The Murder of the American Dream
A dream is the spark that ignites the ambition within a person’s soul. America is a country built on the dreams of her people. Americans are a people who believe that no matter what circumstances a person is born into, that person has both the opportunity and the ability to achieve his/her wildest dreams. This American dream continues to unite every new generation of Americans with the rich national ancestry that came before them. Though America is a place where such noble and inspiring ideals thrive, more corrupted ideals have wound themselves into the framework of American society. Materialism is when people think of tangible objects as the most important aspects of life, and in turn place them above the
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virtuous values of human connection, love, and trust. This issue is so tightly entwined within American society that it escapes unknown and unpunished from the condemning gaze of the self proclaimed “highly moral.” America is blind to her rampant materialism and it continues to usurp the values that she boasts so proudly. It chokes her from the inside, until nothing is left but the corruption she claims to fight. Great authors attempt to highlight this unjust decimation of traditional American values and no one has been able to execute this as perfectly as F. Scott Fitzgerald. His novel, The Great Gatsby showcases how society’s underlying materialism results in the deterioration of the American dream. This is done in a way so utterly sublime that readers witness the society he creates through judgemental yet sympathetic eyes that allow them to objectively identify its underlying flaws. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s failed dream of achieving pure happiness to demonstrate this point through the tragic hero’s ostentatious parties, showy possessions, and massive wealth. Gatsby is eternally reaching towards his dream of capturing the past and being truly happy with Daisy. His American dream is poisoned by the ostentatious parties that he has been made to believe will help him achieve it. Gatsby’s dream is to recapture his past love with Daisy. He wishes to reignite Daisy’s past affection so she will choose to leave Tom for him. Gatsby’s desire to achieve this fairytale ending is demonstrated through the quote, He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and as far as I was from him I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward-- and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock. (Fitzgerald 25-26) The single, green light is indeed on the end of a dock, and that dock belongs to none other than Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby’s quest for Daisy is a metaphor for the “American Dream”-- to make something from nothing. Fitzgerald demonstrates the fruitfulness of this wish through Gatsby’s inevitable failure. No matter what he does Daisy will never choose him over her comfy “old money” life. He will always reach towards the green light, but he will never be able to grasp it. The materialism that spoils Gatsby’s dream is literally put on display during the extravagant parties that he throws. Gatsby throws these parties with the hope that one day Daisy will happen to wander into one. Gatsby believes that Daisy will be attracted to the seductive flabouancy of his parties. Michael Miller recognizes this, and he analyzes that romantic culture contains qualities so alluring that people are drawn to them, but the cheap nature of these ideas are exposed once one gets too close to the source of the fallacy (123). This idea applies to Gatsby’s parties: they make him out to be something he is not, and thus they ruin his chances of ever achieving true happiness. He is living a lie and can never be truly happy within that lie. Gatsby’s garish parties represent a level of moral decay within the society of the novel, and this corruption defiles Gatsby’s innocent dream and prevents it from ever being realized. Gatsby’s parties are full of people who completely lose themselves in the opulent experience, people who “experiment with hedonism and cast off their moral and social responsibilities to pursue their own pleasure” (Banach 4). They are described in a manner that makes them seem wild and out of control. This depiction of society makes it impossible for a pure dream to ever really come true. The version of the dream exemplified by the characters in the novel is a corrupt version of the original idea. The American dream is limited to the materialistic gain of surface pleasures, not the gain of soul enriching characteristics it was originally contrived to be (Nagel 1). The flaws that Gatsby’s parties showcase are also present within the other characters of the novel. Nick becomes tolerant towards the lack of morality that he sees around him. He willingly goes to Gatsby’s parties, continually meets with Tom and Myrtle, and helps facilitate Gatsby’s reunion with his married cousin (del Gizzo 14). Tom also fails the American dream through his continual disregard of the values that the dream encompasses: morality, hard work, dedication, and good character. He is born into wealth he does not deserve, and his relationships to the other characters further prove his unworthiness. He breaks Myrtle’s nose and later doesn’t mourn her death (Nagel 6). This shows that Tom has no morality or good character, much like the numerous guests at Gatsby’s parties. All of the characters are swept up by the rampant materialism that