The Great Gatsby is constantly skimmed over and read simply at face value, leaving many believing to believe that it is a story of the American Dream, when really it is a Novel spitting on the American Dream. Pointing a crooked finger out to the viale society that forms around the American Dream, and notes that the society is one that worships the rich, and does anything needed to please them, including throwing the poor under the bus. Fitzgerald uses his novel The Great Gatsby to demonstrate how the rich control the poor, by manipulating the social hierarchy to force the poor to pay for the sins of the rich. The rich wrap the poor in a blanket of shame, by always keeping the poor poor, in high societies eyes, even when the poor have elevated …show more content…
themselves to high society. When Gatsby, a man who started with nothing and raised himself to a level of unimaginable wealth, tries to take back the love of his life Daisy, who is old money and high in society, Gatsby is practically laughed at by her husband Tom because he still sees Gatsby as a poor boy, “She’s not leaving me!” Tom’s words suddenly leaned down over Gatsby. “Certainly not for a common swindler who’d have to steal the ring he put on her finger” (Fitzgerald 128). To make sure that Tom feels superior he throws Gatsby’s past in his face, and how he got his money to get to his “elevated status”, in a last ditch effort to push Gatsby down bellow him on the social hierarchy. The rich do this as a way to keep the poor down, make themselves seem superior in the face of equality, and make it impossible for the poor to become socially rich, in the rich man's eyes. Which is just another tool to make sure that the rich have the power to force the blame onto the poor. But some characters in the novel fight the social hierarchy, Gatsby’s father, a poor man, comes to Gatsby’s funeral to pay his respects, and insists that his son worked hard enough to move into high society, ““Gatz is my name.” “—Mr. Gatz. I thought you might want to take the body West.” He shook his head. “Jimmy always liked it better down East. He rose up to his position in the East” (Fitzgerald 162). In the poor man's eyes it is possible to move up in social class through hard work. Making the American Dream, a poor man's dream and because it is a poor man's dream, it is impossible to achieve. For the upper class control the social hierarchy and keep the poor locked away in the bottom of the social hierarchy, so that they have no power to fight back when they are blamed for the upper classes sins. The rich run away from their problems and are above the consequence, while the poor are forced to deal with them head on.
After Daisy has left Gatsby and murdered a poor woman, she flees with Tom. Nick comments later that he, “called up Daisy half an hour after we found him, called her instinctively and without hesitation. But she and Tom had gone away early that afternoon, and taken baggage with them” (Fitzgerald 158). The rich upper class escaped into their wealth so that they did not have to deal with their own consequences. The wealthy simply flee from a murder, a crushed love, and a lost friend and start a new life. While they leave the punishment will be taken up by the poor, believing that the system of corrupt social hierarchy will prevail. Finally the cycle is complete once the rich flee from their problems, and the poor deal with them head on, the rest of society simply casts the blame on the poor because that's what the social hierarchy calls them to do. Once Wilson kills himself and the police investigate the scene a quick conclusion is drawn, “So Wilson was reduced to a man “deranged by grief” in order that the case might remain in its simplest form. And it rested there” (Fitzgerald 168). The poor are the escape goats for the rich, and as soon as the poor can take the blame, the case is ended. The rich run the world, they have the power to control the papers, the money, and the people so fighting them is pointless, knowing this the reporters and the police just leave the case in the hands of the poor. The social hierarchy is followed allowing the rich to use the world as their
playground. The American Dream, is fueled by self delusion, and deception. It is a lie created by the rich to make the poor feel like they have a chance, or some power in society. But the truth is, even if a poor person becomes rich they will never be treated with respect. They will always be treated like dirt, and considered “poor”, so that the rich can continue living freely and so the poor are too weak to fight back.
