The Great Gatsby
By: Steffi Martinez
The Cost of Pursuing a Dream
The cost of pursuing a dream is IDENTITY. What is identity? Identity, according to the Collins English Dictionary, is the state of having unique identifying characteristics held by no other person or thing. In the process of trying to achieve dreams or desires, one's original identity is at stake.
"Definition of âidentityâ." Definition of Identity. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2012.
"Definition of âidentityâ." Definition of Identity. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Dec. 2012.
IDENTITY IN THE GREAT GATSBY
GATSBY: In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby tries to hide who he really is. His identity. He is in love with Daisy Buchanan. He tries to do anything in his power in order to get Daisy attention. He annexes life around fancy homes, extravagant cars, and luscious parties every day in his astonishing home. All he wishes to accomplish is to obtain Daisy's love and Gatsby is willing to give up the man he truly is in order to achieve it. Nobody really seems to know who he is though. Nick is one of the many characters in the book who try to find out Gatsby's true identity. Nick describes him as son of God—a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that—and he must be about His Father's business, the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty." (Fitzgerald, 95) Nick was astonished by the fact that Gatsby "invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent"(Fitzgerald, 95)
DAISY: Daisy is the woman that Gatsby is in love with. Daisy knows that she is in love with Gatsby but Daisy, however, is trapped in a marriage with Tom that she is unhappy in. She also feels trapped in a world where she has no chance to be free or independent. Daisy isn't really in a place where she wants to be therefore she gave up her identity by saying "I Do" to Tom. She now becomes a woman that is very around an unreal bubble and "watches for the longest day in the year and then misses it" (Fitzgerald, 12) Daisy also turns very careless, she doesn't really care about many things, her daughter, Myrtle, being one of them. Daisy's character shows that she was caught and defeated by her desires for the materialistic things in life. Nick also was examining the life of Daisy. He kept seeing how fake and careless Daisy could be and to him it was "invariably saddening to look through new eyes at things upon which you have expended your own powers of adjustment." (Fitzgerald, 110)
DAISY: Daisy is the woman that Gatsby is in love with. Daisy knows that she is in love with Gatsby but Daisy, however, is trapped in a marriage with Tom that she is unhappy in. She also feels trapped in a world where she has no chance to be free or independent. Daisy isn't really in a place where she wants to be therefore she gave up her identity by saying "I Do" to Tom. She now becomes a woman that is very around an unreal bubble and "watches for the longest day in the year and then misses it" (Fitzgerald, 12) Daisy also turns very careless, she doesn't really care about many things, her daughter, Myrtle, being one of them. Daisy's character shows that she was caught and defeated by her desires for the materialistic things in life. Nick also was examining the life of Daisy. He kept seeing how fake and careless Daisy could be and to him it was "invariably saddening to look through new eyes at things upon which you have expended your own powers of adjustment." (Fitzgerald, 110)
IDENTITY IN THE REAL WORLD
Kaite Holmes:
Holmes, is a very famous fashion designer and actress. By marring Tom Cruise however, she left behind for a while who she was (her identity) in order to become a stable mom for their daughter.
Holmes, is a very famous fashion designer and actress. By marring Tom Cruise however, she left behind for a while who she was (her identity) in order to become a stable mom for their daughter.
IDENTITY IN MY WORLD
When I was a gymnast. I was taught to strive for perfection. Perfect jumps, perfect flips, and perfect posture. Every practice, we learned something new. We were creating a habit for a rigorous routine in order to achieve a way bigger goal than just being cheered on by a few people. Every girl in that gym dreamed of one day standing on the platform podium of the Olympics, with a bushel of flower in their hands, declaring that they were better than anyone else in the world. Of course, it required sacrificing some things that other kids were privileged of having. While many of the school kids were out hanging out at the mall, we were striving to get better and better everyday. It got to a point where friends and a social life weren't the only thing that was being sacrificed. As time progressed, school grades were dropping and I was asked to choose between going to the gym early on Sunday mornings or church. I, being a strong Christian, couldn't let anything stand in my way of what I believed in, which was to put God first in everything, losing the morals which i stood for, my identity, not even my dream.