defines their society, and in turn they lose the values that make America special. The American dream cannot thrive in a society based solely on materialistic pleasure, and thus it does not survive in this novel. Gatsby falls prey to the belief that possessions are what allows one to live the American Dream. This belief is what inevitably fails Gatsby and destroys his dream. Throughout the novel, many of Gatsby’s showy possessions are described in great detail. Fitzgerald writes that Gatsby’s car “was a rich cream color, bright with nickel, swollen here and there in its monstrous length with triumphant hatboxes and supper-boxes and tool-boxes and terraced with a labyrinth of windshields that mirrored a dozen suns” (68). Gatsby's house is “a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side...and a marble swimming pool and more than forty acres of lawn and garden” (Fitzgerald 9). Both Gatsby’s car and house are directly connected to his death. Daisy kills Myrtle whilst driving Gatsby’s car, and when Gatsby is shot by Mr. Wilson he falls into his grandiose pool. This shows that Gatsby’s opportunity to achieve his dream is ripped from him by the very possessions he believes will help him achieve it. His materialism directly leads to his downfall. Gatsby’s library is another mechanism that Fitzgerald uses to demonstrate the flaws of a materialistic society. He writes, “What thoroughness! What realism! Knew when to stop too-- didn’t cut the pages” (Fitzgerald 50). This shows that Gatsby is using possessions to make up for lack of substance, much like he uses them to draw Daisy to him. Their relationship has no way of thriving in this materialistic society, so Gatsby’s dream is doomed to fail before he begins his journey towards achieving it. Despite this, Gatsby believes that his possessions are the only way of bringing his American dream to life. Within this novel, “Americans easily assumed that spiritual satisfaction would automatically accompany material success” (Trask 1). This idea fails Gatsby, he achieves an extremely high level of material success, and yet he never feels the happiness that he believes goes hand in hand with it. When Gatsby gives Daisy a tour of his home, she begins to weep. At this point, Gatsby feels he has achieved his American dream. His possessions are merely a tool, and it seems to him that they have done their job (Nagel 3-4). This moment actually shows that Daisy is so superficial that Gatsby’s possessions, not the deep affection that he has for her, are what bring her to tears.The fruitfulness of this materialistic way of life prevents Gatsby from realizing his dream. In his mind the possessions are a stepping stone to achieving pure happiness with Daisy, but the society around him views them as the end goal. Gatsby can never achieve his dream because his society does not view it as a valid thing to dream for. Materialism corrupts the American dream so intensely that Gatsby’s pure dream can never come true. The materialism in The Great Gatsby causes the characters to view everything as an object or possession, and this philosophy prevents the success of the American Dream.
Gatsby thinks of Daisy as something that can be won or lost, and therefore never sees her as a real person. She is merely the receptacle of his dreams, and not a true, fleshed out character (Stern 105). This prevents him from understanding that no matter how many possessions he accumulates, she will never choose him because she feels more secure in the comfy lifestyle she has with Tom. He objectifies her to a point where he can no longer understand her. Throughout the novel, Daisy Buchanan is described in ways that make her seem more like an object than a human being, which is evident through the quote, “it [her voice] was full of money” (Fitzgerald 127). Therefore, the entire basis of Gatsby’s dream is centered around materialism, and his “objectification of Daisy is a symptom of the sickness and corruption that Fitzgerald attempts to capture in the novel” (del Gizzo 14). Gatsby’s American dream is destroyed because his vision is clouded by the haze of materialism, and he cannot separate Daisy from the possessions he uses to “win” …show more content…
her. Gatsby’s materialistic desire to acquire a certain level of wealth in hopes of achieving his dream is one of the many paradoxical flaws that prevents it from coming true. Gatsby seeks wealth as a means to achieve pure happiness through love, but once he attains his wealth he finds it insufficient in helping achieve the spiritual fulfillment he sought (Banach 8). This shows that the version of the dream presented in the novel is so corrupt that it cannot come true. The wealth that Gatsby believes will help him win Daisy proves to be unsuccessful, and he is left only with a broken heart and bags of money that mean nothing to him. Gatsby “grasps at the most superficial aspects of the American Dream, gaining wealth without acquiring knowledge, insight, or wisdom” (Nagel 5). This lack of knowledge has corrupted the American Dream. The dream is reduced to nothing more the the acquisition of wealth, even though the wealth leads to nothing more than an giant house and a flashy car. Materialism decimates the American dream by convincing Gatsby that it is the only way to achieve it. The materialism of the society immortalized within The Great Gatsby causes the characters to pursue wealth in any way they can, and this corruption pollutes Gatsby’s innocent dream at the start of his path towards achieving it.
