Illusionary Nature Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

Kaylah Hodge
Mr. Peterson
TAE B
18 April 2016
Illusionary Dream
The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a novel that essentially every American high school fits into their curriculum. The reason for The Great Gatsby’s popularity varies; the ideology of the American Dream simultaneously serving as a basis for understanding a moral and history lesson: the appeal of a tragic love story gone wrong, and the idea of a man planning his future in order to preserve his past all serve as intriguing topics. Gatsby's dream is parallel to the American dream: Fitzgerald emphasizes Gatsby’s American experience. He reveals the illusionary nature of the American dream by critiquing its ambiguity, grotesqueness, and contradictions.

The American Dream is ambiguous because it does not suit every individual. A conversation between Nick and Gatsby reveals how ambiguous the American dream is.
Fitzgerald uses the past, present, and future to exaggerate the fact that the pursuit defies time but characterizes the Jazz Age. Nick firmly states, "You can't repeat the past.” Gatsby shockingly replies, “Can't repeat the past? [. . .] Why of course you can! [. . .] I'm going to fix everything just the way it was before [. . . .]. She'll see" (Fitzgerald 110). Gatsby is determined toward his dream--to plan his future in order to preserve his past. He believes if he successfully completes his dream, he can win back Daisy. The ambiguity forms because Fitzgerald illustrates the possibilities that can happen when America shows the beauty that it promises; the ability to always better oneself and social status. The author of Fitzgerald's Rendering of a Dream; Kimberly Hearne, and Fitzgerald both reveal that the American vision that sees the country with beauty is a tragedy. The tragedy results from Gatsby’s prolonged chase for the relationship he once had with Daisy and the death, heartbreak, and confrontation that the pursuit causes.
Hearne claims, “Fitzgerald recognizes that America has great potential and promise, but no guarantees. We, like Gatsby, can be blinded by our own ambition and miss the truth (the reality) that lies before us” (Hearne 193). Gatsby, the emblem of the American dream, ties his life hope on Daisy--a materialistic and irresponsible girl, thus he is predestined. Gatsby sacrifices his life chasing someone who is just as naive as he is. He is stuck between both the promise and the tragedy of the American dream. Gatsby’s places his own dream in the hands of a clueless Kentucky girl who could not control her own dream. After the money, the cars, and the parties, Gatsby still does not feel complete.
We must admit Gatsby's grotesque dream.

He is a flawed man living in a materialistic illusion. It’s his dream that turns him into a bootlegger and adulterer. His dream to get Daisy makes him achieve his wealth in extraordinary and unethical ways. He gives an illusion that is aggressive advertising to lure Daisy. Fitzgerald illustrates Gatsby’s front, “It was Gatsby’s mansion. Or, rather, as I did not know Mr. Gatsby, it was a mansion, inhabited by gentleman of that name” (Fitzgerald 5). Essentially people only knew Gatsby’s prize possessions, they did not know him. Hearne believes, "For Fitzgerald, the American dream is beautiful yet grotesquely flawed and distorted. No matter what idyllic picture we paint of America and all of its promise, underneath the brightest of hues lies the stark white canvas of truth" (Hearne 189). Hearne explains Gatsby entire illusion. Gatsby is trying to paint an illusion but everything in the dark comes to light. Nick investigates Gatsby’s past, the life of a man coming from, “Rags to Riches”; Nick comes up with no flaws, this makes due to Gatsby’s elusiveness of keeping history concealed. As The Great Gatsby proceeds, the grotesqueness of the world impresses itself little by little. Nick recalls Gatsby’s residence as “some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower of thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden” (Fitzgerald 5). Gatsby operates in a grotesque way because he is very superficial