The character of Gatsby and Fitzgerald’s commentary on the logical fallacies of the American Dream are closely intertwined, which is why Fitzgerald goes to such great lengths to separate the two. By distinguishing Gatsby from the flaws he possesses allows the reader to care for Gatsby, and the impact of his death all the more powerful when it finally occurs. By making Gatsby a victim of the American Dream rather than just the embodiment of it, Fitzgerald is able to convince his audience of the iniquity of the American Dream by making them mourn the life of the poor son-of-a-bitch
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.
A story isn’t a story without a deeper meaning. This proves true with the book The Great Gatsby, a book set in the roaring 20’s where the American Dream was the only thing on everyone’s mind. Author F. Scott Fitzgerald dives into the downside of the American Dream and the problems it causes. Through imagery, flashbacks, and irony, F. Scott Fitzgerald writes of the complexities of the American Dream.
The Great Gatsby “The Great Gatsby”, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, depicts the vast social difference between the old aristocrats, the new self-made rich and the poor. He vividly interprets the social stratification during the roaring twenties as each group has their own problems to deal with. Old Money, who have fortunes dating from the 19th century, have built up powerful and influential social connections, and tend to hide their wealth and superiority behind a veneer of civility. The New Money made their fortunes in the 1920s boom and therefore have no social connections and tend to overcompensate for this lack with lavish displays of wealth. As usual, the No Money gets overlooked by the struggle at the top, leaving them forgotten or ignored.
As what Marius Bewley argued, The Great Gatsby, written by American writer F. Scott. Fitzgerald in the1920's, demonstrates the corruption of the America dream and profoundly reveals the theme: the great and pitiful contrast between people's spiritual and material life during the Jazz Age. The American dream, which had been once looked up to and reached for, in the 1920s, became the nation's biggest irony. Bewley's argument was congruent to what Fitzgerald wrote in 1926, "The parties were bigger...the pace was faster, the shows were broader, the buildings were higher, the morals were looser, and the liquor was cheaper." The American people during this time were unlike their ancestors. Actually, they looked down on them, and their traditional rules and faith, the original American dream. The Great Gatsby is a novel not only criticizing the corrupt American Dream, but also telling a calamitous life story of a wrong man for the 1920s.
Another example Fitzgerald used to show how lower class people pay for the mistakes of higher class people is when Myrtle Wilson dies, and Tom Buchanan lives and gets to escape the situation. Both Myrtle and Tom were equally involved with their affair. Neither were being faithful to their spouses. And yet Myrtle, the poorer, working class women, pays for her affair, while Tom, the rich, upper class man, gets to escape the situation of the
In The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald money, power, and the fulfillment of dreams is what the story’s about. On the surface the story is about love but underneath it is about the decay of society’s morals and how the American dream is a fantasy, only money and power matter. Money, power, and dreams relate to each other by way of three of the characters in the book, Gatsby, Daisy, and Tom. Gatsby is the dreamer, Daisy cares about money, and Tom desires and needs power. People who have no money dream of money. People who have money want to be powerful. People who have power have money to back them up. Fitzgerald writes this book with disgust towards the collapse of the American society. Also the purposeless existences that many people lived, when they should have been fulfilling their potential. American people lacked all important factors to make life worthwhile.
Throughout the novel The Great Gatsby, there is a constant theme present: social class. Fitzgerald makes a connection between the theme of social class, and the settings in the novel for example The Valley of Ashes which is described as a “desolate area of land” (p.21) and a “solemn dumping ground” (p.21) which is where the poor people live. The Valley of Ashes is situated between West Egg and New York, West Egg being the place where the aspiring classes are situated, which is the “less fashionable of the two” (p.8), this is where Gatsby lives. West Egg is the place of ‘new money’, Fitzgerald shows this by the idea of the main character Jay Gatsby, rumoured to be selling illegal alcohol (prohibition) which means he is quickly making vast amounts of money.” Who is this Gatsby anyhow? Some big bootlegger?”(p.86) Gatsby shows off the amount of wealth he has by his fabulous parties and oversized mansion. “There was music from my neighbour's house through those summer nights. In his enchanted gardens, men and girls came and went like moths, among the whispering and the champagne and the stars.”(p.33) Fitzgerald uses the word ‘enchanted’ to paint a visual picture of what the house and the scene looks like, a magical and enchanted castle, with elegant furniture. This is in comparison to East Egg where Tom and Daisy Buchanan live, in a house where “The windows were ajar and gleaming white against the fresh grass outside” (p.10). East Egg being the place of ‘old money’ which is made from the inheritance of their past generations, the people who live it East Egg are mainly well educated, historically wealthy and live quite elegantly, but they are also quite ‘snobbish’. Gatsby’s background does not fit into the social standards of East Egg...
