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Analysis of American Dream (150 words)
Analysis of American Dream (150 words)
Narrative of the american dream
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Both Capote’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby illustrate that when one’s life is centered on the propriety and luxury that a traditionalistic lifestyle supports, they will repress into the comfort they’ve always known and fail to progress towards the American Dream. Those who start from humbler beginnings, however, possess the ambition that drives them to follow their vision of the American dream, failing to realize how unrealistic their dreams have become. Topic Sentences: Both Jose and Daisy have a hard time associating with the self-made class, as they lack the propriety and caution that satisfies the wealthy elitists. Daisy and Jose’s fear of losing the reputation among society’s elite and the wealth that has …show more content…
They are blind to the harm they are allowing because they are too busy “retreat[ing] into their money,” giving them the reassurance of a safe haven that their wealth has constructed for them, something that the self-made class has never known. By hiding away into their luxurious life, the only people left to “clean up the mess” they have made is the lower class who already have so many other problems to deal with that yet, they must clean up the careless mistakes that they did not make (Fitzgerald …show more content…
Gatsby’s possessions no longer contain meaning in comparison to “astounding presence” of Daisy that makes everything else seem “no longer real,” for Daisy is the only reality that he desired and everything else before her was just apart of the American dream that has now turned reality. Gatsby’s “unreasonable joy” is one of the first genuine emotions he has displayed within the story, as most of his emotions are ingenuine along with his self-constructed identity that he breaks down for the first time. Gatsby must be careful however, because like an “overwound clock,” he is overestimating the time he has with his lover and the happiness she provides for him, foreshadowing the short-lived American dream of many (Fitzgerald
...people. Tom and Daisy have one thing in common which is their excessive behavior which definitely causes great impact and influence on other people, especially those innocent people like Gatsby, Nick, the Wilson family, and even themselves. Tom is excessively wealthy, aggressive, and abusive while Daisy is excessively careless and neglectful. Tom and Daisy’s extreme behavior causes other people around them to suffer but they do not know or do not even care. That is the nature of rich people which is described by Nick: “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy-they smashed up things … and then retreated back into their vast carelessness...” (179). Tom and Daisy cause the death of Gatsby and other innocent people but neither of them come to justify themselves. The power of money seems to blind their eyes, block their mind. These kinds of people only hurt the society.
While everyone has a different interpretation of the "American Dream," some people use it as an excuse to justify their own greed and selfish desires. Two respected works of modern American literature, The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman, give us insight into how the individual interpretation and pursuit of the "American Dream" can produce tragic results. Jay Gatsby, from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, built his "American Dream" upon the belief that wealth would win him acceptance. In pursuit of his dream, Gatsby spent his life trying to gain wealth and the refinement he assumes it entails. Jay Gatsby, lacking true refinement, reflects the adolescent image of the wealthy, and "[springs] from his Platonic conception of himself" (Fitzgerald 104).
Unfortunately for most, these dreams go unanswered as the monstrous world of the wealthy can only accept those of a certain “respectable” nature. It is these people, such as those I have known, The Buchanans, for example, who are intricate parts of the grotesque world that they choose to indulge themselves in. Tom Buchanan, a man whose arrogance emanates from his very core, was raised in a society that values wealth over the love of family, intelligence, and respectability. They instead believe that class and venerance comes with achieving wealth, not earning it through talent. As Mr. Lapham states, the Europeans of yesterday and today, see us Americans as irrational and insane for holding the wealthy onto a pedestal as prized possessions, without putting much thought into their actual beliefs and talents. This can be most connected to the mystery surrounded by an old friend, Jay Gatsby. For a whole summer in West Egg, people swarmed his extravagant and garish house, making it seem like it was the 4th of July everyday. Instead of asking why, these uninvited attendees instead generated respect for Gatsby solely based on his extreme and illustrious nature. For Gatsby, his self-worth was not generated in money but his ability to dream that it would get him to what he so greatly wanted: Daisy. But, agreeing with Mr. Lapham, the
The American Dream is a concept that has been wielded in American Literature since its beginnings. The ‘American Dream’ ideal follows the life of an ordinary man wanting to achieve life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The original goal of the American dream was to pursue freedom and a greater good, but throughout time the goals have shifted to accumulating wealth, high social status, etc. As such, deplorable moral and social values have evolved from a materialistic pursuit of happiness. In “Advertising the American Dream: Making Way for Modernity”, Roland Marchand describes a man that he believed to be the prime example of a 1920’s man. Marchand writes, “Not only did he flourish in the fast-paced, modern urban milieu of skyscrapers, taxicabs, and pleasure- seeking crowds, but he proclaimed himself an expert on the latest crazes in fashion, contemporary lingo, and popular pastimes.” (Marchand) This description shows material success as the model for the American Dream. In his novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald reveals the characterization of his characters through the use of symbols and motifs to emphasize the corruption of the American Dream.
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby was born into a life of poverty and as he grew up he became more aware of the possibility of a better life. He created fantasies that he was too good for his modest life, and that his parents weren’t his own. When he met Daisy, a pretty upper class girl, his life revolved around her and he became obsessed with her carefree lifestyle. Gatsby’s desire to become good enough for Daisy and her parents is what motivates him to become a wealthy, immoral person who is perceived as being sophisticated. Society won’t let Gatsby and Daisy be together when they fall in love because Daisy comes from a family of old wealth, while Gatsby is the son of a peasant.
