American Values in The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby is a novel that illustrates the society in the 1920's and the associated beliefs, values and dreams of the American population at that time. These beliefs, values and dreams can be summed up be what is termed the "American Dream"; a dream of money, wealth, prosperity and the happiness that supposedly came with the booming economy and get-rich-quick schemes that formed the essential underworld of American upper-class society. This underworld infiltrated the upper echelons and created such a moral decay within general society that paved the way for the ruining of dreams and dashing of hopes as they were placed confidently in the chance for opportunities that could be seized by one and all. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates the American Dream and the "foul dust" or the carelessness of a society that floats in the wake of this dream. By looking at each character and their situation and ambition it can be seen that the American Dream was not limited to one social class or type of person, that it was nation wide and was found within everyone. From the position as narrator the reader has access to the thoughts and feelings of Nick Carraway more than any other characters; but this same position also reduces the effectiveness of the reader as a judge of character because he is presented in a biased way compared to others. With that said, it can be seen that Nick suffers greatly from his experiences in New York. His regard for human decency is ruined and he leaves with his hopes dashed and a disgust at how the materialism that runs rampant throughout his social class is capable of ruining lives and dreams. Nick, as with all characters is a believer in the American Dream because even he moves East to work in the bond business - then a booming industry. Because of the actions of his cousin Daisy, her husband Tom and the beliefs held by his love interest in the novel Jordan, Nick is finally privy to how the dreams and values held by all these people overrun their sense of sensible behavior and how the general society caused their personalities to be affected this way. The transformation between James Gatz and Jay Gatsby is an example of how people can transform themselves according to their ambition for wealth and prosperity. The use of illegal activities to gain Gatsby's wealth is alluded to in the book; this shows the extent of how the American Dream circumvented the moral revulsion and pushed people who were crazy about money into crime - driving the moral standing of wealthier citizens into the ground. To Gatsby, his dream was symbolised by Daisy; Gatsby even says that her voice sounds like money, a direct correlation between Daisy and the wealth and happiness that Gatsby would supposedly enjoy if only he could have married Daisy but could still enjoy if he had married her five years later. His pursuit of happiness with Daisy was the ultimate cause of the degradation of Gatsby's morals and realistic dreams. This is because he held an unrealistic view of life and how he could recreate the past. His dreams had distorted reality to the point where when his rationality realised that the image of life and of Daisy did not coincide with the real life version his mind did not grasp that perhaps the dream had receded to the point of no return, consequently his dreams helped to result in the devastating end that was the finish of The Great Gatsby. This difference in Gatsby's mental image and the real image of daisy was due to the incompleteness of daisy's character. Her rendering of the American Dream included fun, comfortable living with money and influence. To do this her marriage choices were limited to men with money, preferably with old inherited money, the type that prestige accompanies. The reader can see that Daisy is a superficial character who considers happiness more of a physical state than a mental state by the scene when she is talking about her daughter and what she said when she was born: "that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool"; this shows how Daisy thinks about life and how happiness can be bought by not being aware and presumably by having money and being fooled with it. The results of her dream and the methods she used to accomplish her dream led to the unhappiness of her marriage, when she again tried to capture happiness whilst still keeping her dream in front of her it ended in the tragedy that The Great Gatsby depicted. If Daisy had indeed been concerned with happiness, as was implied throughout the novel, then she would not have been as concerned with money as she obviously was - she would have waited for Gatsby to come back from the war and not have married Tom; a decision based on her thoughts of what her life should have been life and a decision that cost her her happiness. The moral decadence and carelessness of the American dream is also illustrates accurately in Daisy in the situation of the killing of Myrtle and her abandonment of Gatsby just before and after his death. The fact that she ran over Myrtle without stopping and did not have the bravery to tell Tom shows how Daisy was always thinking of herself and of her own comfort rather than the safety, wellbeing and feelings of others. Whilst Tom's interpretation of the American dream does involve money it is not his prime concern as it is with many of the other characters. His dream also concentrates of power, gained through the prestige that is associated with old money. His self-confidence and utter belief in his superiority are an example of how he thinks about himself in relation to all other people, especially ones of a lower social class. Tom's dream of power and superiority led to his moral decline that contributed to Tom ruining his marriage with