Similarities Between Desire And The Great Gatsby

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Driven By Desire: The Dark Path Of Ambition In The American Dream The American Dream has always been a core component of American ethics, promoting the idea that all can achieve success in a society that values equal rights and opportunities, but many selfishly choose to pursue their individual ambitions no matter the cost. Stanley Kowalski, a character from Tennessee Williams’s Southern Gothic play, "A Streetcar Named Desire," and Tom Buchanan, a character from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic American novel "The Great Gatsby," are both characters that exhibit forceful, violent, and domineering qualities toward the people in their lives. Both characters share a common desire to uncover truths about others. They ruthlessly ruin the lives of those …show more content…

However, these two characters show violence, infidelity, and a sense of entitlement over others, deviating from the principles of the American Dream. For example, when Kowalski rapes Blanche, as clear in the quote, “She sinks to her knees”. He picks up her inert figure and carries her to the bed” (Willams, Scene 10, 141). It shows that he is taking away her freedom as he displays an act of sexual violence over her without consent. Kowalski dominates and controls Blanche, which people can see through Blanche's silent resignation to his acts, which highlight the deviation in the values of respect and equality that underscore the American Dream. Similarly, Tom's infidelity with his mistress, Myrtle, shows the opposite of the values of the American Dream. By cheating on his wife, which is evident when Tom tells Nick, "I want you to meet my girl" (Fitzgerald, 24), Buchanan differs from the value of fairness towards his wife, Daisy, as he is unfaithful. His selfish ambition for control and dominance over the relationship, allowing him to disregard his marital vows, contrasts with the American Dream’s core

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