Kellyn curry
The American dream in the 1920s has been corrupted and has altered from more pure and moral beliefs about happiness and faith. The first mention of the American dream was in a book called the Epic of America by James Truslow Adams in which he mentions that one should be able to “ achieve the fullest of stature” and later adds “ regardless of birth or position”. (214-215). Instead it has become materialistic and to unattainable for many people, the American dream is now about money, social class and material objects which are key parts in the people of West egg and East eggs lives. They set the standard for the poor low class citizens which occupy the Valley of ashes and therefore perpetuate the corruption of the American dream
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by showing that they have perfect lives even though throughout the book we see that money cannot buy happiness. When Nick arrives home from seeing Daisy and Tom he sees Gatsby for the first time at the end of his dock. “But I didn't call to him for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone--he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and 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.” (20-21) This is the first time we see a material representation of the American dream which Gatsby is reaching out for and desperately trying to attain. Gatsby's version of the American dream which we find out later is to marry Daisy. This is also the first time we see water being used as a symbol in The Great Gatsby, and in this scene the water represents the separation of Gatsby from getting what he wants and how his dream is so close he can almost reach out and grab it. When Nick attends one of Gatsby's parties he hears many rumors surrounding the mysterious Gatsby such as him being a german spy, an Oxford man or a murderer. All of these rumors are assumptions of Gatsby's impurity by the new money people who attend his parties yet do not even know him. When Nick finally meets Gatsby he notices his smile, “he had one of those rare smiles with the quality of reassurance in it” (48) Nick is a genuine person throughout the novel so it is only fitting that he be the one to notice something of quality about Gatsby before any of the “ new money” and hollow people at his parties do and he towards the end of the book he says “ they're a rotten crowd, you're worth the whole damn bunch put together”(162) referring to all the shallow people whom he interacted with. Later on Gatsby reveals his true beginning as a poor farmer boy with “ unsuccessful farmers”(98) as parents but who always had a greater vision or himself.
“ so he inveterate just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen year old boy would be likely to invent, and to this since prion of himself he was faithful till the end”(98) this is the purest form of the American dream we have seen in the book, the fact that Gatsby built himself up from the dirt in order to achieve the attention of Daisy which is ironic in a way because Daisy is a materialistic ungenuine rich girl whose “ voice is full of money” and contradictory to all of the rumors about Gatsby's we learn that he is the best of the “new money” people and has carried out the American dream even if it was just for Daisy who is clearly not worthy of his …show more content…
love. Daisy and Tom however represent the new American dream which lost its original values.
Daisy only cares about money and the material objects that she possesses, when her and Gatsby take a tour of the house she says “ there such beautiful shirts,It makes me sad because I've never seen such beautiful shirts before.”(92)This is a clear example of how she appreciates what Gatsby has to offer rather than the fact the he was kind and caring enough to set up everything just so she would like it. The marriage between her and Tom, like the American dream is corrupted by Tom having an affair with Myrtle. This would make leaving Tom for Gatsby an Obvious choice but because of her desire for status and material objects in the end she cannot do it. Tom is part of the “Old money” and has inherited everything he has, and this is why the American dream has become to unattainable, not everyone has been able to inherit a fortune, “ the only thing respectable about you old sport is your money and I have just as much so that makes us equal” but Tom argues that even though Gatsby possesses wealth they are not equal due to where the wealth came from, Tom having inherited his fortune and Gatsby having earned it even through illegal means, both of these men are rich but have not done it honestly which is shows the corruption of the American
dream. In between West egg and East egg lies the Valley of Ashes, the dirt poor blue collar workers who operate filthy factories and can only dream of living a life such as Tom and Daisy. Ironically Tom is having an affair with Myrtle Wilson who lives in the Valley of ashes and has a husband George who runs a gas station. Myrtle is only interested in Tom because of his money and because of her impossible goal of becoming wealthy she has to change herself to accommodate Tom's desires which destroys her original self “the only crazy I was, was when I married him”. At the time of their marriage though she thought she did love him “ I married him because I thought he was a gentleman but he wasn't fit to lick my shoes” so she then had to change herself yet again to be pleasing towards Tom who in fact is wealthy and can provide a luxurious life for her. Her desire to live such a wealthy life eventually leads to her death when she decides to run out in front of Gatsby's car when she thought that Tom would be driving it. Ultimately the pursuit of each character's desires leads them to their death such as Myrtle and Gatsby, or further corrupts their moral values such as Tom and Daisy when they retreat back into their money. Even Nick has been scared and returns west after seeing the corruption of the American dream in his freinds.
