In The Great Gatsby, many problems are conveyed in the book as well as the movie. Not to mention how humans tend to act cruel to each other, scaling with more influence and wealth they possess. Some questions that tie into this novel are, why did Gatsby fall for Daisy without spending more time with her long enough, to find out her true nature?, and why didn’t he try to flee the state, and reunite with Daisy at another time? All these questions relate to the root of the problem. Obsession and power.

To expand on my last point, major events that happened in The Great Gatsby will be revealed in this blog post. In chapter 9 of the book, Nick talks about Gatsby’s aspiration for the greenlight. He compares it to what America must have looked like before settlers had tore down the trees and built cities. For Gatsby, the greenlight symbolizes his ideal life with Daisy and it represents a new beginning for the both of them. The color green also symbolizes a calm nature and compassionate love for your partner. However, his fascination with the American Dream led him to his down-fall.

Furthermore, power seems to be a common problem in both the book and the movie. Tom’s obsession for power was depicted in the scene where he was racing Gatsby to the Luxury Hotel. Tom wanted to beat Gatsby because that was when he believed Gatsby was gonna take everything away from him. Feeling threatened by Gatsby’s demeanor, he felt as his life with Daisy and mistress were being taken away from him. At this point, Tom used all the power at his disposal, which in this case was his wealth. To find out what kind of person Gatsby really was like. He exposed Gatsby of his criminal acts of unlawful doing. He then tried to manipulate George by telling him that Gatsby owns the yellow car. The same car that ran-over Myrtle. This quote is an instance to what I’m referring to.

“He and this Wolfshiem bought up a lot of side-street drug stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That’s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him and I wasn’t far wrong.”

To summarize the points I’ve made throughout this essay. Society is destined to crumble due to our human nature of selfishness. In order for us to evolve as a species, we have to recognize the humanity of other people and respect their dignity. Generosity should be a thing that everyone should try and achieve everyday. One random act of kindness can change a person’s outlook on life. That’s how I viewed the book anyways, but others might say it has something to do with the American Dream being full of false promises and some of the aspirations most people have will never be attained.