Daisy and ultimately her wishes of having a truly happy marriage. Not only did his lack of morals affect Daisy and her happiness it also fostered the situation of Gatsby's and George's death which was the ultimate example of how the effects of the American dream caused society to change their morals and exhibit actions that were detrimental to society in general. Myrtle, as almost a coconspirator with Tom, is to blame for the unhappiness of her own marriage with George and Tom's marriage with Daisy but the latter would already have been unhappy because of Tom's former indiscretions. Her dream of riches and of belonging to a social elite blinded her from the chance that perhaps she could have tried to make her marriage with George work and hence achieve happiness, though this can be doubted generally because it can be said that a woman with personality and ambitions such as myrtle could hardly have been happy with a "spiritless" man like George. Supposedly she married George because she thought he was a gentleman, something that the social elite traditionally value; though only if he is also rich enough to belong there in the first place. Because myrtle's personality is so strong it would have indeed been easy for her aspirations for her style of living to corrupt her values and so open the door for the ruining of her dreams. This ruination indeed happened because of the man she fell in love with, Tom, and what he stood for - money, power and materialism. George, as a complete opposite to myrtle, turned to a more introvert person as a consequence of his style of living in the garage. Towards the end of the novel the reader may question his state of mind because of some of his actions toward myrtle, especially his opinion towards the eyes of the T.J. Eckleberg advertisement, whilst it is obvious to the reader that they do indeed represent God or at least the fact that the moral decay is being subtly observed it could not be obvious to the characters of the book (except George). This could be because they were indeed far too busy gallivanting around New York with their lack of morals and the behavior that was the The Great Gatsby. Despite the fact that George did not belong to a church he became religious towards the end of the novel, perhaps as a reaction to the behavior of his wife and the depression that would have been associated with both that and the failings of his business. His dreams are not well documented in the novel, apart from the obvious dream of money and making a profit of his business, this obvious dream was in fact ruined because of the fact that not everyone could get rich (the basis of the American dream) and the immoral behavior of his wife and the rest of the characters. As another contrast to all of the aforementioned characters Jordan's immoral behavior does not directly lead to any of the situations in the novel, whilst she did encourage Daisy to have an affair with Gatsby she could not be blamed for the deaths or the unhappiness of any of the other characters. Jordan can be viewed as a representative of general society as she does display many immoral traits (Such as moving the ball illegally during one of her tournaments and being more than slightly hypocritical when she talks about careless people, saying she "hates careless people" when she admits that she is one.) that contribute to the overall ethical decay within the American aristocracy. Fitzgerald shows that in the social classes that were represented in The Great Gatsby there is a running theme of how the American dream affects all of the characters, they each have their own aspirations for their own life but more often than not they revolve around money and the effects that wealth has on their style of life. Because of the tragic events within The Great Gatsby and the fact that the characters who are still alive at the end of the novel, bar Nick, are not drastically altered by their experience lend to the view that the 1920's and 1930's or the Jazz Age held a society of people who were ruled by materialism and trivial and depthless beliefs and values.
As a young man, Jay Gatsby was poor with nothing but his love for Daisy. He had attempted to woe her, but a stronger attraction to money led her to marry another man. This did not stop Gatsby’s goal of winning this woman for himself though, and he decided to improve his life anyway he could until he could measure up to Daisy’s standards. He eventually gained connections in what would seem to be the wrong places, but these gave him the opportunity he needed to "get rich quick." Gatsby’s enormous desire for Daisy controlled his life to the point that he did not even question the immorality of the dealings that he involved himself in to acquire wealth. Eventually though, he was able to afford a "castle" in a location where he could pursue Daisy effectively. His life ambition had successfully moved him to the top of the "new money" class of society, but he lacked the education of how to promote his wealth properly. Despite the way that Gatsby flaunted his money, he did catch Daisy’s attention. A chaotic affair followed for a while until Daisy was overcome by pressures from Gatsby to leave her husband and by the realization that she belonged to "old money" and a more proper society.
Throughout the book, women take important roles and change the story, ultimately leading to Gatsby’s death. Myrtle, Jordan and Daisy are just the same as the men, each striving for what they want, whether it be love from another or material goods, only to be held back by sexism of the time. Her husband Wilson loves her, but turned out to be poorer than the man she thought she was marrying. Myrtle wants someone to love that loves her to go along with her wish of a life of luxury.
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.
