The text really seems to capture the disillusionment, the recognition of the world's loss of innocence, that many people experienced after World War I, or The Great War, as they called it prior to World War II. Nick explains in the first chapter that he came back from the war "restless" and feeling that his once-cherished home now seemed like "the ragged edge of the universe." In a world where so much has changed, Gatsby cannot succeed in restoring a more innocent state of being—back when he and Daisy first fell in love—because, as Nick says, it simply is not possible to turn back time and repeat the past. Just as the world cannot return to the innocence in which it seemed to exist prior to the war, Gatsby cannot return to the innocence he and Daisy shared before the war, before she married, and before she had a baby. Too much has changed. Moreover, by "killing him off," Fitzgerald makes it clear that the consequences for failing to keep up and recognize this new reality are severe.
Gatsby's death is a tragic but inevitable outcome. Gatsby is a man trapped in the past. He is unable to move beyond the dreams of his youth and his desire to be with Daisy, who has made it clear that she will never leave her loveless but comfortable life with Tom. Trapped by the past, he has no future. His life is over. So, his dying as he did makes perfect narrative sense.
Gatsby's death also represents the death of the American Dream. In the cynical, class-driven modern world where only a small minority are given privileges, such a dream has no place. Fitzgerald might also be pointing out the soullessness of the 1920s culture, its materialism and hedonism. Though Gatsby has so much wealth, he lacks spiritual treasures and emotional fulfillment.
One of Fitzgerald's main messages throughout the novel concerns the futility of the "American Dream." Jay Gatsby hails from a humble background, attains wealth via bootlegging, enters the upper class of society, and is considered the epitome of American Dream attainment. Jay Gatsby endlessly pursues money in order to win Daisy's heart, which he is ultimately unable to do. Similar to Gatsby, Daisy also values wealth, but she lacks authenticity, hope, and genuine emotions, which Gatsby has in abundance. When Gatsby fails to win Daisy's heart, Tom blames Jay Gatsby for killing Myrtle, and George seeks revenge by murdering Gatsby. Gatsby's death poignantly illustrates the futility of the American Dream by assuring the reader that Gatsby will never attain his true goals of winning Daisy's heart.
Through Gatsby's death, Fitzgerald also creates sympathy for Gatsby's character, who becomes a tragic hero. In addition to emphasizing the futility of the American Dream, Gatsby's death also underscores the message that wealth cannot protect or prevent a person from experiencing tragedy. Despite Gatsby's enormous amount of wealth, he dies at the hands of a poor, lonely man. Gatsby's death also leaves a bitter taste in Nick Carraway's mouth; Nick then leaves the East Coast and its corrupt inhabitants behind.
By killing off Jay Gatsby, Fitzgerald makes an important point about the American Dream—specifically, that a dream cannot survive in the harsh world of the 1920s. Remember that the novel is really about Gatsby's dream to be reunited with Daisy. Everything that Gatsby has achieved has been done with one purpose: to win her back. His death, however, brings this dream to an abrupt end, providing definitive proof that Gatsby's dream will never come true.
In addition, Fitzgerald also uses Gatsby's death to make a wider point about wealth. That is, that no matter how much wealth and prestige a person has, tragedy can still happen. In other words, no amount of money can protect a person from the evil intentions of another. In this case, money offers no protection to Gatsby from George Wilson, a man determined to have revenge.
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