Undoubtedly, Tom and Daisy Buchanan exceedingly demonstrate the wealthy class's lack of integrity. Their lives are filled with material comforts and luxuries and completely empty of true purpose. Daisy's lament is especially indicative of this:
Throughout the history of literature, a great deal of authors has tried to reveal a clear understanding of the American Dream. Whether it is possible to achieve lies all in the character the author portrays. The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye stand as prime examples of this. F. Scott Fitzgerald and J.D. Salinger, the authors of these titles, respectively, fashion flawed characters, Jay Gatsby and Holden Caulfield, with one vital desire: the longing to gain what they can’t have; acceptance and the feeling of belonging. Each retaining characteristics that shows their differences and similarities in opinion of the world around them.
The Great Gatsby is an emotional tale of hope of love and “romantic readiness”(1.2) that is both admirable and meritorious .Yet, the question of Daisy ever being able to measure up to Gatsby’s expectations is one that reverberates throughout the course of the novel. Be that as it may, Daisy is never truly able to measure up to Gatsby’s expectations because the image of Daisy in Gatsby’s mind is entirely different from who she actually is. Even during his younger years, Gatsby had always had a vision of himself “as a son of God”(6.98) and that “he must be about his fathers business, the service of a vast, vulgar and meretricious beauty”(6.98). Gatsby’s desire for aristocracy, wealth, and luxury is exactly what drives him to pursue Daisy who embodies everything that that Gatsby desires and worked towards achieving. Therefore, Gatsby sees Daisy as the final piece to his puzzle in order realize his vision. Gatsby’s hyperbolized expectation of Daisy throws light on the notion if our dreams as individuals are actually limited by reality. Since our dreams as human beings are never truly realized, because they may be lacking a specific element. Daisy proves to be that element that lingers in Gatsby’s dreams but eludes his reality.
Through the use of symbolism and critique, F. Scott Fitzgerald is able to elucidate the lifestyles and dreams of variously natured people of the 1920s in his novel, The Great Gatsby. He uses specific characters to signify diverse groups of people, each with their own version of the “American Dream.” Mostly all of the poor dream of transforming from “rags to riches”, while some members of the upper class use other people as their motivators. In any case, no matter how obsessed someone may be about their “American Dream”, Fitzgerald reasons that they are all implausible to attain.
Life is about making a positive impact on those around you, not trying to accumulate vast wealth. However, it is well-known that members of society are bound to choose riches over one's own or others happiness. To add, it is important to acknowledge, especially when considering selfish women like Daisy Buchanan. Studies show, that often people are unaware that their actions have an affect on those around them. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan is corrupt through her materialistic, obsessive views on life, despite Gatsby’s dysfunctional views on his version of the American Dream. With this, one can prove that Daisy Buchanan is a self-absorbed, vacuous socialite whose decisions lead to the destruction of both Jay
...rom the elite rich, who possess old money. Tom also claims that Gatsby “threw dust into your eyes just like he did in Daisy’s”, (142) and can be said to be using his false wealth to mislead and confuse Daisy and Nick into thinking he is someone of their standards, which shows that Gatsby is not recognised as one of their class. This undercuts the glamorous wealth associated with Gatsby, and the ideal of equality in the American Dream.
Daisy's carelessness reveals her corruption as a human being. She uses her wealth and social status to escape whatever she chooses, like the death of Myrtle. Additionally, her actions demonstrate the dishonest exploitation of power for personal gain and attention. Daisy’s character, due to her money, inherently values her advantage over the lower class, revealing a nature of entitlement. Additionally, she gives no respect to anyone around her, sometimes n...
As people go throughout their life, they strive to make dreams they believe are unachievable, come true. The iconic American Dream is a symbol of success within the United States that many people aim to secure throughout their lifetime at any cost, even compromising their true identity. In Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin In The Sun, both authors work to display how Jay Gatsby and Walter Younger work towards obtaining their dream, but fall short due to society and timing. By attempting to reinvent themselves through money, gaining power within their personal life, and their image, Jay Gatsby and Walter Younger aim to complete their American Dream to become successful in their lives.
Nick describes Gatsby as “one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life(Ch.3).” Such description unifies the appearance of Gatsby with people’s expectation of a man who accomplished the American dream. The obsession with wealth often blinds people from the potential crisis. The crisis of having everything they worked and struggled for redefined if the reality fails them. Just like strivers who chase the American dream, Gatsby also spent his whole life in pursuit of his American dream, which Daisy was a major component of.
The American Dream, a long standing ideal embodies the hope that one can achieve financial success, political power, and everlasting love through dedication and hard work. During the Roaring 20s, people in America put up facades to mask who they truly were. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald conveys that the American Dream is simply an illusion, that is idealist and unreal. In the novel, Gatsby, a wealthy socialite pursues his dream, Daisy. In the process of pursuing Daisy, Gatsby betrays his morals and destroys himself. Through the eyes of the narrator, Nick, one sees the extent of the corruption Gatsby is willing to undertake in order to achieve his dream. Although Fitzgerald applauds the American Dream he warns against the dangers of living in a world full of illusions and deceit; a trait common during the Roaring 20s. The language and plot devices Fitzgerald uses convey that lies and facades, which were common during the Guided Age, destroys one’s own character and morals. Through Fitzgerald use of symbolism, expectations, and relationships, he explores the American dream, and how it is an illusion that corrupts and destroys lives.