8). Now, he is a rich man socially "equal" to Daisy. For Gatsby, ideal romance means pure relations free from cupidity and social statuses.

All his "friends' can be characterized as greedy and spoilt people who do not know what friendship is, rating only money and social status. Gatsby is unsatisfied with life and with reality. In his work, Fitzgerald depicts confrontations between wealth and honesty. "Sometimes they [guests] came and went without having met Gatsby at all, came for the party with a simplicity of heart that was its own ticket of admission." (Gatsby, Ch. 3). As though to emphasize his vision of the life-denying nature of most modern existence, Fitzgerald does not use the imitative method to portray characters through motivation and conditionality.

Gatsby tries to build pure relations with Daisy based on faith and ethernal love. On the other hand, "Jay Gatsby" is an ideal person who wants to marry "an ideal Daisy". Gatsby was lucky enough to realize his dream and became a millionaire; nevertheless, he does not belong to aristocracy who possess both money and high level of education. In this case, Daisy is an "ideal" for Gatsby, who possesses wealth, good breeding and education. "Her voice is full of money," he said suddenly. That was it.

I'd never understood before. It was full of money-that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals' song of it. . . . high in a white palace the king's daughter, the golden girl. . . . (Gatsby, Ch.7). His hopes and dreams almost inevitably resulted in disappointments because lack of education was "Achilles' heel" for him. Everything in Gatsby's life is real: "I ascertained. They're real." "The books" "Absolutely real-have pages and everything. I thought they'd be a nice durable cardboard.

Matter of fact, they're