Pursuit of Happiness The American Dream is the idea that every american Citizen has equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work. As the “Declaration of Independence” states, “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” (US 1776). Different people interpret it in different ways, for some it might be to be financially stable so that they don't have to worry if they can pay for their next meal. For others it might be to settle down, and establish a family and gain a considerable amount of wealth so they can live a good life. But some don't stop there, the people that are exceptionally motivated and never …show more content…
settle for less. They interpret the American Dream as amassing enormous amounts of wealth, enough money to throw lavish parties every weekend and buy fancy cars.
Such is the case in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. People become so wealthy that laws no longer applied to them. Nick's actions in The Great Gatsby suggest that when people pursue or attain “The American Dream”, then they can become so materialistic, hollow, and careless that they attempt to hide behind their wealth and don’t face the consequences of their actions. Tom Believes that his immense amount of wealth gives him the authority to do anything he desires without suffering the consequences. When he is having the impromptu party in his New York apartment with Myrtle he gets drunk and when she taunted him by saying “Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!” Tom made a “short deft movement” and “broke her nose with his open hand” (37). Tom overreacted to Myrtle saying Daisy’s name and broke her nose, he acted without thinking and after he just left without any repercussions. If Tom wasn’t rich, then Myrtle would have said something to the authorities or …show more content…
at least stopped seeing Tom, but since she was afraid to lose him and the status that came with being his mistress she decided to just not say anything. Later in the book after Daisy kills Myrtle while she was driving back from New York, Tom says that everything is okay and that he would take care of it. Even when Nick needed them they “had gone away early that afternoon, and taken baggage with them” (164). His version of taking care of it is to just flee the scene and run away from his problems. He thinks that since he has achieved the “American Dream” he is entitled to just run away from his problems and just forget the horrible things that they did. That isn't all, two years later Nick runs into Tom in the street and Tom reveals that he did tell Wilson that Gatsby was driving the car but he claims that “That fellow had it coming to him. He threw dust into your eyes just like he did Daisy’s, but he was a tough one” (78). Even after all he did he has the shamelessness to tell Nick (Gatsby’s best friend) that he deserved to die. Tom is so blinded by his wealth that he doesn't realize that it's not okay to say this, specially to someone like Nick who was close to Gatsby. Tom’s wealth lead him to believe that he could make bad decisions and not have to think about the aftermath. Nick seeks another kind of “American Dream” he seeks spiritual enlightenment, but just like Tom he is clouded by his attempts to reach this goal. In the beginning of the book Nick spends a night with Jordan and finds out that she cheated in her very first golf tournament. He then reveals that he believes he “suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues” and that he is “one of the few honest people that I have ever known” (59). Here Nick introduces the idea that he is truly honest and that is his quest, but in reality he is corrupted by the quest itself. While he tries to reach the point where he is completely honest, the east coast is corrupting him. We can see how he slowly starts to corrupt when he goes to a party in Tom’s apartment in New York and Tom picks Myrtle up, Nick wonders, “doesn't her husband object?” And Tom explains that “He thinks she goes to see her sister in New York. He’s so dumb he doesn't know he's alive” (26) This is when Nick realizes that Tom is cheating on Daisy but instead of being the “honest” man he said he was, he decides that he was going to keep the secret from her. Later on, he becomes even more corrupt when he agrees to help Gatsby out with an ambush date with Daisy. “‘I talked with Miss Baker,’ I said after a moment. ‘I’m going to call up Daisy to-morrow and invite her over here to tea’” (82). This shows how Nick was corrupted even further by Gatsby, who asks him to set up a secret meeting with Daisy so their relationship can be reborn. When Nick agrees, that is the second time that he helps or allows for the cheating of one of his friends. Living in the East corrupted him so much that he decided to lie to his friends twice about things that a friend doesn't lie about. Nick was a very honest man back home but when he came to the East and tried to attain the “American Dream” his vision became clouded and he decided that he was going to take on a new life as a liar. Gatsby, was a very hopeful man but when he pursued his version of the “American Dream” which was to get Daisy at all costs, he knew no limits and this made him take things too far..
