Obstacles In The Great Gatsby

The American Dream is the idea that anyone through hard work and determination can achieve success. Everyone who tries and does not let laziness get in the way of one's dreams has a chance of succeeding. There are many types of American Dreams, and in The Great Gatsby the American dream people tried to achieve was infinite money. Gatsby, Myrtle, and Wilson are some of the characters that have paid the consequence of following an American dream everyone is afraid and excited about becoming rich. The old money, being afraid of the lower class getting richer and surpassing them in the social class “scale”. During Gatsby’s quest to find his American dream he encounters many obstacles but was determined to succeed for the love of his life, Daisy.

Gatsby worked his way up from the bottom in order to obtain the money and advantages that he has so he can attract Daisy into his life now that he has money. In “The Great Gatsby,” Fitzgerald makes the American Dream look like a trap. The American dream looks like a trap because of how amazing it looks, driving luxurious cars, the biggest most beautiful homes the rich live in, its all to get the lower classes attention and pursue them to risking their lives to have the better life.

Gatsby most clearly represents the American Dream. To start out his life, Gatsby was born to a poor family, his parents being “shiftless unsuccessful farm people-his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all“(Fitzgerald, pg,98). Gatsby, not wanting to be poor forever and his desire to be with Daisy gave him a reason to run away at the age of 17 to pursue his version of the American Dream. Gatz struggles to succeed but he takes many steps to force his way to the top starting with changing his name from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby. Being poor was not an option for his American Dream because Gatsby wanted to attract Daisy who had been rich her whole life, being someone who was Old Money. "'Her voice is full of money'...That was it. I'd never understood before. It was full of money —that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals' song of it...High in a white palace the king's daughter, the golden girl..."(page, 120). Daisy is Gatsby's light to follow and as he followed it the best results came across him.

Alike, Gatsby, there were many people who were pursuing the American Dream at that time. Myrtle was one of them. She lived with her husband Wilson in the Valley of Ashes, “ a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air...the ash-gray men swarm up with leaden spades and stir up an impenetrable cloud" (page,23). The Valley of Ashes was a place where the lower class lived, where most everyone there struggled with money and craved to live a happier life including Myrtle and her husband. Myrtle lived two lives, a wealthy life, and a poor life. She was having an affair with Tom because he was wealthy and could afford to spoil her with random, expensive gifts and that is all she needed, a man with money. With Wilson her life was not the best living in a filthy home with a man making little to no money, unable to spoil her “quote on Tom Buying Myrtle the dog”. Myrtle had a wonderful life as Tom's mistress and she knew as long as she was with him she will never need to worry about money problems and have whatever she desired “ I told that boy about the ice” Myrtle raised her eyebrows in despair at the shiftless of the lower orders” these people! You have to keep after them all the time” (chapter, 2). Myrtle wanted to have the best life she thought she was destined to have but because of her lies and cheating, she was killed by Tom’s wife Daisy. The American dream playoff when Myrtle is with Tom and her spending his money.

Tom and Daisy have been wealthy their entire lives, inheriting the money from their past relatives, which is why they are known as Old Money. Tom and Daisy have never had to worry about picking up for themselves, they simply have to pay someone to clean, cook, babysit, or whatever else they might need. Gatsby as well did not have to worry about picking up after himself because he rose from the bottom of the class rank to the top making him known as New Money. New money and Old money do not really like each other, they always seem to be in a controversy, and as Tom likes to call new money, Bootleggers “ He and his Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That’s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn't far wrong.” Bootleggers in The Great Gatsby means something, as a recording, made, reproduced, or sold illegally or without authorization. Old money does not have much respect for the new money and looks down on them as well because he did not have to work for his money it was given to him. As Tom said, “ Just because I'm stronger and more of a man than you are “ (The Great Gatsby, ch.7) shows how Tom feels more privileged than Gatsby and sees himself above him and anyone with new money. Tom and Gatsby never got along well and the reason behind their horrible relationship was because of Daisy, she was manipulated by the money and at the end, Tom won.

As Tom and Daisy live their happy and wealthy lives, the others suffered the consequences of seeking the American dream.

The first Myrtle, Myrtle had it coming. Myrtle Tom's mistress was the first to go, she was hit by Daisy in Gatsby’s car “ A moment later she rushed out into the dusk, waving, her hands and shouting---- before he could move from his door the business was over” (p.137). Myrtle was killed and she never got to have a long life at the American dream. Tom saw the opportunity to get revenge on Gatsby for manipulating Daisy to get back with him “About three o’clock the quality of Wilson’s incoherent muttering changed--he grew quieter and began to talk about the yellow car. He announced that he had a way of finding out who the yellow car belonged to and then he blurted out “ I drove from the station directly to Gatsby’s house and my rushing anxiously up the front steps was the first thing that alarmed anyone. But they knew then, I firmly believe. With scarcely, a word said, four of us, the chauffeur, butler, gardener, and I hurried down to the pool“. Tom pointed fingers at Gatsby for killing Myrle so Wilson had gone to Gatsby's home and shot Gatsby. That ended gatsby's incomplete American dream journey, Gatsby only wanted to be with Daisy at the end. ” It was after we started with Gatsby toward the house that the gardener saw Wilson’s body a little away off in the grass and the holocaust was complete ”(pg.162)After that Wilson as well had shot himself not completing his American dream. They all never got what they dreamt

of.

Being determined to follow a dream and sticking to it, taking the responsibilities that come along during the process is the American Dream. The American Dream, the dream many try to follow to have a better life. From low class to high class all by working hard and managing your actions to do better for yourself does achieve what you want to have. Gatsby and Myrtle were at the end of their American Dream until it all went wrong after the affairs and it got them killed. Wilson before his own death was working hard and he was determined to succeed but because of Myrtle, he thought he had no reason to live. Achieving the American Dream is not easy, it’s difficult to stay focused and stay on track, working hard for a better life.