Pursuing The American Dream In The Great Gatsby, By F. Scott Fitzgerald

2290 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The american dream purpose

Americans are perpetual dreamers, unwavering optimists, and incessant innovators. We believe in ourselves, we believe in a better world and we believe that we can do anything we put our minds to. Pursuing the American Dream at all costs, economic class, race, and religion are not barriers; we achieve our goals no matter how unattainable they may seem. We are a nation of underdogs who put our heads down and work towards our goals. Dating back to the Revolutionary War, this mentality won us our freedom; we were David and England was Goliath, but we wanted freedom more than they resisted it. Our nation had a dream and it was determined to make it a reality. 250 years later, Americans are just as ambitious as our Founding Fathers. Young people in this country The American Dream defines us and is present in all aspects of our culture, including our literature and past social movements. In Steinbeck 's Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie dream of their farm, even when others tell them it is impossible. They believe the farm is obtainable despite their economic situation much like Americans believe peace and totally equality are possible , even though they seem out of reach. This idea appears again in Fitzgerald 's The Great Gatsby and Tan’s Joy Luck Club. Jay Gatsby longs to break free from his poor family and live a life of luxury. Through hard work and a little bit of criminal activity, Gatsby becomes one of the richest men on the East Coast. In Tan’s novel, Waverly Jong, a first generation Chinese-American, flourishes in her chess career despite the discrimination she faces as both an immigrant and a girl. Jong is victorious because she is confident and she seizes the opportunities she is given. Her perseverance and success against all odds embodies the idea of the American Dream. Countless social movements also attest to our country 's

Show More
Related

  • gatdream Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby - Casting Doubt Upon the American Dream

    942 Words  | 2 Pages

    The American Dream is a concept elegantly simple and yet peculiarly hard to define. At the root of it is the sense that America was created entirely separate from the Old World; the settlers had escaped from the feudal, fractious and somewhat ossified nations of Europe and been presented with a chance to start anew - "a fresh green breast of the new world." From this blank slate, those first idealistic settlers had created a society where "all men are created equal" and everyone had the chance to do the best for themselves as they could. Let us examine the passage from the Declaration of Independence from which that quote is taken:

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

    1049 Words  | 3 Pages

    The American Dream offers opportunity, equality, liberty, and social mobility to those who have lost their place, such as immigrants, African Americans, and white males with little wealth. This national ethos can supposedly be achieved through hard work, and determination with few social barriers. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, illustrates the unreachable American Dream that so many have stopped fighting for. While the American dream may theoretically promise equality for all, social status will either hinder or improve an individual 's chances of success. Through rhetorical strategies such as imagery, symbolism, and diction, Fitzgerald’s interpretation of the American Dream is developed.

    Read More

  • The American Dream In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

    1522 Words  | 4 Pages

    American clothing designer Tommy Hilfiger once said “The road to success is not easy to navigate, but with hard work, drive and passion, it is possible to achieve the American dream.” This idea of the “American dream” has been around since the founding and has become a prominent part of American culture and identity. This same idea is what the raved about novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is based around. Jay Gatsby, the protagonist, pursues this American dream through his pursuit of Daisy Buchanan and his need to be insanely rich.

    Read More

  • American Dream in The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald

    913 Words  | 2 Pages

    America is the land with the most dreamers. America is the land of opportunity and equality. In America your dreams can be fulfilled if you work hard to achieve your goals. The American dream to most is, to be wealthy and to be able to afford anything. Wealth is a plus in life because you can afford expensive items that do not necessarily have a use, but it does not necessarily matter how hard you try or how much you spend you can not buy happiness. Although being wealthy can make you seem happy on the outside, on the inside you would not be as happy as you seem. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author shows how being wealthy will not make you happy. Many people have voiced their opinions of the America dream.

    Read More

  • The American Dream in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams

    1210 Words  | 3 Pages

    The American Dream still lives today in society in which people strive to the top and accomplish their goals in life. James Truslow Adams coined the term in 1931 in his book called “American Dream”. He stated in the book "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement". The importance of this quote in Adams’ novel is that the American Dream can be achieved by anyone (Warshauer 3). There are no limits and bounds to these emotions and people from any social class can seek their dreams and desires in life. Over the years the definition of the American Dream has changed, but the underlying fundamental meaning had stayed the same. The American mentality is basically participation in the economy and society in order to gain a better social standard and be prosperous. The United States Declaration of Independence also had some influence in the definition of the American Dream. In the Declaration of Independence it states all men are "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights" includi...

