The Great Gatsby is both a master and victim of illusion. While he deceives others with a hidden past and countless lies, he is also being deceived by the green light across the water. The green light represents everything Gatsby wants in his life. His greatest desire is living the American Dream that was sold to him in his youth; alongside Daisy. Gatsby is in love with Daisy, but more so in love with the idea of being able to afford her. Not with money, but instead with the success and status it takes to impress an East Egg girl. Gatsby knows that if Daisy would be willing to leave Tom, then he has accomplished his life’s mission. He is so obsessed to finish his quest for the green light, that all of his actions are a means to that end. However, he is unable to see that the green light he has been searching for is something that he cannot have. This endless longing drives Gatsby to abandon his own identity in return for Daisy’s love. Gatsby is driven into madness in search of the green light and his futile quest is only able to end with his death, just as it began with the death of James Gatz.

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          Gatsby does not depend on himself to measure his own success. He defines success through the eyes of Daisy. This obsession causes him to go to great lengths to impress her, regardless of the consequences to others. While Daisy walks through Gatsby’s home, “He never ceased looking at Daisy, and he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes”. Gatsby was constantly seeking validation from Daisy as it defined his measure of success. The success of his American Dream was dictated by how much Daisy respected and loved him. He chased her seeking validation for his success because he cannot give it to himself. Gatsby reinvented himself so much over the years with the purpose of impressing Daisy that her opinion of him matters more than his own. It is saddening to see such a desperate man twist and contort himself to fit into what he believes to be the ideal man. Daisy’s value excited Gatsby just as much as her as a person. “It excited him, too, that many men had already loved Daisy, it increased her value in his eyes.” Although an innocent love for Daisy once gripped Gatsby in his youth, over time it developed into an unhealthy desire to achieve a level of success that would allow him to have her. Unbeknown to him, however, this was an impossible task that would only end in dissatisfaction.

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          On his quest to reach the green light Gatsby abandoned his past and his morals. He decided that he would start again and do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. The most obvious example of this change is his blatant dishonesty. Gatsby lies to everybody about his past and has been dubbed as a liar by those who are closest to him. When showing Daisy his home, he claims to have worked three years to afford it. However, Nick notes that he had said his fortune was inherited. Gatsby has trouble keeping up with the many lies he tells and throughout the story he is seen contradicting himself. This highlights the unravelling of the “Gatsby” persona he decided to adopt many years ago. He will never be the person he portrays, but feels it is the only way to the American Dream. Along the way of this quest, Gatsby also decides to get into shady business as exposed by Tim during their argument. He and Wolfshiem went into business selling grain alcohol over the counter. He is also forced to admit that he only attended Oxford for a few months. He has become corrupt and dishonest in an effort to achieve his American Dream. These lies finally catch up to Gatsby as his ruse begins to waver in front of Daisy’s eyes. He forced himself to believe that everything he did was for a justifiable reason. His obsession with Daisy and the green light pushes him farther and farther away from his true self and those who care for him. 

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          Gatsby tries to hide his past as much as possible while also attempting to recreate it. Upon refection of his youth, Gatsby decided that his wealth and status was the reason Daisy left him during the war. He blames not the circumstance or himself, but his lack of riches. He believes that he could have bought Daisy at the time, but didn’t have the funds. His days are spent trying to prove to Daisy that he now has what it requires. His obsession with the unchangeable past contributes massively to his psychopathic action. He relentlessly compares his life to his youth and longs for the connection he once had with Daisy. Daisy too longs for their past relationship, but understands that is is simply not possible. This is why she cant tell Tom she “Never loved him.”  Gatsby and Daisy were not meant to be together and nothing Gatsby does can change that. Gatsby’s mind has already been filled with illusion and when Nick tries to tell him that Gatsby cannot alter the past, he disagrees, "You can't repeat the past?” "Can't repeat the past?” "Why of course you can!” Gatsby remains convinced that he can recreate his past with Daisy and because he is rich, she will now him. This ideology is completely unfeasible to everyone except Gatsby. He is wholeheartedly convinced of his plan and has no doubts that it will work. He has become so warped by the American Dream that he has never been further from the man he once was in North Dakota.

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          James Gatz was a man overwhelmed by the promise of the American Dream as a young man. He was hurt by Daisy and blamed his social status for their separation. Over time he slowly became obsessed with his quest for the green light represents his ability to achieve Daisy and the American Dream. One day, James Gatz realized that he wouldn’t be good enough to achieve his dreams and so Jay Gatsby was born. He was a different man, who became corrupt and deceiving in order to succeed. He became unable to provide himself happiness and decided to seek Daisy’s validation through parties, cars, mansions, and money. However, he did not realize that he would never be from the East Egg. Gatsby would never be able to live or act like those who were born rich. Daisy understood from the very beginning that which separated them, but Gatz thought that Gatsby would be a different man. He was wrong, and killed for his dedication to Daisy in the end. James Gatz’s quest for the green light was honest, but his soul was destroyed the day Jay Gatsby was born.