What Fitzgerald suggests about the state of the American Dream is that is that the American Dream has become corrupted. It has also created destruction, as shown in the characters. It was a goal that one wanted to follow, but they inevitably lost the meaning of the American Dream. Starting off is with Myrtle, she was one of the characters that were corrupted and destroyed by the American Dream. Myrtle wanted to have her ideal perfect life. This hope of her's is what drives her to start to have an affair with Tom. For her, Tom had the ideal "rich and famous" type of life that she wanted. Myrtle realized that George couldn't give her that kind of experience. Myrtle was also very materialistic, like when she was upset when she found out that George couldn't even buy himself a suit for their wedding, that he had to borrow one. Making her see George as some who cannot afford things for himself. Though one day, she was hit by a car and died. It's somewhat ironic since the one in the vehicle was Daisy, the wife of the man she was having an affair with at the time. I also think that it's ironic since there's a saying that bad or good things, they all find a way to come back to you. Since Myrtle wasn't happy …show more content…
Daisy wanted to have happiness in life, though she soon realized that she had married the wrong man, that she thought she had married for love. This is shown through Daisy's relationship with her husband, Tom. Dasiy thinks she was everything that the American Dream should be, but she soon realizes that it's a lie, she doesn't. She realizes that she hadn't married with love, in the long run, it was just for money, there was no love. So, when she met Gatsby again, she thought that with him, she could have had love and money, though Daisy's idea of the American Dream destroyed her happiness. I believe that Daisy didn't do much wrong, but she still had her flaws, as she realized that she didn't indeed have
The American Dream, which remains till today, bases itself upon assiduousness and high morals. Many people from foreign and faraway countries view this "dream" as a reality and believe that America upholds these high standards. Yet, Fitzgerald clearly writes this novel to show that the linchpin that kept the dream alive has eroded away.
In The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald elucidates the hollowness of the American Dream, as the unrestrained longing for wealth and freedom exceeding more honorable desires. He illuminates the idea that having or attaining this American Dream will result in unethical behavior or unethical acts.
The impression of who Daisy was, which motivated Gatsby for many years, is shattered by his interactions with the real Daisy. Daisy is very selfish and shallow, thinking of only what she has to do with Tom. She doesn’t see that Gatsby loves her, but he loves wealth and power even more than her.
The American Dream There is no set definition to be found anywhere of the true meaning of The American Dream. Any hope, dream, or goal pursued by anyone in the history of America is an American Dream. In modern times the accepted dream seems to be 2.5 children, a house with a white picket fence, and a perfect spouse. However, as it is shown throughout literature from the early days of America to contemporary times, the American Dream is not always so simple a concept. America was originally founded on the dream of freedom.
Purpose: is to show the unattainability/deterioration of the American dream. The American Dream is originally about the discovery of happiness, but by the 1920s, this dream has become corrupted by the desire for wealth by whatever means; mistaken that money will bring happiness. F. Scott Fitzgerald does not us the words “American Dream” in the novel, The Great Gatsby, but it is evident that he shows the impossibility of achieving happiness through the American Dream. Fitzgerald demonstrates this through the green light that Gatsby strives but fails to obtain. Gatsby is ruined by the unworthiness of its object, just as the American dream is, by society becoming corrupted by greed and materialism.
The American dream can be approached in many directions and ways to define it. The main definition and idea for this theory is success. Through Fitzgerald’s novel the concept of the American dream and to become successful is mostly seen to obtain all the wealth and being in a high economic status. We see this through the lives of George Wilson, Myrtle Wilson, Jay Gatsby, and Nick Carraway, however they all result in corruption and eventually to a misery life. As the American dream is being interpreted differently, it is still constantly being used and continues to be a concept in the society.
From its founding, America has been portrayed as the land of opportunity. We have been fed this idea of how wonderful it is and even though many have proved how hard it is to make it, many others work hard to keep the idea alive. The fact that we all believe in this idea keeps the idea going; the idea that is America.
