The Green Light

We all enjoy countless blessings that we never acknowledge. We live in a safe community, with loving friends and family. We don’t have to think twice about buying those expensive clothes or the newest phone. The few struggles in our life aren’t nearly comparable to the daily challenges others face to survive and make ends meet. In fact, our greatest source of pain happens to be school, a privilege in the eyes of so many others in less developed parts of the world. We even manage to twist our opportunities into challenges; rather than enjoying being a part of a sports team or the orchestra, we heavily pressure ourselves to improve, unable to be content with the pure enjoyment and happiness from these activities.

Gatsby also enjoys many privileges that he takes for granted. Gatsby would be expected to appreciate and understand his privileges more than the other wealthy people, as he has experienced both an impoverished and a wealthy lifestyle, beginning as a mere farm boy and becoming a famed figure of society. However, Gatsby still is more discontent with his lifestyle than any of the other wealthy characters are. Gatsby’s source of discontent is his desire for Daisy, which is represented by his fixation with the “single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock” (Fitzgerald 26).  The light represents Gatsby’s single-minded focus on Daisy. Gatsby is blind to everything else he possesses, including his wealth and reputation. Daisy initially was and continues to be Gatsby’s motivation for his material successes.

Gatsby is also very withdrawn from society, which seems quite ironic considering his reputation for throwing glamorous parties. Gatsby stays apart from the crowd, drawing a distinct separation from the very people he sought to emulate just a few years before. Although Gatsby possesses the materialistic qualities of the wealthy, he does not possess their complacency and idleness. Perhaps Gatsby has not completely moved on from his past; after all, his name, Jay Gatsby, bears a strong resemblance to his previous identity as James Gatz.  But now, he has finally been reunited with Daisy. If Gatsby is able to successfully continue their relationship, will Gatsby finally settle for a life of comfort and stability? Will he truly be content with his social standing? Well, there must still be some room for improvement, even for the Great Gatsby.