He would stop at nothing until he got what she wanted. He would rather become a bootlegger and earn his money illegally than to not have her. “‘I found out what your ‘drug-stores’ were.’ He turned to us and spoke rapidly. ‘He and this Wolfshiem bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That’s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn't far wrong’” (133). Gatsby just decided that instead of doing it the legal way, he would get a lot of money fast by selling alcohol illegally. His hope and pursuit of Daisy blinded him from what really matters and from the real values which he should follow, which include not going after married women. Even if she wasn't married, the ways in which Gatsby obtained his wealth is very shady and illegal. Furthermore, he does all this and doesn't even stop at just being filthy rich, he would spend thousands and thousands of dollars throwing lavish parties just so that maybe one day she would show up. “Every Friday five crates of oranges and lemons arrived from a fruiterer in New York-every Monday these same oranges and lemons left his back door in a pyramid of pulpless halves” (39). His desire for Daisy was so large that he literally gave people free
alcohol and food every single weekend. These lavish parties are all just so that Daisy will hear about them and show up, he knows no limits of how much to spend on her or what else to do to try and impress her. His hope is so large that he is blinded and thinks that anything is possible when it comes to getting Daisy, even when Nick told him that it's impossible to repeat the past, Gatsby objected that and said that, you “Can’t repeat the past?’ He cried incredulously ‘why of course you can!” (110). Gatsby really thinks that anything is possible due to his wealth, but in reality he can't force Daisy to like him again and he refuses to admit that. Gatsby’s judgement is clouded by the fact that he is obsessed with Daisy, and will stop at nothing to get her, but then he goes too far and in the end Wilson kills him. Gatsby’s goal and his version of the “American Dream” obscured his thoughts and he fought against all odds to get Daisy, but in the end he didn’t get her because she was materialistic and decided to stay with Tom. The “American Dream” in The Great Gatsby made people's perceptions muddy and they did things that were wrong. Their pursuit or attainment of the “American Dream” corrupted all of the characters in different ways. Tom ran away from his problems, Nick was dishonest, and Gatsby would literally do anything to get Daisy. In conclusion the “American Dream” is a flawed term because when people try to attain it, they get caught up and forget about other things, they are just trying to reach their goals at all costs. People are forgetting the most important part of the “American Dream”, it is the “pursuit of happiness” (US 1776) as stated in the preamble of the Declaration of Independence. When people follow the “American Dream” they become machines that all they do is work towards that goal and are in reality missing the bigger picture, to find happiness not wealth.
Happiness means different things to different people. Some people find happiness in a sense of joy or excitement, and others find it in warmth, and goodness. This is why people pursue happiness; to feel a sense of completion. In The novel The Great Gatsby and in the film The Life of Pi, the characters Jay Gatsby and Pi Patel both pursue and compromise their happiness through love, determination, and adversity or hope. To some people, the most important of these is love.
Gatsby was a very wealthy and greedy man. At this time, alcohol was illegal. All that Gatsby and his friends cared about was the parties and how much money he had. Gatsby also had an affection for one of these women that were at his parties. When Gatsby
The American Dream is something that anyone no matter their background, social standings, or ethnicity can improve their life through hard work.
“Son, if you make it to Queens, our time in Canada would truly be worth it.” This phrase was brought back into my mind while reading Fitzgerald 's “The Great Gatsby.” I saw myself in Gatsby, a man with the drive to change his live. I often imagine the readers of this novel thinking “Gatsby was driven to go from rags to riches, he must be happy!” Unfortunately, drive alone cannot make a man happy, effective actions and a fulfilling goal is just as important. Gatsby died a sad man for his criminal actions and terrible goal. I may not be great, but I sure am happy!
The term “American Dream” is defined as an idea which believes that all people have the possibility of prosperity and success. The idea first came from James Adams, a noted American writer and historian. He claimed, “Life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability and achievement.” Therefore, the core concepts of the American Dream were closely linked to hard work and opportunity.
