In the novel, The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the death of the American Dream is a recurring idea that arises in the characters, events, and symbols. On the surface The Great Gatsby is viewed as a harrowing love tale; a closer look into the text reveals that it is actually a cynical critique of the American Dream. The narrator, Nick Carraway, deals with the higher society and illustrates to the readers how modern (dishonorable) values have converted the American Dream’s untainted ideals into a plot for materialistic power, thus causing the death of the American Dream.
In the 1920s, the American Dream promised an individual success in life regardless of family history or social status if they worked hard enough. The American dream is defined as “the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative” (“American Dream”). This principle laid the foundation for the United States of America, as
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Europeans sailed to the New World with hopes of a better life. Hundreds of years later this dream still influences the goals of the American people. The Jazz Age was a colorful time in the United States, and with increased wealth post World War I it was much easier for the common man to achieve the American dream. However, in Robert Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, many characters exchange their ‘pursuit of happiness’ for the ‘pursuit of wealth’ assuming that money would lead to happiness, however this assumption is proven false, the characters’ wealth only leads to their demise (“Gatsby Character Profile”). The character Gatsby is the perfect example of the dying American Dream.
Throughout the novel, the reader learns that Jay Gatsby had overcome his poor past to gain a tremendous amount of money and social credibility. However, Gatsby is rejected by the “old money” class and later killed after being ensnared with them. Fitzgerald appears to ridicule the typical “rags to riches story” after explaining Gatsby's connection to Dan Cody. All of Gatsby’s grueling work for Dan Cody was fruitless as he lost the inheritance money. Instead of working hard and potentially being undermined again, Gatsby participated in acts of crime to rapidly gain wealth. Gatsby finally accomplishes his dream of fortune through shady means. In the classic American Dream, people achieve their dreams through long, honest, and hard work. While Gatsby’s account resembles a typical “rags to riches” tale, his acquired and unethical money complicates the idea that he is an ideal figure for the classic
dream. Many objects are used in the novel to support the idea of a fading dream. The green light that Gatsby reaches out for is one example of this. The light, located across the bay at Daisy’s house, is representative of Gatsby’s hopes and dreams to be with Daisy. His longing for her has brought him along a similar path to the American Dream. He almost accomplished everything that the dream entailed in an effort to win back her heart. Examples mentioned in the text are his house, wealth, parties, and social status. Even though Daisy almost confessed her love for Gatsby in front of everyone, this dream still eluded him. The light is symbolic of money; it is everyone’s goal in this capitalistic society to gain this. Just like the others, Gatsby is also trying to accomplish this. Instead of reaching the dream, Gatsby encounters the greedy capitalistic nature which corrupts the upper class. As Gatsby’s dream becomes increasingly tainted, he begins to partake in illicit activities. At the end of the novel this is what ended up killing his dream, chances with Daisy, and the the American Dream. Just barely out of reach, Gatsby died knowing that Daisy would never be his, and he would never truthfully accomplish his dream. This is strikingly similar to how many people die in an attempt to reach the ideal American Dream. The other object used to support the idea was the houses owned by the characters. The houses depicted in The Great Gatsby are an indicator of the rivalry to declare one’s status; the rich were in a constant attempt to outdo each other. On the outside, Gatsby’s house is the easiest to distinguish as the embodiment of the American Dream. The main significance of the house was for show; it displays a library with unread books, a marble swimming pool, and an acre of meticulously groomed lawns and gardens. Once Daisy attends one of Gatsby’s parties, he begins to realize that their relationship is souring. He fires all employees and dismisses the idea of parties. Without the parties, the house has become devoid of life and begun to deteriorate, much like Gatsby’s existence. The American Dream was always out of reach from Gatsby. Even after buying a gaudy house and throwing parties, Gatsby could never gain enough credibility to break past the wall imposed by the “old wealth” (Chandler 218-230). When Nick Carraway decides to leave West Egg for the final time, he turns back to look at that, “huge incoherent failure of a house once more” (Fitzgerald 188). Gatsby’s house is a visible representative of determination, idealism, romantic longing, and capitalism (Chandler 231-235). The false illusion of the houses is very similar to the false truths that the American Dream was advertising; less and less people will attempt this feat and eventually the dream will disappear. The setting of the novel is imperative to display the dying American Dream. West and East Egg, the places of residency for the main characters, are located in present-day New York. Today, New York is seen as the location to fabricate a name for yourself. It is no coincidence that the characters live in New York, most of these characters being rich. However Tom, Gatsby, Daisy, Jordan, and Nick were all Westerners at one point in their lives. None of them seemed to achieve the idea of the American Dream; Gatsby was the only character who came relatively close but ended dead. This shows that the chances of “actually making it” in the East were very difficult for the westerners. Nick Carraway states that, “I see now that this has been a story of the West, after all - Tom and Gatsby, Daisy and Jordan and I, were all Westerners, and perhaps we possessed some deficiency in common which made us subtly unadaptable to Eastern life” (Fitzgerald 184). This inspection suggests that American identity is determined by birthplace, not how hard a person is willing to work. This directly contradicts some points stated in the American Dream. Moreover, for the characters in the novel not born into money, the American identity appears to be about achieving the most wealth and social standing. The depiction of old money set in the novel by Jordan, Daisy, and Tom reveals a portion of an elite society. In this aristocratic setting, a character needs to be born into the wealthy society to be accepted (Smiljanić). The novel is displaying a splintered identity based on how much money a character is born with. In the novel, the characters’ deaths are representative of the dying American Dream. Myrtle, Gatsby, and George are killed sequential to each other. George, after seeing his beloved wife Myrtle killed by a speeding yellow