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. Fitzgerald demonstrates how a dream can become corrupted by one’s focus on acquiring wealth and power through imagery, symbolism, and characterization.
The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts the degradation of the American dream through the loss of humility and rectitude.
Through these quotes, Fitzgerald believes the American dream is unattainable in the Great Gatsby because some people in the novel had advantages unlike others. A major instance of said inequality would be applied to the citizens who are living in the Valley of Ashes; representing the forgotten poor underclass with lost hopes and dreams who have failed to live up to the American dream or even got a chance to start. Therefore, the Valley of Ashes is a blatant symbol of just how “dead” Fitzgerald really believes the American dream to be and as well as how he wants the readers to interpret it. Fitzgerald wrote “...ashes take the forms of..men who move dimly and already crumbling through powdery air..immediately the ash-gray men swarm up with leaden
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.
Despite her affection for Gatsby, Daisy still chooses to stay with Tom because of Gatsby’s shameful past and his connection to bootlegging and crimes, even though she’s also aware of Tom’s affair, which implies her lack of intellectualism. Tom and Daisy don’t care enough about their relationship emotionally to be bothered by indefinites, which establishes the lack of values they embody. Daisy is presented in a manner where she lacks morality and proceeds without conscience; she is selfish and doesn’t value others. Fitzgerald conveys wealth as being a corruption of morality and destroying the good values the American dream embodies though the characterization of Daisy.
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.
Whether it is a white picket fence, liberation, or wealth, the concept of “the American dream” varies. A significant feature of the American dream is the time period and the individuals at that time. In the 1600s the concept was rebirth of a new life, 1800s it was liberation, and in the 1900s the most popular concept varied from wealth to the “nuclear family”. The popular ideas had a tendency to transform quite frequently. However, one concept that has remained constant is the participation of the people in the society at a specific time period. Without unification
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.
If someone were to say “The American Dream” what would be the first thing that comes to mind? In Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, he embeds many of his own ideas of the American Dream within the book. Fitzgerald makes a point about people’s failures being used to depict the American Dream, and His character’s dreams represent different versions of the American Dream. The above evidence points to the fact that Fitzgerald, through the dreams and failures of his characters in his novel The Great Gatsby attempts to convey the idea that the American dream is corrupt.
“There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired.” (4) F.Scott Fitzgerald. Nick, Gatsby, Tom and Daisy are characters who will define the definition on what the vision of the American dream can cause or appeal to different situation in life. In the Novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, an American Author, and In the article, Keeping up with the Joneses, CommonLit Staff, demonstrates how the vision of the American dream can be corrupted by wealth and social class because becoming wealthy will not guarantee happiness or acceptance in society.
The author clearly wishes to continually demonstrate broken and corrupt relationships in order to display how the failing of the American dream can poison the family. In addition, at one point in the book, Gatsby works with Nick to bring her over so that he can see her again and show her his house. The moment when they appear truly happy together occurs when they are together in Gatsby’s gardens. Fitzgerald plays upon the classic garden image to show that the two are only happy in their natural state, but they are not; they live in the world tainted by the actions and more specifically the failings of mankind. Furthermore, Roger Lewis implies the importance of the valley of ashes in the portrayal of the theme of Gatsby.
The American dream, the allure it carries from person to person. Everyone has their own idea of the American dream, the way the movies and news glorifies how amazing America is and if one was to move here their dreams would come true. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's book The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald show us how difficult it truly is to obtain the American Dream no matter how hard you try to get it, Jay Gatsby's dream was to be big and win the girl of his dreams back, the harsh reality of the unattainable dream was too hard for him to bear. From the beginning, James Gatz knew he had a big future ahead of himself.
The American dream for many abides of of getting an education, graduating from the best university and getting accepted into the best paying jobs right after school, but that is not the case for most. What the American Dream acts on is the dream to prosper and achieve the life of the rich. Many struggle to even acquire a decent job to sustain their families and their incomes. What used to be the “American Dream” for most people has now become only that just a dream, due to all the unemployment and high demand of a high starting pay. What folks do not know is that in order to prosper in this life everyone must start from the bottom in order to work their way up to the top.
Vu 1 Kristy Vu Ms. Classen The Great Gatsby Essay 16 January 2017 What is the “ideal” American Dream? Is it working hard and persevering to be successful in the future? Is it finding the right person to build a life with?