GATSBY ESSAY

How Fitzgerald’s Characterization Creates a Tone Around the Theme of Happiness?

In the novel The Great Gatsby, one of the major themes that Fitzgerald showed is happiness. Happiness is something that is important for every single person in this world. Fitzgerald’s characterization creates a theme of happiness through love, wealth and not giving up in hope. 

Fitzgerald shows happiness through the friendship between Gatsby and Nick. At the beginning of this story, Nick Carraway looked back through a disillusioned experience that he had in the summer in 1922. But only his friend Gatsby was the man who was exempt from his reaction. When Gatsby and Nick met they became friends but Nick felt that he was not honest at all, he felt that Gatsby hid something. After Gatsby finds out that he was Daisy's cousin they begin to spend more time together. Nick was the only person that knew Gatsby’s secret. In some way I feel that Gatsby felt supported by Nick, they both built a real friendship.

Wealth plays an important role around happiness because in a certain way this made the characters forget about their loneliness and miserable life. For instance, when Daisy married Tom because of his money and his lifestyle, Tom’s wealth made her forget about Gatsby. Also, the moment when Gatsby shows Daisy his shirts, she was fascinated that she even started to cry because she had not been able to see beautiful shirts before.  

Gatsby never gives up on the idea that she will end up with Daysi. He bought a mansion to be close to Daisy. Also, he threw all the parties hoping to see her again. He believed that even though she was married they will end up together. Gatsby made a lot of sacrifices for her. For instance, when he blamed himself for Myrtle’s death even though he was innocent, he thought that Daisy would value all his efforts.

Fitzgerald created a theme around happiness through love, wealth and not giving up on hope because he wanted them to forget about their sad reality. Most people believe that their happiness depends on money, power, and privileges forgetting those important values that are kindness and humanity.