Daisy craves attention and love, something often obtained easier by many. For Daisy to achieve her dream, she needs to let go, and hang on to what she loves, whether it is Tom, or Gatsby. For many Americans this is much different. In today's world people seem to be more focused on money rather than emotional wealth. Happiness is what Daisy, and Americans are after. For example, Daisy tells Gatsby that she wants to run away from this place, and that she would rather dump everything she has and run away from Tom and her life as of now. Gatsby has said “Tell him you don't love him” (Fitzgerald) but she doesn't have it in her. He may be asking for too much. This passage from Daisy is relevant to the American Dream because the dream is to be happy. Daisy stated in this passage that she wants to run away. This is because of her knot with Tom, it would be easier to just run away from it, rather than end it. She is not sure what she wants in her heart. She has all of these different people suggesting ideas, and telling her what to do and she is left heartbroken because she doesn't know what she wants. She has all the wealth she could ask for, but she's missing her emotional stability and happiness, which to her is the Dream. For example, “I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart.” ( Line 19) by -Hughes. This ties back to Daisy’s reality, she is always pushed towards the back and not really cared for. In the story, Daisy, Tom, Jordan, and Nick are having a conversation, however the phone rings which is Tom's mistress. Instead of letting the phone ring, Tom gets up and answers it. Daisy feels as if she is always coming second, she wants someone who will treat her as their first priority. Daisy never seems to admit her feelings for Tom. It is inferred that she isn't happy, however she never speaks her mind so we don't truly understand. She is very superficial when it comes to sharing her
Daisy’s original impression of Gatsby is evident in her early letters to him, “...he had deliberately given Daisy a sense of security; he let her believe that he was a person from much the same stratum as herself- that he was fully able to take care of her” (149). Daisy loved Gatsby under the false hope that they belonged to the same social class. She grew up surrounded by riches, never working a day in her life, and she could not comprehend the struggles of a man who must work for the food he eats each day. Daisy knew that she must marry when she is beautiful, for being a beautiful rich girl of good social standing was her highest commodity and most valuable chip in marrying well. In order to live a secure life, she had to find someone the had the means to provide for her extravagant lifestyle, and the deep care for her that would allow Daisy to do as she pleased. The only definition of love Daisy knew was one of disillusioned power and commitments under false pretenses in order to keep the wealthy continually rich. Daisy acknowledges the false pretenses of marriage for the wealthy in how she describes her daughter’s future. She tells Nick, “‘And I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this
Tom wanted the "possession" of Myrtle, Myrtle wanted Tom's "luxuries and wealth," and Daisy wanted Gatsby simply for his wealth. Both Tom and Daisy know each other's affairs, but neither one truly cares. As the story progresses, it seems as though each of them is trying to make the other jealous. Honesty and Love, two words known only by the faithful, George Wilson. George certainly had his flaws, but he loved his wife dearly and couldn't live without her. "He was his wife's man and not his own." When he became aware of Tom and Myrtle's affair, he was "really sick, pale as his own pale hair and shaking all over." He locked her up in fear that she would run away with Tom forever.
Though Myrtle Wilson makes an attempt to escape her own class and pursue happiness with the rich, she ends up gaining nothing and eventually dies. She is basically a victim of the group she wanted to join. Myrtle tries to become like Tom by having an affair with him and taking on his way of living, but in doing so she becomes unsatisfied with her life. Her constant clothing changes show that she is unhappy with her life, she changes personalities every time she changes her dress: "with the influence of the dress her whole personality had also undergone a change.
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.
"I hope she'll be a fool-that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool." Daisy admits this to Nick on page 17. This short statement reflects a great deal on what the society of that time thought about women. They were supposed to marry money and be happy the rest of their lives. This represents a theme in the Great Gatsby that many people believe that money can buy you happiness and love. Many characters in this book try to buy things that they think will make them happy. For Tom it was Myrtle, and for Gatsby it was Daisy. Money only increased their problems, for instead of realizing that the thing they wanted would not satisfy them they continued to push at happiness with money expecting results. At the end of the book the reader comes to realizes that happiness and love is one thing money can’t buy for most people. There are many examples of this throughout this book.
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...
In The Great Gatsby the main themes were pursuit of happiness, the decline of the American dream, and greed. It portrays the decline of the American dream due to excess of wanting material wealth and never being satisfied. It also shows Gatsby, who despite living the American dream and having every material thing he could ever want he still was not satisfied because he realized that happiness does not come all from material things. On the other hand, Daisy and Tom had no cares in the world and no compassion for any other humans, not even each other. They felt that just because they had money they could do and get away with whatever they pleased. They represented the decline of the American dream in the film by being very greedy and not working
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? If Gatsby had money, Daisy and her voice full of money, and everything else he wanted, would that crush the American Dream? Could it be that the reason the American dream was dying is because they based it all on material objects and not on honesty, trust, and love? In the 1920's, the era was full of greediness, dishonesty, cynicism, and an empty pursuit of happiness.
The American Dream is different for everybody. People will go to extreme lengths to obtain their dream. Social Structures have a part in how far someone can go in that dream. In the book, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald we encounter our main characters Nick, Gatsby, and Daisy. Nick and Daisy are cousins, and Gatsby is a newly rich man who loves Daisy. Gatsby’s American Dream was to move up the social ladder and to reignite the love he and Daisy used to have a long time. He couldn’t make Daisy happy because his economical class wasn’t as high as hers. She wouldn’t marry him because he was lower than her. Like Karl Marx said, The rich will do anything for the poor but get off their backs.” This relates back to Gatsby and Daisy because Daisy didn’t help Gatsby go higher in social class. She let him go up by himself and he became obsessed with pleasing her. Now that he is rich he wants to see Daisy once more. He wasn’t the most economically stable when he was young. This pushed Gatsby to become obsessed on becoming rich and having a shot at Daisy once more. Social class has a major impact on Gatsby’s American dream until it corrupts it and becomes the center point of his dream.
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