The character of Jay Gatsby is developed in the book The Great Gatsby. The story is set in the 1920s in the New York area. Gatsby grew up as a poor boy, but aspired to be more. He met a rich girl named Daisy. It pushed him to pursue his dream more intensely. He worked for a man named Wilshiem as a smuggler and became very rich. Unfortunately, while Gatsby was away, Daisy married Tom. Daisy's approval of his new rich life was Gatsby's greatest dream. Fitzgerald's presentation of the hero Jay Gatsby illustrates that Gatsby's dreams should be admired because through his perseverance he achieves the lifestyle he desires. Gatsby's poor childhood greatly influenced his admirable dream of wanting a better life for himself. Growing up, Gatsby was very poor. “His parents were inept and unsuccessful farmers: his imagination never really accepted them as his parents.” (pg. 98) Growing up he hated his parents for the fact that they were poor as well as their lifestyle. When he was a teenager, he left home to pursue a more prosperous life. After Gatsby left, he saw a yacht that belonged to a rich man, Dan Cody. This represented the wealthy lifestyle he desired. His ambitions to be part of the upper class grew. Gatsby worked on the yacht for Dan Cody until Cody's death. After this period of time, he started acting “rich” and took on this new persona. Gatsby had to completely change who he was. He also changed his name. The name he was born with was James Gatz. When Daisy and Gatsby met, they fell in love. He belonged to a very rich family. Gatsby knew that obtaining it would demonstrate that he had embraced the upper-class lifestyle. They couldn't get married because he wasn't from a famous family. Gatsby though... middle of paper... didn't even know. He worked very hard for Wilsheim to earn his money. He constantly received phone calls from all over the country. It was obvious that he had become a very wealthy man. He became so famous that a journalist showed up at his house asking for a statement. He had evidently achieved a wealthy lifestyle. Scott Fitzgerald's presentation of Jay Gatsby was heroic. He overcame a poor childhood, fought hard for his dreams and achieved them. In the 1920s it was very difficult to change classes of people. Gatsby managed to do this with a lot of hard work. Even though he didn't acquire Daisy, he still got the riches he wanted. Jay Gatsby's tenacity tells the audience that anything is possible. No matter what the circumstances, people can make their dreams come true. Jay Gatsby's dreams were truly admirable and he is obviously a hero.