Disillusionment In The Great Gatsby

1374 Words6 Pages
In competitive fighting games, multiple stages of character interaction exist, most notably the neutral, advantage and disadvantage states. When one leaves the neutral state, they commit to an option, shifting the equality in the situation to either their or their opponents favor, leading to either side entering a state of advantage or disadvantage. In order to preserve the advantage a player has, one must make predictions based on patterns in their opponents play, aiming to exploit their habits and maximize the damage output they inflict. However, as one overextends their advantage state, the risk of returning to the neutral, or even a disadvantage state increasing, often leading to the loss of a stock. This is similar to how Jay Gatsby, pressured…show more content…
Gatsby accepts responsibility for the murder of Myrtle in order to protect Daisy, who no longer has any affection towards him. Disillusioned by his obsession and longing for the past, Gatsby dies by the hands of Mr.Wilson, “[paying] a high price for living too long with a single dream” (161). Despite death, Gatsby’s will to grasp and obtain perfection perseveres. As written, a cluster of leaves revolved… slowly, tracing, like the leg of compass, a thin red circle in the water” (162). The phrases “tracing” and “compass” indicate the continuation of Gatsby’s advancement towards imitation and perfection, with this materialized hope circling his body, isolating and protecting his enduring spirit from those who live reality. This idea of the persisting existence of Gatsby’s fantasy is further emphasized through the location of Gatsby’s death, an air-filled mattress aimlessly floating around in the pool of Gatsby’s mansion — a setting surrounded and elevated by wealth, leaving him intangible to the grounded. Through the arc of Gatsby’s life, Fitzgerald establishes obscuring reality in order to preserve and present a fake persona, an attempt to avoid and negate all feelings of shame and grief, as a harbinger of one’s…show more content…
Gatsby’s hope to reshape the past due to his intense feelings of shame has given him a purpose in life, dragging him out of poverty and inviting him into a life of financial security. However, Gatsby sacrifices his ethics and values, constructing a false sense of reality for him to live in — one which his dreams can exist and survive in, gradually leading to his detachment from truth. This entangles him in situations where he chooses to sacrifice himself for the preservation of what he idealizes, forcing the end of his life. In both Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, and in fighting games, advancement and ambition force individuals to seek a higher level of aptitude, or in the case of Gatsby, capability to alter personality. Players must adapt to these shifts and understand when to transition between characters, goals and strategies in order to survive as a competitive threat in a tournament setting. Gatsby’s end began the moment he chose to commit to a single option, dedicating all the resources into covering up an emotion, which consumed his
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