In a majority of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s collection of stories, there are many recurrent themes that are present in each of them. The dark side of the” American Dream”, society’s harsh standards, and relationships with other people. Fitzgerald chose to use these themes because he personally despised the “Jazz Age”, he thought that society was obnoxious, drank too much, drove themselves to depression, and a waste. He tended to write the more “in depth” and “real” part of the 1920’s while others basked in wealth and prosperity from the war. He also encrypted some of the events of his life into these stories, in order to tell his point of view of society.
Characters in The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald are often described differently than they actually act throughout the novel. In the beginning of the novel, Daisy is told to be “by far the most popular of all the young girls in Louisville”. She was said to have great beauty, and its even said that she holds her popularity spot because of it. She is also described as a “fool” which means she is beautiful, just like an angel. As we read on, we come to see that Daisy is actually very careless, selfish, and only focuses herself on wealth and power. She never looked at the consequences of her actions; and she let others clean up the messes she made. She wanted her daughter to grow up just like her, even though it’s a life nobody wanted to live. She even gave up her true love to be with somebody who had money and a good repetition. As perceived in the novel, Daisy is the most despicable character in the novel of The Great Gatsby.
If it wasn't for her love affair with Gatsby, she would not be doing all these busy things to keep her mind off of it. She's been partying and supposedly sleeping with other men while she is married. Her young love for Gatsby is something she knows she can not have so she tries to compensate by marrying an abuser and having affairs to get over him. This also may be to get back at Tom for being seen with the maid one day after their wedding night and never being faithful since. Daisy is a busy girl and the fact that she is so
He thinks that if he becomes popular and rich, that Daisy will marry him and everything will be perfect, which is not the case. He also that believes that if he keeps himself busy he can fill the part of his heart that is left for Daisy. This did not work because no matter how much money or material possession he owns, he still wants her. He realizes that achieving the American dream of money and success is not reaching the happiness of being together with Daisy. Gatsby’s impractical trust in money and wealth and the potential of life distorted his dreams into a life based on deception and
In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald gives the reader a glimpse into the life of the high class during the 1920’s through the eyes of a man named Nick Carraway. Through the narrator's dealings with high society, Fitzgerald demonstrates how modern values have transformed the American dream's ideas into a scheme for materialistic power and he reveals how the world of high society lacks any sense of morals or consequence. In order to support his message, Fitzgerald presents the original aspects of the American dream along with its modern face to show that the wanted dream is now lost forever to the American people. Jay Gatsby had a dream and did everything he could to achieve it however in the end he failed to. This reveals that the American dream is not always a reality that can be obtained. Fitzgerald demonstrates how a dream can become corrupted by one’s focus on acquiring wealth and power through imagery, symbolism, and characterization.
“Immigrants are ruining this country”, is a statement made by almost every conservative in the United States. Yes, with their cheap labor, cultural traditions, and food contributions immigrants are making America a colorful and tasteful disaster. The American dream is so high in thought, yet so low in actuality. This well known dream-or nightmare- of rags to riches shines clear from sea to shining sea. However, the end goal of the American Dream varies from person to person. For some the dream plainly translates to happiness. Although for others, the end goal is an obsession of materials; beachside mansions, exotic cars, pets from the deepest parts of Africa and more things without any real meaning. The dream is only a goal if one is either
What is the American Dream and why does it matter? The American Dream is the idea that any one person can achieve whatever any one person desires. The concept of the American Dream applies in a variety of ways throughout various types of literature. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby exemplifies both positive and negative aspects of the American Dream through his love for Daisy, his mysterious accumulation of wealth, and longing for acceptance within society.
Fitzgerald portrays this time period through character traits and symbols, to exhibit the impossibility of the American Dream. After WW1 the American people got a different perspective from the American Dream which opposed their traditional lifestyle and behavior. Firstly, people become more concerned with themselves rather than anyone else, which is evident in the behavior and relationship between Daisy and Tom. They would cause multiple problems among others and simply return to their finances if all else failed. Myrtle is another depiction of materialism in the novel.