gatsby

            A few years back I was conversing with a friend about a grade that they felt was inferior to the grades he usually achieved. .
             "I can't believe I did this bad!" he told me. "I've always done well in bio. I studied all night!".
             I stood there feeling bad for my friend, being a very dedicated student, because of his dire day. It blew my mind too because he did, in fact always study. The conversation was not going anywhere, and I felt I had to help him somehow. Taking a shot at cheering him up, I explained to him that people have to learn to set reasonable goals for themselves, trying not to stretch their capabilities. Not only did he feel better, but I was relieved as well, knowing he understood the error of his ways.
             In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Jay Gatsby, a wealthy man residing on Long Island, holds onto a dream that he thinks will grant him eternal happiness. As a man with his values in the wrong order, Gatsby struggles to see his dream through and ends up being emotionally distraught because of his extreme expectations for life. With this in mind, one may see an aspiration as an impossible feat, while others the same aspiration as a great opportunity. Either way, one must set plausible goals for one's self to achieve their dreams.
             Jay Gatsby, the main character of the novel, attempts to live the "perfect life" by acquiring as much money as he can because he feels that money is the key to happiness, as well as friendships, social status, and even love. Gatsby portrays himself as a man living in an ideal world, and unfortunately, this is the cause of his later death. Through the grapevine, almost everyone residing in East Egg and West Egg have been told Gatsby graduated from Oxford University, and thereafter traveling the world, claiming his spot on the ladder of wealth. Unfortunately, Nick discovers the truth of Gatsby in the life of James Gatz, once a regular man trying to make ends meet until stumbling upon Dan Cody.