Apperance vs Reality In the Great Gatsby

The roaring twenties were the times of higher wages, new technologies and extravagant parties to celebrate after the devastating war. It was the time of great economic prosperity and many people became rich and wealthy. With this all happening many people lived in an illusionary world, where only few could see reality. Being successful during these times had nothing to do with hard work but rather involved false happiness, high social status and materialistic objects. F. Scott Fitzgerald implies in “The Great Gatsby” that Underneath those who appear to be living a life of perfection, there may be a lack of contents in reality.

In Scott. F Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the characters of Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, and Nick Carraway all reveal that the certain appearances of their lives do not match the reality. When a person becomes so caught up in their appearance they tend to forget about the reality around them. In the novel The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby portrays that the appearance of his life is unlike true reality. James Gatz grew up in a very poor family from North Dakota, and after he became wealthy he changed his name to Jay Gatsby to hide from his past appearance. Gatsby appears to be this

An individual who has a successful and accomplished life because of all his wealth, but in reality he is a fraud. His wealth was not inherited from a wealthy family nor was it gained through a sincerely hard-working job that but he became a bootlegger and gets his wealth from illegally selling bonds. Gatsby is unable to see past reality “ can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can? ”(116).

Gatsby has a vision of re-gaining the relationship Daisy and him once had. He believes that since he’s made a name for himself and has become very wealthy, he now has everything he needs for Daisy to come back to him. Gatsby is blind to the reality that his dream is long gone and that his past can never be fully repeated. The future has brought other factors such as being married and his money being done illegally. He will never be able to repeat the relationship they once had when they were younger ”he tried to recapture Daisy, and for a time it looks as though her will succeed. But he must fail, because of his inability to separate the ideal from the real. ”

It appears that since Gatsby is socially accepted in Daisy’s world with his wealthy and popular persona and that the love they have for each other still exists, he now has everything he needs to gain Daisy back. Since they already have strong love for each other. However, once Daisy soon discovers that Gatsby isn’t that man he puts out to be, and the comfort and protection she feels with Tom because of his wealth and status is much more important to her than the love and sacrifice Gatsby shows toward her. Daisy Buchanan married Tom Buchanan in spite of her infatuation with living a wealthy and glamorous lifestyle. Even though she realizes her husband is having an affair she still stays with him, convinced that her money will work as a distraction and make her happy.

Nick discovers that “ her whole carless world revolves around this illusion: that money makes everything beautiful, even if it’s not”. From the moment Daisy was born she was brought into a glamourized world of wealth. Once she’s older, she falls for Tom Buchanan and the money he represents, leading her to marry him. She feels that the wealthy lifestyle she endures with Tom will bring them eternal happiness and solve all of their potential problems. Regarding her daughter Pammy, Daisy says “And I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool. ”(fitzgerald 21).

This statement shows that she wishes that her daughter will grow up to be naive and beautiful so she doesn’t have to worry about all the problems that occur in life. Daisy herself is beautiful, however, she is not a fool and is fully aware of her husbands infidelities. She feels that if she was naive to this situation, she would be able to live happily in her life filled with beauty and wealth and would not have to deal with these kinds of problems. Unfortunately for Daisy, she realizes that a marriage lacking love and trust has erupted in her life and assumes that her money will over shadow this problem and make everything better.

Daisy seems to be living a perfect, beautiful life because of her wealth and high social class. However, she soon comes to the conclusion that there is an emptiness in her heart that her money will never be able to fulfill. When a person is aware to the reality they began to realize how non important appearance is. The character of Nick Carraway is neighbours with the popular Gatsby and is exposed to his mansion that holds all of his extravagant parties. Nick demonstrates a character who realizes that the upper class world isn’t all what it seems. Nick perceives that the people of new york’s upper class live fascinating and wonderful lives due to their weath.

When he eventually becomes part of the upper class world (having relation to Daisy and befriending Gatsby), Nick comes to the conclusion that wealth causes more harm and corruption than good. Nick begans to realize that after all the sacrifice and love Gatsby has done for his cousin Daisy, she still chooses to be with her unfaithful husband “they’re a rotten crowd. You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together”(Fitzgerald 162).

After None of Gatsby’s friends, as well as t he many people who attended his parties, showed up to his funeral, Nick discovers that he no longer wants to be apart of a world containing such shallowness and selfishness. “ Nick sees life now as it is. Nick dedues that Gatsby is both a racketeer and an incurable romantic, whose ill-gotten wealth has been acquired soley to gain prominence in the sophisticated, moneyed world of Daisys circle. ” Nick becomes to realize how naive his friend Jay Gatsby is to reality and how he’s allowing his money and appearance to take over. In the end, even the greatest of the characters in the Great Gatsby are conformed by their appearance. They may appear to live in such perfection and wealth but in reality money can’t buy happiness.