Gatsby attains his fortune through illegal activities, and yet Daisy still remains forever out of his reach (Palladino 9). Gatsby resorts to bootlegging in order to win Daisy’s heart. He allows himself to succumb to the allure of crime, and in turn abandons the values that make the American dream unique. Even one of the most seemingly corrupt and immoral characters within the novel, Tom Buchanan, is able to recognize that Gatsby has lost himself in the illegal pursuit of wealth, “I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn't far wrong” (Fitzgerald 133). A dream as innocent as Gatsby’s cannot truly be realized in a world where the acquisition of money comes before all else, including both the law and personal morals. Gatsby puts wealth above everything, and he still can never have the one thing he wants. The American dream is corrupted by the materialism that surrounds it, and as much as he attempts to escape it, Gatsby is a living embodiment of that
corruption. The American dream is a belief in the power of hard work and determination. It represents the sentiment that humanity is inherently good. The American dream is an embodiment of hope, and it pushes people to be the best versions of themselves. The purity of this dream has been tainted by the materialism that drives society. Materialism tortures and contorts the American dream into a version of itself so twisted that it hardly resembles what it once was. The values that the dream embodies are crushed under the weight of materialism’s heavy hand. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby painfully demonstrates the slaughter of the American dream through Gatsby’s ostentatious parties, showy possessions, and massive wealth. Gatsby can never achieve pure happiness because he is merely a pawn, living within a chessboard that has cracked under the pressure that weighs upon it. Materialism corrupts the American dream, and destroys the hope of it ever coming true. In the end, everyone is reaching towards their own green light, but they exist in a world where the dock is always on the other side of the bay. Works Cited Banach, Jennifer. "F. Scott Fitzgerald’s American Dream." Critical Insights: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Ed. Don Noble. Hackensack: Salem, 2010. n. pag. Salem Online. online.salempress.com del Gizzo, Suzanne. "Within and Without: F. Scott Fitzgerald and American Consumer Culture." Critical Insights: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Ed. Don Noble. Hackensack: Salem, 2010. n. pag. Salem Online. online.salempress.com Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Simon & Schuster, 1995. Miller, Michael Vincent. “An Adolescent Version of the American Dream.” Readings on F. Scott Fitzgerald, edited by Katie Koster, Greenhaven Press, 1998. Nagel, James. "The Great Gatsby and the American Dream." Critical Insights: The American Dream. Ed. Keith Newlin. Hackensack: Salem, 2013. n. pag. Salem Online. online.salempress.com Palladino, Jennifer Banach. "Gatsby in Context." Critical Insights: The Great Gatsby. Ed. Morris Dickstein. Hackensack: Salem, 2009. n. pag. Salem Online. online.salempress.com Stern, Milton R. “Milton R. Stern on the American Dream and Fitzgerald’s Romantic Excess.” F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, edited by Harold Bloom, Chelsea House, 2006. Trask, David F. "A Note on Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby." Novels for Students, edited by Diane Telgen, vol. 2, Gale, 1998. Literature Resource Center, go.galegroup.com
Andrew T. Crosland, an expert on the Jazz Age writings of author F.Scott Fitzgerald, wrote that Fitzgerald 's The Great Gatsby included over 200 references to cars (Crosland). This is not surprising as the automobile, like the flapper were enticing novelties at the time this book was written. The main characters in The Great Gatsby who, by the way, all drive cars are Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, and Myrtle and George Wilson. Attractive, yet enigmatic, Gatsby tries to win the love of an aristocratic woman, who rebuffs Gatsby for her upper class husband. This leads to Gatsby’s tragic murder after he is falsely accused of killing Myrtle with his Rolls Royce. The automobile, as
Gatsby realizes that life of the high class demands wealth to become priority; wealth becomes his superficial goal overshadowing his quest for love. He establishes his necessity to acquire wealth, which allows him to be with Daisy. The social elite of Gatsby's time sacrifice morality in order to attain wealth. Tom Buchanan, a man from an "enormously wealthy" family, seems to Nick to have lost all sense of being kind (Fitzgerald 10). Nick describes Tom's physical attributes as a metaphor for his true character when remarking that Tom had a "hard mouth and a supercilious manner...arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face...always leaning aggressively forward...a cruel body...[h]is speaking voice...added to the impression of fractiousness he conveyed" (Fitzgerald 11). The wealth Tom has inherited causes him to become arrogant and condescending to others, while losing his morals. Rather than becoming immoral from wealth as Tom has, Gatsby engages in criminal activity as his only path to being rich. His need for money had become so great that he "was in the drug business" (Fitzgerald 95). Furthermore, he lies to Nick about his past in order to cover up his criminal activity. Gatsby claims to others that he has inherited his wealth, but Nick discovers "[h]is parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people" (Fitzgerald 104). Gatsby enters a world where money takes precedence over moral integrity. Materialism has already overshadowed a portion of his spiritual side. A quest for true love is doomed for failure in the presence of immorality. Once wealth has taken priority over integrity, members of the high social class focus on immediate indulgences, rather than on long-term pleasures of life such as love.
