Illusion in The Great Gatsby Essay

In The Great Gatsby, fascinating novel by Fitzgerald, Gatsby, the main character, begins to decline and loose all hope after the fall of his illusions. Gatsby had lived for five year immerged in a world of his own, created by his fervid imagination to gain the approval of the girl he loved. When he realizes she isnt enough in respect to his dreams, and that he has lost her, he begins to decline and loose all faith in life. His lost of hope leads to his end, both emotional and social, therefore George Wilson made Gatsby a favor by killing him and giving an end to his disastrous decline.

The fall of Gatsbys illusions, is mainly caused by the excessive hope and expectations Gatsby had towards Daisy, which she couldnt possibly fulfill. Gatsby had thrown himself into it with a creative passion, adding to it all the time, decking it out with every bright feather that drifted his way; he had therefore created an ideal Daisy during the years of separation, which he expected to find. Fitzgerald adds that No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man can store up in his ghostly heart, this quote seems to be directed at humanity, although it is also related to Gatsby. The author says that images created go far beyond reality and cant therefore be challenged. Gatsby had lived of images, adding constantly to them and reality will obviously be far from these and will be disappointing.

The colossal vitality of his illusions give Gatsby the strength to achieve his dream of conquering Daisy, however, when he meets her again a faint doubt occurred to him as to the quality of his present happiness. His dreams were so far that he was disillusioned, Daisy had tumbled short of his dreams. Everything that had had a great significance for Gatsby in his hope lost its value, as the light, which had a colossal significance and was then just a green light on a dock.

Gatsby was so passionate about Daisy that apart from the faint doubt about his happiness, he was overwhelmed by her and eager to repeat the past. However, Gatsbys decline begins at the Plaza, when he is exposed to Daisy without his mask. He looses her irreparably, and paid a high price for living too long with a single dream. His whole life was aimed at Daisys approval and happiness, and without her, he was deprived from the capacity to dream and hope and his whole positive attitude towards the world failed to exist.

Gatsbys whole conception of life and vision of the world mutes into something negative and depressing, equal to his state of mind. The sky becomes unfamiliar, the roses grotesque, the grass scarcely created and the sunlight raw. The only, the last hope available to Gatsby was her phone call but Gatsby himself didnt believe it would come, and perhaps he no longer cared. Gatsby is aware of his loss of illusions and imminent decline and the thought of being killed instead of his true love, is possibly the last hope left.

Wilson, in despair, shoots Gatsby; he is however killing a man without hopes nor dreams, a man who is without a social nor emotional life, at the end of his existence for he has no more reason to live after the only reason of his life had left. Wilson, is therefore, without knowing it, making a favor to Gatsby by ending his life.