and is worried about materialistic items. His illusiveness is simply remarkable, Pauly describes this side of Gatsby as his “Fine Front”. Upon introduction, Gatsby seems to be a very respectable man who is very low-key. Pauly describes Gatsby, “Jay Gatsby effectively overturned the dated assumption that gangsters were lowlife and replaced it with an upscale figure who was enviably wealthy and fashionably stylish” (Pauly 225). Gatsby dreams turn him into a very superficial, just like the Buchanans. People are hardly in his presence. His background, which includes a brief Oxford College, creates an obstacle to skepticism of him not being a smart, righteous and worthy man. Gatsby deceitfully imposes a physiological torture upon Nick, maneuvering him through puzzling narratives resembling a maze of Gatsby’s own progression. Yet to expound on Pauly’s claim, readers really find Gatsby as a romantic and naïve man, rather than a maliciously sinister one, “Though readers still find Gatsby too romantic, too idealistic, and too naive to be a criminal success” (Pauly 225). Fitzgerald placing this gangster in deep mystery projects his “Fine Front” that is romantically appealing to outsiders looking in. Gatsby’s shell is, in fact, wise, according to Pauly, “Obviously a good front doesn‘t just look impressive— he capitalizes on his impressiveness to gain the confidence of his victims and to mask his crafty maneuvering” (226). Gatsby's vision for love and succeed makes him care more about the long-term goals and dreams, instead of noticing the grotesque side effects that others can’t easily ignore like himself.
The Great Gatsby is such an open ended book that can be controversial.

Gatsby challenge is deciphering bitter reality and alluring fraud. Hearne thinks, “What Nick depicts as gorgeous in Gatsby is the same beauty Fitzgerald finds in the American dream. It is through Gatsby’s “heightened sensitivity to the promises of life,” his “extraordinary gift for hope,” and his “romantic readiness” (6) that Nick openly admits his appreciation for what is inherently beautiful in the American dream—hope and vision” (Hearne 191). Fitzgerald may believe that to prosper in the world you have to be hopeful and have a vision for the future because he made hi protagonist-- Gatsby so hopeful with a clear vision. However, Gatsby had so much hope and vision to the extent that he experiences misfortune because his inability to divorce his dream from his reality. Fitzgerald beliefs and opinion are strongly influenced in the text because if the right thing to do in life is to have hope and a vision, why is Gatsby dead. Gatsby shows his motivation, “He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way.. And distinguished nothing except a single green light” (Fitzgerald 20). Fitzgerald makes Gatsby motivation to get Daisy very apparent but is not sensible to reach. The distance of the water between Gatsby's and Daisy’s shows Gatsby's extreme determination; almost impossible. All that matters for Gatsby is the future: achieving Daisy. The power of the American Dream is to bring relevance

of the past. Fitzgerald made his novel, The Great Gatsby ambiguous, grotesque, and controversial.
Although the American dream existed in Gatsby's time social mobilization has almost ceased to exist in contemporary society. Fitzgerald had strong opinions that shine through the novel. He used his beliefs of American society to build his protagonists as well as portray the plotlines, making his novels not just merely interesting stories to read, but also great primary sources for historical studies that will continue to shine through the layers of history.

Works Cited
Baab, Howard S. "'The Great Gatsby' and the Grotesque." Criticism 5.4 (1963): 336-48. Print.
Batchelor, Bob. Gatsby: The Cultural History of the Great American Novel. Lanham: Rowman, 2014. Print. Contemporary American Literature.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. 1925. New York: Scribner, 2004. Print.
Hacht, Anne Marie. "Literary Themes for Students:." Literary Themes for Students: The American Dream 1 (2007): 264-76. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 3 Apr. 2016.
Hearne, Kimberly. "Fitzgerald's Rendering of a Dream." Explicator 68.3 (2010): 189-94. Academic Search Premier. Web. 8 Apr. 2016.
Pauly, Thomas H. "Gabby as Gangster." Studies in American Fiction 21.2 (1993): 225+. Literature Resource Center. Web. 17 Apr. 2016.
Schudson, Michael. "American Dreams." American Literary History 16.3 (2004): 566-73. JSTOR. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.