When he first meets Daisy, Gatsby becomes infatuated with his idea of her, or rather, the false persona that she creates of herself. In fact, Gatsby reveals that “she was the first ‘nice’ girl he had ever known” (155). Gatsby was so impressed with Daisy mainly because of her wealth and her status; it is what he wants. However, Daisy chooses Tom Buchanan over Gatsby, solely because of his social status. As a result, Gatsby revolves his whole life around her: he becomes wealthy, creates a new image of himself, and buys a house across the bay from Daisy. For instance, he fabricates lies about how “ [he is] the son of some wealthy people in the middle-west” (69) and how “ [he] was brought up in America but educated at Oxford” (69) in order to impress her. These lies end up altering others’ perspectives of him - not necessarily in a positive way - and impacting his life as a whole. Daisy unwittingly transforms Gatsby into a picture-perfect image of the 1920s: lavish parties, showy cars, and a false illusion of the attainment of the American Dream. Despite Gatsby’s newfound wealth and success, he never fully accomplishes his dream: to get Daisy. Gatsby’s final act for the sake of Daisy has no impact on her feelings towards him. When Gatsby claims that he crashed into Myrtle and killed her, Daisy carelessly lets him do so, which ultimately results in his death. To make
The philosophy of the American Dream has been with Americans for centurie; James Truslow Adams says that, regardless of social class, "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” (Adams). Although this vision has never fully encompassed the entirety of America, it has been generally a positive ambition that all Americans should look past their circumstances and rely on only themselves to succeed at life. However, American capitalism and Marxist ideas have contradicted the traditional dream. Materialism is a simple concept, but its definition has been skewed over time. At ...
F. Scott Fitzgerald third book, “The Great Gatsby”, stands as the supreme achievement in his career. According to The New York Times, “The Great Gatsby” is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s. In the novel, the author described Daisy Buchanan as childish, materialistic, and charming. These characteristics describing Daisy is also description for the way women were seen during the 1920s.
Gatsby’s love for daisy first went back a long time ago, and Daisy’s parents rejected of Gatsby because he wasn’t “pomp and circumstance”, like Tom Buchananand in result, Gatsby reinvents himself by becoming a financially successful man. Fitzgerald purposely has Gatsby state that Daisy’s “voice is full of money”, this illustrates that Gatsby is still trying to impress her and win her back; but on the other hand, the irony of the situation is that Gatsby can afford almost any materialistic, but can’t win Daisy. Also, when Jordan elaborates that Daisy never desired to attain love “, yet there’s something in that voice of hers”, she demonstrates not only that she is elusive, but also explains that she can manipulate her persona. This excitement and distraction, which is what Daisy provokes on Gatsby, is the what caused by the illusion of attaining Daisy, and thus fulfilling the American Dream. Daisy is personified as the American Dream throughout The Great Gatsby
Also, another impactful and important character in the novel, Daisy Buchanan. The novel's golden girl who is married to Tom Buchanan, and who has had an affair with Gatsby for the last five years, shows herself as a snotty, selfish, white, desirable woman. None of this, nor Gatsby’s love and affection for Daisy makes any sense though because no where in the novel does she seem worthy of Gatsby’s unlimited devotion to her. As the novel goes on, more of Daisy’s real self is unveiled to the readers. Because of this, along with many of her other actions she becomes less appealing to everyone, not only in the book, but outside of the book as well. After closer examination, Daisy’s character reveals that her American Dream can be considered classless, and
How does reading a story benefits an individual and improve his or her daily life? Extensive reading does not only serve as an entertainment purpose, but it is also beneficial to many readers because reading fiction can help enhance a person’s understanding of the type of society the reader lives in. For example, the famous novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is regarded as a brilliant work of literature, for it offers a detailed glimpse of the American life in the 1920s and comments on various social problems during that time period. The novel tells the story of a mysterious millionaire named Jay Gatsby who lives in the fictional town of West Egg, located on Long Island, during the summer of 1922. Gatsby wants to pursue his first
The world is filled with cheapskates, phonies, and two-faced people. Many use others for their own benefits. In The Great Gatsby, through the motif of superficiality, Fitzgerald critiques the theme that displaying materialism and superficiality can ruin true love and a chance at true love. Objects cannot define a relationship; it should be the feelings developed that defines the relationship of two people. The characteristic of materialism is a barrier for true love between two people. Nick Carraway has just moved to a West Egg, and his mysterious neighbor is Jay Gatsby. Gatsby’s long living dream is to rekindle his love and relationship with Daisy Buchanan, who is currently married to Tom Buchanan. He attempts to pursue his relationship with Daisy through his unexplained wealth. However, their love couldn’t be true because of their focus on “things” rather than each other.
