Definition Essay Sample #3
Success
Success is something that most strive to achieve. But what is success? The Great Gatsby by
F. Scott Fitzgerald profiles a seemingly successful character by the name of Jay Gatsby. However, as
the plot unfolds, it becomes apparent that his obvious material wealth may not necessarily parallel the
overarching success of his life++. Clearly, there is more to success than the monetary value of one’s
assets. If success isn’t merely materialistic, then what is it? In The Great Gatsby, success is defined as a
state of overall happiness and satisfaction.
According to Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism, “Success is not the key to
happiness. Happiness is the key to success. Although wealth may serve as a lubricant to the complex
machine of life, it cannot replace the intricacies of the machine itself. No amount of grease can make
a broken machine run smoothly.” This also applies to success. Granted, money can simplify life, but
it cannot provide the overall happiness and satisfaction that marks true success. In The Great
Gatsby, Both Daisy and Jay Gatsby enjoy a massive fortune. However, it is clear that neither
character is truly happy. Daisy, the love interest of the story, lives a life full of regret for having
married someone she doesn’t love, and Gatsby, the story’s main character, lives alone in his own
palace, accumulating material items in an attempt to fill the void of his loneliness. Despite their
wealth, neither Daisy nor Gatsby are happy, and are therefore, in actuality, unsuccessful. An example
of this appears in the beginning of the story, when Gatsby shows Nick (the narrator) around his
house. Among the other “prized possessions” Gatsby flaunts, Nick focuses on a box of rubies and
says, ““I saw him opening a chest of rubies to ease, with their crimson-lighted depths, the gnawings
of his broken heart” Here, Nick is showing insight into the true sadness of Gatsby’s life. These
rubies, which most could never be able to afford, are to Gatsby just another failed attempt at
attaining satisfaction. There is a reason for the old saying, “Money can’t buy happiness”: The Great
Gatsby defines success as an overall sense of happiness and satisfaction.
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So what determines happiness? Among other things, relationships among other people are a
major factor. Warren Buffet, one of the most successful investors of all time once said, “When you
get to my age, you'll really measure your success in life by how many of the people you want to have
loved you actually do love you” Whether it be family, friends, mentors, teachers, etc., solid
relationships are essential to an individual’s success, because it is essential to his/her happiness. In
the story, Gatsby doesn’t have relationships like these. He lives alone. True, he frequently throws
parties at his home, but many of those who attend do not even know him. This gives Gatsby a false
sense of companionship, when really he is as alone as ever. Nick describes Gatsby at one of his
parties, saying “[his] eyes fell on Gatsby, standing alone on the marble steps and looking from one
group to another with approving eyes” Even though Gatsby is in the presence of hundreds of
people, he does not take part in the activities that he supplies. Gatsby is merely tricking himself into
thinking he is in the company of those who care about him, when they are only using him for the
entertainment he provides. Deep down, Gatsby knows this, and is unhappy that he is not one of the
people socializing with friends and enjoying themselves. Despite his wealth, Gatsby has no close
relationships with anyone, making him an unhappy. Knowing this, success is defined as an overall
sense of happiness and satisfaction combined with close personal relationships.
Relationships do more than just provide companionship. They provide a way to carry on
one’s legacy through other people. The late Ralph Waldo Emerson, leader of the American
Transcendentalist movement once said, “To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent
people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the
betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit
better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one
life has breathed easier because you lived. This is to have succeeded” In short, success is determined
by one’s legacy. At the end of the day, people only live so long, but the legacy one leaves will go on
forever. Unfortunately, Jay Gatsby left no legacy at all. When Gatsby is murdered at the end of the
story, only two people, including his own father, attend his funeral. Out of the hundreds who
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frequent his lavish parties, two people show up. This shows that despite the massive luxury Gatsby
enjoyed throughout his life, the impact he left on the world was almost nonexistent. At the very end
of the book, a new character is introduced: Gatsby’s father, Mr. Gatz. When Nick and Mr. Gatz
meet, he shows him an old picture of Gatsby’s house that he always carried with him. To the one
person who was closest to Gatsby, his lasting legacy was that of his home. Not his personality, not
the things he did or said, but his house. Nick says that as Mr. Gatz described the photograph, “He
sought admiration from [his] eyes. He had shown it so often that it was more real to him now than
the house itself” The fact that Gatsby’s lasting legacy is that of his house proves that he was an
unsuccessful person. His home almost parallels the ruins of a failed, defeated empire, once a major
power, but broken down to nothing more than a symbol of what once was. As Gatsby is lowered
into the ground, so is his legacy, and ultimately, any success he ever had. Therefore, according to
The Great Gatsby, success is defined as a state of overall happiness and satisfaction combined with
close personal relationships and a lasting legacy.
This final definition reinforces the unfortunate truth of Jay Gatsby’s life. Despite his endless
wealth, Gatsby is not a successful person. He is unhappy and lacks overall satisfaction, has no close
relationships with other people, and most importantly, leaves almost no legacy of his life. Those who
attended his parties may soon forget the man named Jay Gatsby, but American literature certainly
will not. Although, as a person, his life proved to be unsuccessful, as a character in The Great
Gatsby, he lives on. The legacy he leaves with those who read his story is a message to live life to the
fullest. Gatsby shows the reader that the important things in life are happiness, relationships and
making a lasting impact, and that money is an afterthought. If people can take his advice to heart,
then society may become a little more successful.
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