The Corruption of the American Dream
The American Dream was a concept that allows any person of any social class can receive equal opportunities of gaining success through their hard work and perseverance. This idea has been altered as a result of the dramatic change socially and politically, during the era of the 1920’s. This dramatic change caused the desire for materialistic items, and to become wealthy by any way possible. The Great Gatsby contains characters and ideas that completely embodied the idea of the corrupt American Dream. By examining prohibition, the morality of Jay Gatsby, materialism, and Myrtle Wilson’s desire for a wealthy status, one can conclude that these were the main causes of the corruption of the American Dream
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as shown in The Great Gatsby. During the time period of the 1920’s, the selling and manufacturing of alcohol in the United States was considered illegal. Gatsby was originally a man who was born into a poor family in North Dakota. Gatsby’s ultimate plan to become a prosperous individual was to become involved in illegal dealings. Gatsby believes that having an abundance of money will buy himself happiness and buy himself a renewed relationship with Daisy. “He’s a bootlegger. One time he killed a man who had found out that he was a nephew to Von Hindenburg and second cousin to the devil” (Fitzgerald 61). This signifies that Gatsby has been accused of being a bootlegger, who sells alcohol illegally. His legal actions with alcohol has caused him to become a super rich person, who has lost sight of the American Dream. As previously stated, Jay Gatsby did not receive his wealth through hard work, but rather through illegal actions dealing with alcohol. Jay Gatsby’s honesty and integrity of his background is clearly a lie in order for him to achieve his American Dream. His American Dream has revolved around the pursuit of being with Daisy again. Just after Gatsby returned from war, he had discovered that Daisy was married to Tom Buchanan. As being Daisy’s previous boyfriend, Gatsby became envious that he is not the wealthiest person to be with Daisy forever. This motivates Gatsby to completely change his entire appearance. An article states, “Gatsby refashions himself by changing his name from the ethnic-sounding James Gatz to Jay Gatsby, claiming he is Oxford-educated, speaking in a staged British accent, and addressing everyone as old sport”(Tunc 1). Jay Gatsby builds up a new image of himself that shows he is an affluent person and has “inherited” his wealth. Gatsby’s over obsession with Daisy causes him to believe that money will buy him happiness. A statement from an article claims, “The American dream means being able to exchange their impoverished pasts for the good life” (Hact 6). Gatsby’s mission was to to take his past, and completely transform into a person that seems to be born into wealth. Gatsby’s over obsession with Daisy leads to his death and in the end, he never reached that American Dream. Materialism is an obvious aspect toward the characters maintaining the wealthy and upper class status.
Jay Gatsby, who lives in West Egg, best represents the need of a wealthy and lavish lifestyles. Gatsby’s overflowing amount of wealth is represented with his use of his expensive items. A description of his party states, “ On week-ends his Rolls-Royce became an omnibus, bearing parties to and from the city between nine in the morning and long past midnight, while his station wagon scampered like a brisk yellow bug to meet all trains” (Fitzgerald 39). This signifies that Gatsby’s has so much money that even the most fanciest cars he has, he uses them like taxis for people who attend his party. The numerous amount of parties Gatsby hosts also represent materialism. An article states, “Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s elaborately staged weekend parties as another metaphor for the greed, material excess, and the unrestrained desire for pleasure that resulted in the corruption and disintegration of the American Dream” (Tunc 4). Gatsby’s big and lavish parties every weekend was the center of materialism. Some of his guest who attended did not know him or came without an invitation. Gatsby’s main purpose of these grand parties was only to impress Daisy. As previously stated, Gatsby wanted to show Daisy all the wealth he had to win her back from Tom. He uses his grand party to show off his wealth and fortune to impress Daisy. In the end, Gatsby’s materialism and wealth caused …show more content…
corruption on the idea that money cannot buy happiness. Myrtle Wilson’s ultimate goal was to make her way up the social ladder and become wealthy.
Her American Dream was to gain “new money” status by her charisma and by the way she dressed. As a citizen of the Valley of Ashes, which represents the lower working class, it would be very difficult for Myrtle Wilson to pursue her wealthy lifestyle. Myrtle Wilson is the epitome of the desire to become part of the wealthy class. Myrtle’s personality shows how her selfishness and desire for money. Myrtle states, “The only crazy I was was when I married him. I knew right away I made a mistake. He borrowed somebody’s best suit to get married in, and never even told me about it, and the man came after it one day he was out” (Fitzgerald 35). This reveals that Myrtle was just disappointed when she discovered that George, her husband, does not have the amount of wealth Myrtle desired. Another way Myrtle tried to fake her status was by the way she dressed. A description of her states, “Mrs. Wilson had changed her costume some time before, and was now attired in an elaborate afternoon dress of cream-colored chiffon, which gave out a continual rustle as she swept about the room” (Fitzgerald 30). Before her little party in New York with Tom, she changes into this outfit to conceal her lower class status. She believes that she transformed into the new money lifestyle. In summary, Myrtle’s attempt to reach for her American Dream leads to her death and thus a corrupted American Dream.
This symbolizes that no matter how much Myrtle dreamed of being apart of the wealthy class, she just simply belonged in the working class. In conclusion, the corruption of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby ultimately lead to the destruction of characters as a result of this corrupted American Dream. The earning of illegal money through alcohol, the desire to move up the social ladder, and the use of materialistic items and parties completely corrupted the American Dream. Ultimately, the American Dream resulted in the death of two characters for their consistent push for money. This tragic loss simply symbolizes that money and greed will not give one person true happiness in life.
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.
The novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, deals heavily with the concept of the American Dream as it existed during the Roaring Twenties, and details its many flaws through the story of Jay Gatsby, a wealthy and ambitious entrepreneur who comes to a tragic end after trying to win the love of the moneyed Daisy Buchanan, using him to dispel the fantastic myth of the self-made man and the underlying falsities of the American Dream. Despite Gatsby’s close association with the American Dream, however, Fitzgerald presents the young capitalist as a genuinely good person despite the flaws that cause his undoing. This portrayal of Gatsby as a victim of the American Dream is made most clear during his funeral, to which less than a handful
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.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby focuses on the corruption of the American dream during the 1920‘s. For the duration of this time period, the American dream was no longer about hard work and reaching a set goal, it had become materialistic and immoral. Many people that had honest and incorruptible dreams, such as Jay Gatsby, used corrupted pathways to realize their fantasy. People’s carelessness was shown through their actions and speech towards others. Fitzgerald uses characterization and symbolism from different characters and items to convey the corruption of the American dream.
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).
Since its publication in 1925, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald has indisputably been one of the most influential and insightful pieces on the corruption and idealism of the American Dream. The American Dream, defined as ‘The belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society where upward mobility is possible for everyone,’ was a dominant ideal in American society, stemming from an opportunist pioneer mentality. In his book ‘The American Tradition in Literature’, Bradley Sculley praised The Great Gatsby for being ‘perhaps the most striking fictional analysis of the age of gang barons and the social conditions that produced them.’ Over the years, greed and selfishness changed the basic essence of the American Dream, forming firmly integrated social classes and the uncontainable thirst for money and status. The ‘Roaring Twenties’ was a time of ‘sustained increase in national wealth’ , which consequently led to an increase in materialism and a decrease in morality. Moreover, the
The concept of one’s journey to reach the so called "American Dream" has served as the central theme for many novels. However, in the novel The Great Gatsby, the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, portrays the American Dream as so opulent it is unrealistic and unreachable. The American Dream is originally about obtaining happiness, but by the 1920's, this dream has become twisted into a desire for fame and fortune by whatever means; mistaken that wealth will bring happiness. Fitzgerald illustrates that the more people reach toward the idealistic American dream, the more they lose sight of what makes them happy, which sends the message that the American dream is unattainable. The continuos yearning for extravagance and wealthy lifestyles has become detrimental to Gatsby and many other characters in the novel as they continue to remain incorrigible in an era of decayed social and moral values, pursuing an empty life of pleasure instead of seeking happiness.
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.
Have you ever wondered what it was like back in the 1920’s and how the people lived and what things they valued? In the novel The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald you really experience the way people lived during that time period. This book is about how the narrator, Nick Caraway who has just moved to West Egg and discovers the many hidden secrets of Jay Gatsby.Through Fitzgerald’s use of theme, conflict, and symbolism he reveals that American society in the 1920’s is corrupt.
In The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald explores the idea of the American Dream as well as the portrayal of social classes. Fitzgerald carefully sets up his novel into distinct social groups but, in the end, each group has its own problems to contend with, leaving a powerful reminder of what a precarious place the world really is. By creating two distinct social classes ‘old money’ and ‘new money’, Fitzgerald sends strong messages about the elitism underlying and moral corruption society. The idea of the American dream is the ideal that opportunity is available to any American, allowing their highest aspirations and goals to be achieved. In the case of The Great Gatsby it centres on the attainment of wealth and status to reach certain positions in life,
In the novel The Great Gatsby, the 1920’s was a “throwaway culture, in which things (and people) are used and then abandoned” (Evans). This is true of the lives of the wealthy elite who ruled the East and West Eggs, causing the domination of materialistic thought. The substitution of money for integrity ultimately provided a way for corruption to take deep roots in the characters. The frivolous lives and relationships described by F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby depict the emptiness of the shallow 1920’s era.
The American dream has an inspiring connotation, often associated with the pursuit of happiness, to compel the average citizen to prosper. In Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby’s infatuation for Daisy drives him towards wealth in order to respark his love. Due to Daisy’s rich background, the traditional idea of love became skewed because of the materialistic mindsets of people in the 1920s. In the novel, the wealthy are further stratified into two social classes, creating a barrier between the elite and the “dreamers”. Throughout the novel, the idea of the American dream as a fresh start fails.
The American Dream is a well sought after thing, which leads many. to go over the limits to achieve it, even in just having the opportunity to be wealthy. The Great Gatsby notifies the decayed moral values and unnecessary materialism brought about by the American Dream. However, it proves.
Since the early colonization of America, the American dream has been the ultimate symbol for success. In retrospect, the dreamer desires to become wealthy, while also attaining love and high class. Though the dream has had different meanings in time, it is still based on individual freedom, and a desire for greatness. During the 19th century, the typical goal was to settle in the West and raise a family. However, the dream progressively transformed into greediness and materialism during the early 20th century. The indication of success soon became focused on wealth and luxury. The Great Gatsby is a story focused on the deterioration of the American dream. Throughout the novel, Jay Gatsby is shown with a desire to achieve his dream by all means. Utilizing the Roaring Twenties as part of his satire, Fitzgerald criticizes the values of the American dream, and the effects of materialism on one’s dream.
The only reason Myrtle had relations with Tom was because of his money and wealth, it let her escape from the reality of her actual status and gave her the hope that one day she may be with Tom, he is her shot at achieving the American dream and she will do anything to get it. Myrtle was so focused on her dream of wealth that she was blinded by the happiness she could have achieved from what she already had, if she tried to make her relationship with her husband work she would have had a greater sense of happiness but with the American dream so available she cannot see any other fate for herself. She claimed the only reason she married her husband was because she “thought he was a gentleman,” she “thought he knew something about breeding, but he wasn’t fit to lick [her] shoe.” (Fitzgerald). Nick Caraway also lived within the light of the American Dream.