    Read More

  • The Importance Of The American Dream In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

    1582 Words  | 4 Pages

    It’s been ingrained into the fabric of society that to be truly happy in life, one needs to be wealthy. The characters in The Great Gatsby show this is not always the case, and that wealth is not always as important as one would believe. Society has always placed a significant importance on being rich, being wealthy. It makes one believe that being wealthy is the only true way to live a happy and fulfilling life. With this in mind, many readers are going to look at the characters in The Great Gatsby, such as Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan, and fantasize about one day living the lifestyle that they live. While many characters in The Great Gatsby would appear from the outside to be living the American Dream, it what lies underneath this image of

    Read More

  • The Impossible American Dream in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

    1258 Words  | 3 Pages

    A dream is a deep ambition and desire for something; everybody tries to reach their dreams no matter how far away they may seem. The characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s stories strive for nothing less than “The Great American Dream”. This is the need to be the best of the best, top of the social ladder, and to be happier and more successful than anyone has been before. Fitzgerald writes about this American Dream that every character has but can never achieve; the dream is kept unattainable due to obstacles, the disadvantages of being low on the social ladder, and also the restrictions of having a high social status.

    Read More

  • How The Great Gatsby Relates to the American Dream

    951 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Great Gatsby is a story of the American Dream. The Great Gatsby is a view into the society of the 1920's masterfully created by Fitzgerald. In this society, the one and only Gatsby falls right into the middle. Gatsby is an exemplary example of one trying to live out the American Dream.

    Read More

  • Being An American

    1015 Words  | 3 Pages

    These attitudes and feelings and ideas and goals are all derived from generations ago, from many different cultures that all banded together. It was all the people that moved from every other country to America that made America, America essentially. Each and every culture and religion and peoples made us America today. These different cultures and ideas all came together and formed the American mindset. The idea that everyone has a shot and prosperity and success no matter your class or race or birth. The idea that hard work can accomplish anything. Everyone has the same equal rights, and same equal chances to do great things. A person just has to put the sweat and tears into it. This 'American dream ' so to say, is rooted deeply in our Declaration of Independence, "that all men are created equal" and are "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights that included Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." This mindset that everyone has the right to their own rights, and they can succeed and prosper no matter their race or class, is what makes an American. To make dreams and goals and go out and achieve them with hard work is what makes an American. This is an American

    Read More

  • Failure of the American Dream in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

    714 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, all the characters are, in one way or another, attempting to become happier with their lives. The characters in the novel are divided into two groups: the rich upper class and the poorer lower class(West egg and East egg) though the main characters only try to make their lives better, the American dream they are all trying to achieve is eventually ruined by the harsh reality or life.

    Read More

  • The Honest Truth of the American Dream: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    1049 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ornstein, Robert "Scott Fitzgerald's Fable of East and West" College English, Vol. 18, No. 3 `

    Read More

  • The American Dream in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    1085 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, perfectly symbolizes many emerging trends of the 1920’s. More importantly, the character of Jay Gatsby is depicted as a man amongst his American dreams and the trials he faces in the pursuit of its complete achievement. His drive to acquire the girl of his dreams, Daisy Buchanan, through gaining status and wealth shows many aspects of the author's view on the American dream. Through this, one can hope to disassemble the complex picture that is Fitzgerald’s view of this through the novel. Fitzgerald believes, through his experiences during the 1920’s, that only fractions of the American Dream are attainable, and he demonstrates this through three distinct images in The Great Gastby.

    Read More

  • Prejudice Destroyed the American Dream

    1018 Words  | 3 Pages

    Years ago, the United States of America was the prime example of prosperity and opportunity. In recent years, in the worst recession since the Great Depression, unemployment and interest rates have skyrocketed. The “American Dream” is an idea that was once a commonly accepted ideology in this country. It has since become only a fallacy. The “American Dream” is no longer an attainable idea, only a fantasy. The “American Dream” is not a true dream that will ever be equally attainable by everyone.

    Read More

  • Research Paper On The Great Gatsby

    1163 Words  | 3 Pages

    I see American Dream in this era as a product of cultural environment which has a concept of glamorous and luxurious living that brainwashed the society. The goal of the American Dream here is to live life to the fullest by partying and climbing up the social

    Read More

  • The American Dream Today

    1960 Words  | 4 Pages

    The American Dream was and always will be something that makes America great. It allows those with aspirations to make them come true. In America alone needs is a dream and the motivation to carry out that dream. Ambition is the driving force behind the American Dream. It allows any one that has an aspiration, a desire, a yearning, to carry out the individual dream. It knows no bounds of race, creed, gender or religion. It stands for something great, something that every one can strive towards. A dream can be a desire for something great. In America, the American Dream allows dreams to become realities. According to Webster's New World Dictionary, the American Dream is defined as "An American social ideal that' stresses egalitarianism and especially material prosperity". To live this dream is to succeed. It allows anyone, rich or poor to have the opportunity to succeed. It is the ability to come from nothing and become so me thing. To succeed at any thing you do, you must have patience and persistence. It requires hard work, persistence and a desire for something better. To have these qualities and the desire and ambition to carry the moutis part of the American Dream.

    Read More

More about Pursuing The American Dream In The Great Gatsby, By F. Scott Fitzgerald

Open Document