Daisy Buchanan, in reality, is unable to live up the illusory Daisy that Gatsby has invented in his fantasy. After Daisy and Tom Buchanan leave another one of Gatsby’s splendid parties, Fitzgerald gives the reader a glimpse into what Gatsby’s expectations are. Fitzgerald claims that “he wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: ‘I never loved you.’” (109). Here it is revealed that Gatsby’s one main desire is for Daisy to go willingly...
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.
Materialism has a negative influence on the characters in the novel, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. “The most terrible thing about materialism even more terrible than its proneness to violence, is its boredom, from which sex, alcohol, drugs, all devices for putting out the accusing light of reason and suppressing the unrealizable aspirations of love, offers a prospect of deliverance.” This quote, stated by Malcolm Muggeridge, says that people get bored with the things that they have when they get new things all of the time. When they get bored with these things, they turn to stuff like sex, alcohol, and drugs. In The Great Gatsby, Myrtle, Daisy, and Gatsby are greatly influenced by money, and material things. The negative influence that materialism has on these characters is shown throughout the entire novel.
America has been labeled "The land of opportunity," a place where it is possible to accomplish anything and everything. This state of mind is known as "The American Dream." The American Dream provides a sense of hope and faith that looks forward to the fulfillment of human wishes and desires. This dream, however, originates from a desire for spiritual and material improvement. Unfortunately, the acquisition of material has been tied together with happiness in America. Although "The American Dream" can be thought of as a positive motivation, it often causes people to strive for material perfection, rather than a spiritual one. This has been a truth since the beginnings of America, such as the setting of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, which is an example of this set in the 20’s. The characters in this novel are too fixed on material things, losing sight of what is really important.
Gatsby believes in the aforementioned "American Dream." Thus, Gatsby believes that money alone will allow him to enter the upper class. However, the unspoken truth of the "American Dream" is that class mobility requires money and the culture typical of the upper class. Gatsby becomes wealthy, but his lack of this culture prevents him from fulfilling his goal of social mobility. Writer Andrew B. Trigg discusses Gatsby 's inability to climb the social ladder: "culture provides a barrier to entering the top echelons of the leisure class" (Trigg.) Throughout The Great Gatsby, Gatsby 's lack of taste is evident, which leads to the upper class 's rejection of him. Gatsby repeatedly displays his wealth in excessive ways. Gatsby throws extravagant parties, buys flamboyant clothes, and purchases an opulent car and mansion. Throughout the novel, these displays of wealth are met by criticism from those that Gatsby is trying to impress. Tom Buchanan, Daisy 's husband, and a man of inherited wealth, detests Gatsby. In Chapter seven, Tom frequently criticizes Gatsby for his gaudy displays of wealth. First, Tom criticizes Gatsby 's car: " 'Come on, Daisy, ' said
The roaring twenties were all about the shallow pursuit of wealth and pleasure all coated with greed and corruption resulting in the destruction of the “American Dream”, creating the biggest wealth gap in history. The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald is a romantic affair between individuals set in the roaring 20’s in long island New York; geographically the area is divided between 2 groups, West Egg and East Egg, the geographic division symbolizes the social division between 2 groups of old money and new money, Jay Gatsby is among the new found wealthy while his perfect idealized lifelong love interest Daisy is from old money, Jay Gatsby uses his new found wealth to obtain the object he most truly desires, conclusively resulting in his underserving