car, turns his attention onto the innocent Gatsby. He tracks down the location of the car, shoots Gatsby in his house, and proceeds to turn the gun on himself. Each character previously mentioned is in the select group of dreamers that believed they could make a new future in this capitalistic America. Gatsby believed that his new life of wealth would be enough to rekindle and capture the attention of Daisy; George and Myrtle were hoping to leave the valley of their residency and move out west. However, the dreamers were the ones to end up dead at the conclusion of the novel. The characters who flirted away without a scratch were those born into a life of money and privilege. These characters, such as Daisy and Tom, kept their life without any consequence for their actions. Nick states in the text that, “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy - they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made…” (Fitzgerald 187-188). Even though Daisy was responsible for the death of Myrtle (and indirectly Gatsby), she and her husband were able to avoid the law due to their wealth and old money. F. Scott Fitzgerald is suggesting that there is no room for the less-privileged people to work their way up in society (Smiljanić). The idea of the American Dream, which promises success based on effort, is almost hypocritical. If a dreamer ends up dead after believing in the dream, who is to say that the dream is alive anymore? In the novel, The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the death of the American Dream is a recurring idea. The novel disrupts the idea of a unified American Dream, instead presenting a tragic American society that is divided based on location and social class. The overall message of the text is that the American Dream is purely illusionary. It inspires men to do astounding (and most likely unethical) things; however much they chase the green light, it is forever out of reach.
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.
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.
The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts the degradation of the American dream through the loss of humility and rectitude.
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 caused 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 of people attend. Gatsby makes many mistakes throughout the novel, all of which Fitzgerald uses these blunders as a part of his thematic deconstruction of the American Dream.
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.
In Scott F. Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, men fight over a woman. To stay financially secure, they go into illegal business. Dreams are crushed and lives are lost.
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.
To recollect, F. Scott Fitzgerald scrutinizes the collapse of the American Dream through Jay Gatsby in, “The Great Gatsby.” From his highs to his lows, the reader experiences this fall of an idea through the eyes of the narrator in a powerful story of wealth and
The American novel The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, demonstrates the withering of the American Dream, an idealistic and illusionary goal to achieve high status and wealth. Fitzgerald establishes James Gatz as the embodiment of the American Dream. Gatz is a self-made man who dedicates his life to creating a new, higher-status persona. The product of James Gatz's hard work is the great “Jay Gatsby,” who epitomizes one of the main characteristics of the American dream: everlasting hope. However, Fitzgerald concludes the novel with the death of Gatsby and, therefore, the death of the American Dream. The American Dream is dead because of Gatsby’s idealistic and blind pursuits, the materialistic nature of the upper class, and the social discrimination within this shallow society.
In the novel The Great Gatsby, The major theme is the collapse of the American dream. The American Dream consisted of money, lots of money. The Quote, "Her voice is full of money," is said about Daisy by Gatsby. To me this means that she has been raised rich and will always remain rich, which is the American dream. Gatsby believes that Daisy's voice is full of money and that is very addicting to him. It is the reason he is so attached to her, she is Mr. Gatsby's American dream. Like all people, Gatsby tries to grasp this American dream and to do that he has to convince Daisy that she should be his, if he could accomplish this task, then he could achieve this dream, but what happens if he does accomplish this and is still not happy.
Up until now, the term American Dream is still a popular concept on how Americans or people who come to America should live their lives and in a way it becomes a kind of life goal. However, the definitions of the term itself is somehow absurd and everyone has their own definition of it. The historian James Tuslow defines American Dream as written in his book titled “The Epic of America” in 1931 as “...dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” The root of the term American Dream is actually can be traced from the Declaration of Independence in 1776 which stated “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that
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.
Happiness. Which also references The Declaration of Independence that mentions ‘’all men are equal.’’ The American Dream was originated when immigrants were looking for jobs in the early time of America. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbolism and motifs to describe The American Dream back then. Here are some examples of The American Dream in The Great Gatsby: The ‘’green light’’ at the end of Daisy’s dock, The Valley of Ashes and also Fitzgerald is focusing on how people are so acquisitive and doesn’t care about others.Throughout the novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbols such as Valley of Ashes to
In F. Scott Fitzgerald's truly American novel “The Great Gatsby”, the reality and corruption of the American Dream unfolds in the lives of Jay Gatz and Myrtle Wilson. Both these characters are distorted by this dream, believing that wealth will bring them status and happiness. To these individuals each of their “American Dreams” are corrupted by wealth and obsession which later causes their ultimate downfall. Gatsby is the symbol of the American Dream. Starting from close to nothing and becoming an affluent man, the perfect rags to riches story.
However, do these dramatic headlines hold any truth? Newspapers and the media propagate this message of doom by calling for Americans to wake up from their “American Dream” and face the cruel reality of American life. However, for immigrants both past and present, the American Dream has motivated and continues to motivate millions to come to America. The term “American Dream” was first publicly defined in 1931 by James Truslow Adams in The Epic of America, in which he defines the dream as the “dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” (Adams 16). Despite the hopeful message the original definition conveys, the modern American Dream has been more recently defined in terms of excessive financial success rather than hope for a “better life.”