Borrowed Haven

                                 In a world where many people wake up every morning to chase after their dreams, it is inevitable for one to encounter fierce competition with other people in reaching a particular goal. Sometimes they achieve them, but many other times these dreams and aspirations remain mere thoughts as they never see the light of day. As a matter of fact, many people think the cemetery is the wealthiest place on earth since most of the people buried had bright dreams and wonderful ideas that were never fulfilled. They tend to send those mega ideas which might have the ability to change the entire world in their graves. Critical analysis of two of the most popular books in American culture all have characters who in one way or the other never achieved what they really wanted. In The Sun Also Rises and The Great Gatsby we see brave personalities who achieved a lot in life and were able to conquer some of the most difficult challenges in life but could not surmount a rather simple one.  Jake, Cohn and Romero were all typical examples of people who wished for one thing but had something else. Also, Gatsby in The Great Gatsby is another whom besides all the wealth he had acquired still wished for something superior which was never fulfilled.

                           Bret in The Sun Also Rises was the dream of Jake, Cohn and Romero. As much as their souls yearned to be with her, it was never fulfilled. It remains clear that Jake was genuinely in love with Bret but he never got a permanent hold of her. Sometimes Jake had hope he might be with Bret but those moments never lasted. Anytime Bret fell in trouble, Jake was the rock she relied on for comfort, but it always didn’t take long for it to fade away. In Cohn’s case, one can argue that he had no genuine love for Bret and was just lusting after her. Whatever lens one uses in viewing Cohn’s desire for Bret, the fact that he did not achieve his goal of having Bret cannot be denied. He spent so much time and resources in this endeavor but in the end it was fruitless. Cohn was so determined to have Bret that he followed her to San Sebastian in Spain not to talk about the numerous times he showed up uninvited at bars or parties. Jake and Cohn were not alone in the league of unfulfilled dreams.

                     On the other hand, Romero was a young man who was also highly impressed by Bret’s beauty and sought to be with her. Bret seemed to be all he wanted in a woman but never materialized. Even though  Jake and Cohn had successfully fulfilled their dream of fighting in the war besides the fun times they shared in Paris, Bret seemed to be the one thing that stood in their path to full happiness. Romero as successful as he was in bullfighting couldnt conquer Bret to put the icing on the cake for his young career. Besides  Jake, Cohn and Romero, Gatsby in The Great Gatsby was also guilty of not fulfilling his dreams to the fullest.

                     In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatz upon the unwillingness of his soul to find consolation in living in poverty rose to contend his destiny and came out victorious. His goal of living the plush life similar to that of his former master came to reality and he began to live his dream. He materialised the desire undergo metamorphosis from poor Jay Gatz to rich Gatsby. One would say Gatsby was largely successful in his ventures as he had so much to share. This was evident in the big parties he threw on the weekends. In Spite of all the wealth, the one person Gatsby cherished more than his acquisitions was Daisy. She was his dream and he could do anything to have her.  Gatsby was so drunk in this ambition that he even offered to take the blame for the murder of Myrtle Wilson. Such was the depth of his love for Daisy. Gatsby tried as much as he could to get a hold of his dream in reality but all attempts proved futile.

                      In The Sun Also Rises and The Great Gatsby, we see clear examples of people who wished for something they never had. Their ambitions drove them on and on but the drive was never enough to accomplish that desire. Bret was the dream of Jake, Cohn and Romero while Daisy was Gatsby’s. Bret and Daisy were the dream that was never realized by those who desired to have them. Jake, Cohn , Romero and Gatsby were all individuals who had experienced success in one area or the other but their inability to provide their souls with whom it demanded to be with meant they couldnt always get what they wanted.