It’s been ingrained into the fabric of society that to be truly happy in life, one needs to be wealthy. The characters in The Great Gatsby show this is not always the case, and that wealth is not always as important as one would believe. Society has always placed a significant importance on being rich, being wealthy. It makes one believe that being wealthy is the only true way to live a happy and fulfilling life. With this in mind, many readers are going to look at the characters in The Great Gatsby, such as Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan, and fantasize about one day living the lifestyle that they live. While many characters in The Great Gatsby would appear from the outside to be living the American Dream, it what lies underneath this image of
...her and didn’t stop to think about the consequences he may have from the affair and his actions led to bad karma. Along with all this, he had been lying to Daisy about how he had all his wealth. Tom revealed to Daisy that Gatsby “bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter . . .I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him” (178). Although at that point Gatsby didn’t seem to care much about Daisy hearing the truth but her thoughts differed. His whole plan to have her all to himself backfired, leaving Daisy back with Tom.
Gatsby is a dreamer, he dreams that one day he and Daisy will be able to be together once again. To achieve this dream Gatsby has made himself a rich man. He knows that in order to win Daisy back he must be wealthy and of high social stature. Gatsby becomes rich, has a beautiful mansion, nice things, things like shirts “They’re such beautiful shirts. . . it makes me sad because I’ve never seen such-such beautiful clothes” (pg.98).Gatsby believes his dream will come true because of all the money and nice things he has. The way that Gatsby becomes rich is in a way the demise of his dream. Gatsby becomes wealthy by participating in organized crime, including distributing illegal alcohol and trading in stolen securities. Daisy eventually learns about this and it is one of the reasons she will never again be with Gatsby. The other reason is Daisy a...
First, what is the American dream? According to David Wallechinsky, “the traditional American Dream is based on the belief that hardworking citizens can improve their lives, pay their monthly bills without worry, give their children a start to an even better life, and still save enough to live comfortably after they retire” (1). “The American Dream” states, “It has always represented the possibility for individuals to succeed and live a life of wealth and comfort, made possible by both the political and economic attitudes in the USA and the individual’s own hard work” (1). Daniella Nicole adds that “in years past, chasing the American Dream meant the sky was the limit. . .” (1).
The American Dream is a dream that no matter what race you or what social class you are born in you are still able to achieve it no matter what. Many believe that the American Dream doesn't exist and that you cannot achieve the American Dream, however they are wrong. America provides access to the American Dream because people who make sacrifices are able to become successful, people are able to become closer to God, and people are able to get a better education.
Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald criticizes the American dream very elaborately and shows the idea of the American dream to be connected with the goal of achieving wealth. Fitzgerald does not praise wealth in the Great Gatsby but condemns it by drawing attention to the dreadful fall made by Gatsby. Fitzgerald finds the desire of wealth to be a corrupting impact on people. Throughout the novel, the characters with money contradict the idea of the American dream. They are portrayed to be very snobbish and unhappy people. The American dream in the novel is shown to be unachievable. For some time, the American dream has been focused upon material things that will gain people success.
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
The American Dream is an idea that anyone can live in the United States through hard work and live happy successful lives. There are many obstacles that would stand in the way from achieving the American Dream. Fear, money and education/training, families changing in size, disability, race and gender, are some of the hurdles that many Americans face as they try to achieve the typical American Dream.
"The American Dream" is that dream of a nation in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with options for each according to capacity or accomplishments. It is a dream of social stability in which each man and each woman shall be able to achieve to the fullest distinction of which they are essentially competent, and be distinguish by others for what they are, despite of the incidental conditions of birth or stance. The American Dream is often something that humanity wonders about. What is the American dream? Many people discover success in a range of things. There are many different definitions of the American Dream. However, the American Dream embraces prosperity, personal safety, and personal liberty. The American dream is a continually fluctuating set of ideals, reflecting the ideas of an era.
The American Dream was and always will be something that makes America great. It allows those with aspirations to make them come true. In America alone needs is a dream and the motivation to carry out that dream. Ambition is the driving force behind the American Dream. It allows any one that has an aspiration, a desire, a yearning, to carry out the individual dream. It knows no bounds of race, creed, gender or religion. It stands for something great, something that every one can strive towards. A dream can be a desire for something great. In America, the American Dream allows dreams to become realities. According to Webster's New World Dictionary, the American Dream is defined as "An American social ideal that' stresses egalitarianism and especially material prosperity". To live this dream is to succeed. It allows anyone, rich or poor to have the opportunity to succeed. It is the ability to come from nothing and become so me thing. To succeed at any thing you do, you must have patience and persistence. It requires hard work, persistence and a desire for something better. To have these qualities and the desire and ambition to carry the moutis part of the American Dream.