Book Analysis F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of "The Great Gatsby," reveals many principles about today's society and the "American dream. " One of the biggest fears in today's world is the fear of not fitting into society. People of all age groups and backgrounds share this fear. Many individuals believe that to receive somebody's affection, they must assimilate into that person's society. In the story, Jay Gatsby pursues the American dream and his passion for being happy only to come to a tragedy and total loss.
The Great Gatsby illustrates the American Dream and the corruption behind it by how you become more morally corrupt and materialistic, the richer you become. Gatsby was in a ditch of moral corruption before he died and chased a dream that was also corrupt.
The American Dream, a long standing ideal embodies the hope that one can achieve financial success, political power, and everlasting love through dedication and hard work. During the Roaring 20s, people in America put up facades to mask who they truly were. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald conveys that the American Dream is simply an illusion, that is idealist and unreal. In the novel, Gatsby, a wealthy socialite pursues his dream, Daisy. In the process of pursuing Daisy, Gatsby betrays his morals and destroys himself. Through the eyes of the narrator, Nick, one sees the extent of the corruption Gatsby is willing to undertake in order to achieve his dream. Although Fitzgerald applauds the American Dream he warns against the dangers of living in a world full of illusions and deceit; a trait common during the Roaring 20s. The language and plot devices Fitzgerald uses convey that lies and facades, which were common during the Guided Age, destroys one’s own character and morals. Through Fitzgerald use of symbolism, expectations, and relationships, he explores the American dream, and how it is an illusion that corrupts and destroys lives.
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 underlying elitism and moral corruption of society. The idea of the American dream is the idea 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, which Fitzgerald’s protagonist sets out to achieve even if it means moral corruption.
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.
Fitzgerald chooses to use cars to depict the theme of class by having only the rich own cars; Gatsby and Tom each own automobiles because of their rich status. Myrtle, Tom’s mistress, and George Wilson, who represent the poorer, working class, do not have a car; rather they run a garage and service cars for the affluent characters (Fitzgerald 25). Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald shows Gatsby and Myrtle as characters who are unhappy with their place in American society and try to break through their social classes. Wanting to overcome society eventually leads to their deaths, because of cars. Myrtle is run over by a car, symbolizing how she was unable to break out of her social class, which causes her husband, Wilson to kill Gatsby, then himself (Fitzgerald 137, 161). Gatsby’s death is “a symbolic formality,” was included to show that it is impossible to rise in American society (Bewley 97). His death, along with Myrtle’s, was inevitable; it is impossible to rise in society without being punished. Those who try to break through the absolute American social structure and better their position are going to fail because the class structure is so rooted in the culture. The rigid societal structure does not allow for improvement because society will not accept
In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald employs the use of characters, themes, and symbolism to convey the idea of the American Dream and its corruption through the aspects of wealth, family, and status. In regards to wealth and success, Fitzgerald makes clear the growing corruption of the American Dream by using Gatsby himself as a symbol for the corrupted dream throughout the text. In addition, when portraying the family the characters in Great Gatsby are used to expose the corruption growing in the family system present in the novel. Finally, the American longing for status as a citizen is gravely overshot when Gatsby surrounds his life with walls of lies in order to fulfill his desires for an impure dream. F. Scot. Fitzgerald, through his use of symbols, characters, and theme, displays for the reader a tale that provides a commentary on the American dream and more importantly on its corruption.