In a world where success is often measured by material wealth and social status, imagine a man who throws lavish parties every weekend with the purpose of attracting, yet remains profoundly lonely, or a teenager who flunks out of multiple schools, and fails at making connections, clinging to a vision of protecting innocence. the characters of Jay Gatsby from F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" and Holden Caulfield from J.D. Salinger's "The Catcher in the Rye" stands for figures who embody both failure and inspiration. While Gatsby's relentless pursuit of an idealized past leads to his tragic downfall, and Holden's cynical view of the adult world isolates him, both characters are fixated on their memories of the past, and unable to break out of the illusions they inspire readers through their unwavering…show more content… However, despite Gatsby's relentless pursuit of success, his ultimate failure lies in his inability to attain the love of Daisy Buchanan, the woman who symbolizes his deepest aspirations. Though Gatsby's wealth does in fact attract Daisy, as seen in chapter 5, “Daisy bent her head into the (Gatsby’s) shirt and began to cry stormily. ‘They’re such beautiful shirts,’ she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. ‘It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such — such beautiful shirts before’(Fitzgerald, 72). The shirts stand for Gatsby's attempts to use his fortune to impress Daisy. He believes he is deserving of her love because of his newfound wealth. He is letting her know that he can now match her in terms of wealth as he tosses out gorgeous shirts in all colors. Daisy ultimately rejects Gatsby in fear of instability after finding out Gatsby pursues his money by engaging in bootlegging. This led Daisy to instead remain with her husband, Tom Buchanan, a man from East Egg. Gatsby fails as his immense wealth and influence are not enough to change her mind, which portrays him as a
