America is the land of overachieving and milking out the max potential of one's desires or dreams. The Great Gatsby is a third person perspective of the failure of the American Dream through the story of Jay Gatsby. Jay Gatsby had two dreams that were co-dependent: loving Daisy and cementing his legacy as a certified wealthy individual. Jay went at it in a very American way by attempting to seize it all through intangible dreams. That goal is a very American trait that often results in failure, even though it may not seem like failure in many cases. A key piece of American culture is a laser focus on achieving a set goal, and coming up short results in all prior successes becoming futile.
In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby's failure to persuade Daisy, results in all of Gatsby's prior accomplishments to become invalid to him. Daisy was his end all be all and by her not running away with him, Gatsby is unable to confirm himself as one of the elite members of society. By marrying Daisy he would receive the credit he deserved but did not receive instantaneously because of who he was born into. Gatsby's origin became a point of shame for him, “he had changed it at the age of seventeen at the specific moment that witnessed the beginning of his career” (Fitzgerald 98). Gatsby covered up his past enroute to the lavish lifestyle he coveted so dearly, becoming one of the two lifelong goals that cursed Fitzgerald’s tale. Gatsby then worked his way out of his poor lifestyle, relentlessly forging his way to wealth. Upon reading how Gatsby rose to fame, Nick found himself in awe over Gatsby’s work ethic, “‘Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this or something. Do you notice what he’s got about improving his mind? He was always great for that”’ (Fitzgerald 173). How could Gatsby be on such a strong path and then manage to fail his great potential. Gatsby forged his path to the top, having a relentless work ethic, doing absolutely everything he could to make himself as successful as possible, allowing himself to be as close as possible to his dream of being one of the elite. Although Gatsby had this relentless work ethic, that work ethic destroyed his sought after dream. His relentless desire to want it all failed when he ended up pushing Daisy too far, “‘Oh you want too much!’ She cried to Gatsby. I love you—isn’t that enough? I cant help the past’” (Fitzgerald 132). Gatsby’s desire to complete his only goal in life fell short, leaving a life full of effort and promise transform to misery and dispair.
I did my junior theme on the standardized testing issue which embodies a modern day hit or miss issue. Upon investigating I was able to find out how large of a role these tests factor into admissions, “Currently, 60 percent of colleges say that test scores are of "considerable importance" as a factor in student admissions” (Morse). This is similar to Gatsby’s issue in which a lifetime of prep through school can be dictated by a three hour test. We do see standardized tests in other cultures but there are not many as significant as those in the United States. These tests help dictate the future of individuals of all economic classes, yet some yield some advantages like in Gatsby’s case. Those individuals who come from wealth in Gatsby’s case are given the advantage in their status, and in the case of the tests, individuals are given the advantage through access to materials and overall ability to control their score. Both of these ideas remain large pieces of American culture which end up screwing people such as Gatsby who work endlessly their entire lives only to have their goals not met.
Lastly I wanted to bring in a personal story to finish off the final essay of the year. The idea of capitalism and striving to be number one is about as American as it gets. As we finish up the year in which we studied American literature vigorously, I sought out to write how a person's goal can affect how they view their accomplishments. First off I’m going to quote Talladega nights’s Ricky Bobby, “if you ain't first you're last”. This quote reaches every corner of America, no matter what task you are doing. Whether it's a friendly competition amongst friends or your high school grades and test scores, there will always be competition and goals. And if you were to fall short of those lofty goals, however lofty they may be, you’ll end up like what Ricky Bobby said, dead last, as if you had done nothing. I have found this in personal situations such as sports and school, when I am succeeding and improving vastly, but I cannot see it in my own two eyes because I have yet to reach my goal. Even if those around me applauded me for my efforts I could not find success because I have yet to reach that goal. This is very similar to Gatsby who sought out both the love of Daisy and the power her name brought to his own. Gatsby wanted to set in stone his good fortune that he accrued through a lifetime of hard work, and no better way for him to do it then marry his dream girl that he has chased for what has now seemed to be a lifetime. Gatsby lived for his teenage dream, “so he invented just he sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old boy would likely invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end”(Fitzgerald 98). Due to America and their citizens' high praise of goals, we see many feats go unrecognized, leaving many without the credit they are due. On the other hand, the person accomplishing the feat loses the feeling of success they so greatly deserve.
