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Zahra Hassani Stage 1 English Literary Studies 2024

Transformation Task: The Great Gatsby

The ballroom was bathed in golden light, and as I stood by the grand piano, a glass of champagne in hand, I
couldn’t help but feel a swell of pride. This was it - everything I had ever worked for, right here, within these
walls. Laughter and the clinking of glasses filled the air, the sound of success and celebration. The chandeliers
cast a warm glow over the elegantly dressed guests, each one a testament to the life I had built.

I watched my wife as she moved through the crowd, her shimmering gown catching the light with every step.
She looked radiant, her laughter ringing out like music. We were the perfect couple, living the perfect life. The
mansion was a reflection of our success, each room meticulously designed, every detail carefully considered.
Tonight, everyone who mattered was here, and they were all here for us.

As the night wore on, I mingled with the guests, accepting their compliments with a smile. The conversations
flowed effortlessly, the jazz band played lively tunes, and for a while, everything felt just as it should. But as the
night continued on, something shifted. The laughter that had once sounded so genuine began to feel forced, the
conversations more rehearsed than real.

I excused myself and stepped out onto the terrace, needing a moment of quiet. The cool night air was a welcome
relief from the warmth of the ballroom. I looked out over the city, the lights twinkling like stars looking out at
the city below, a sea of possibilities, but they felt distant, unreachable - a symbol of everything I’d sought, but
now seemed unattainable. It was a breathtaking view, one that had always filled me with a sense of
accomplishment. But tonight, as I gazed at the skyline, a strange emptiness settled in.

I thought of all the years I had spent chasing this dream, the late nights, the sacrifices, the endless striving. I had
believed in the promise of the American Dream—that if I worked hard enough, if I pushed myself far enough, I
could have it all. And I had achieved it, hadn’t I? The mansion, the admiration, the wealth—it was everything I
had ever wanted.

But standing there alone on the terrace, it all felt so hollow. The success I had chased so relentlessly now seemed
meaningless, the fulfillment I had expected was nowhere to be found. The mansion, the wealth, the status—they
were all just trappings, decorations on a stage I had built for myself. The American Dream had promised me
everything, but in the end, it had taken more than it had given.

I walked back into the ballroom, but something had changed. The light seemed dimmer, the music more distant.
The faces around me blurred, their laughter echoing in my ears like a haunting refrain. I searched for my wife,
but she was lost in the crowd, her laughter mingling with the rest. The warmth, the joy, the satisfaction I had felt
at the beginning of the night had vanished, replaced by a deep, aching void.

As the guests began to leave, I stood by the door, saying my goodbyes. Their compliments felt hollow, their
smiles insincere. I knew they would leave and forget about us until the next party, the next show of wealth. And
when the last guest had gone, and the mansion fell silent once more, I was left alone with the echo of my
dreams, realizing that the life I had built was nothing more than an illusion.

The golden light faded, the music died away, and in the quiet of the empty ballroom, I understood that the
American Dream had been nothing but a mirage—beautiful, seductive, but ultimately, unattainable.

Writer’s Statement
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Zahra Hassani Stage 1 English Literary Studies 2024

The vignette I have crafted draws heavily on intertextuality with F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, with a
primary focus on the theme of "the illusion of the American Dream." Both my work and The Great Gatsby
explore how the relentless pursuit of wealth, status, and success can ultimately lead to emptiness rather than
fulfillment. It explores the concept of how the American Dream promises everything including success,
happiness, and satisfaction — but delivers something more elusive and illusory.

One of the main intertextual links between my piece and The Great Gatsby is the use of narrative perspective.
Much like Gatsby’s story is told through the eyes of Nick Carraway, an outsider who observes the glittering
world of wealth, my narrator reflects on the hollow reality of his own success. In The Great Gatsby, Nick
famously notes that Gatsby had “an extraordinary gift for hope,” yet that hope is ultimately misplaced, leading
to his downfall. Similarly, my narrator begins the night with a sense of triumph, but by the end, is left with the
realization that his accomplishments are empty.

The symbolism of light is another important intertextual element. In The Great Gatsby, the green light at the
end of Daisy’s dock symbolizes Gatsby’s unreachable dreams. He believes he can attain them through wealth
and status, but the light remains forever out of reach. In my piece, the city lights that the narrator gazes at from
the terrace are similarly symbolic of dreams that seem within grasp but, in reality, are distant and unattainable.
Both narratives use the symbol of light to represent the hope and desire that drive the characters, only to
ultimately reveal these dreams as illusions.

Finally, the extravagant parties symbolize wealth and success, but also reveal the characters' hollow lives, as
the lavish displays mask a deeper emptiness and lack of true fulfillment. The grandeur becomes a metaphor for
the illusion of the American Dream, beautiful yet ultimately unfulfilling. In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby’s parties
are legendary, filled with music, laughter, and luxury, but beneath the surface, they are meaningless social
performances. My narrator’s party begins with a similar display of opulence, with guests, music, and
champagne, but as the night progresses, the veneer of success fades, revealing the emptiness beneath. The
extravagant parties in both pieces are metaphors for the larger illusion of the American Dream which seems
great from the outside but is hollow at the core.

Ultimately, in creating this piece, I aimed to reflect the thematic concerns of The Great Gatsby, particularly the
idea that the pursuit of material wealth and social status can never truly fulfill the deeper human need for
meaning, connection, and authenticity. Both works explore the allure of success, only to reveal that it is,
ultimately, an illusion.