Why Do People Succeed In The Great Gatsby

Have you ever aspired to do great things or work toward a huge goal that determines your life? Have you ever accomplished one of your dreams and it ended up leaving a path of destruction in the long run. Often times in history Common people like you and I long for happiness. In order to get that happiness, some people desire for love or money or to simply be liked by others. A common goal for most people is to become very successful and rich then obtain a certain lifestyle that comes along with it. Sometimes we may find ourselves realizing what happiness really is or we may have achieved these goals but in the long run what we did for these achievements played part in our downfall. In most cases, this explanation is the pursuit of the American

dream. It is said that the american dream is “That dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement”. The 1920s in america conveyed the start of a new era there was a boom in the economy, a new genre of music was created, a new sense and fashion arose and a lifestyle most people sought after which we now call the american dream. In the book “The Great Gatsby” which is set in 1922 this exemplifies a perfect example of the days of the 1920s. In his book, “The Great Gatsby”,F Scott Fitzgerald depicts a hindered relationship disguised as a love story that was corrupted by the lust for money and the illusion of happiness created by the rise of the American dream.

Some people are born into wealth and can already claim their part in pursuing or living the american dream.Jay Gatsby was born in poverty so he had to start from the bottom in order to pursue success and be with daisy. Like daisy said in the book rich girls don't marry poor boys. Gatsby had an issue with his family, money and a social class structure set in that time period. Also he enlisted in the war not seeing daisy for 5 years and when he was very successful and rich daisy was already married to tom therefore a hinder relationship between Gatsby, tom and daisy began. As it says in the book Gatsby grew up form a dirt poor family living in the middle of nowhere. He was born into poverty or the lower class. Hoping to make something of his life. He was able to get. To the point where he met daisy and that sparked a 10 line sensation of motivation for Gatsby. At first, as we tried to go to Oxford and get a degree to try and make it to the upper class, but it didn't work. Since daisy told him rich girls don't marry poor boys, all gas you learn to do was marry daisy so ghastly sent years and years of going to Oxford fighting in World War I. So when he finally was able to get to the point where he made millions from selling alcohol over the counter and become rich, he could pursue daisy. Sadly, after not seeing daisy for so long, he came back and she was already married guest we couldn't have expected for daisy to wait that long for marriage. She had a choice at the time and she chose the very time, probably forgiving about gatsby before a while.” As I went over to say good-by, I saw that the expression of bewilderment had come back into Gatsby's face, as though a faint doubt had occurred to him, as to the quality of his present happiness. Almost 5 years! There must have been moments even that afternoon, when daisy tumbled short of his dreams, not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion”(Fitzgerald 95). Seeing daisy Married probably did stomp gatsby's motivations, but he didn't stop and he kept pursuing his American dream.

In the book, Fitzgerald clearly hides the book's main theme and disguises the book as a love story to further develop the plot for his book. What the book really is in my opinion, is the story of the rise of a man who obtained the American dream and lost it all because of a girl. As Nick Carraway narrates the book you can see, yes, he already is successful with his mansions, sports cars and the parties he throws. His ideal prize motivation is to get daisy to notice him or to meet with him. Fitzgerald wanted something to relate to his life but also wanted to display a fake romanticism set in his time. Gatsby got his money selling alcohol to speak easies over the counter, according to HuffingtonPost.com “His 1925 novel, the Great Gatsby involves around is such a dream and its failures with those motor cars and high wages proving crucial to the plot and the young man born poor, losing his dream and his life while the rich folks who retreat back into their money. However, it was Adams who coined the term in its ironic fullness, not Fitzgerald”(daniel). This states the true theme of the book, mostly the preceded by American dream and how Gatsby lost it all.

In the book and the 1920s actual air many people were Motivated by money in order to achieve happiness for some people were willing to go past more standards to get money, which led to corruption and a blind eye to happiness.

Sections in the book are completely motivated by money and value of our time. Just like Gatsby said “we said her voice is full of money, he said, suddenly that was it I never understood before it was full of money that was the exhaustible. Charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbal song of it…. high in a white palace, the king’s daughter The golden girl…”(Fitzgerald 120). The only reason why daisy, even let get by have a chance was because of all the money he had. If he had not been as rich or richer than Tom, she would have went to her old saying. The reason she picks Tim at the end is because it's an easier choice and daisy was consumed by her own greedy thoughts, for example, when daisy says “oh you want too much! she cried to Gatsby. I love you now- isn't that enough? I can't help what past.” she began to sob helplessly. “I did love him once. But I love you too”(Fitzgerald 132). Daisy was just overwhelmed with choices of whose money she wanted to marry. Overwhelmed so much she picked on because he was the easiest option, leaving Gatsby fed to lose his life. Her thought of happiness is really how much money she could

get.

In the 1920s there was a spark and new ideas and motivations so each character and the great gas we had a particular inspiration based off the turns of the 1920s. According to boundless.com” The birth of jazz music is credited to African Americans, but both black and white Americans alike a responsible for its immense rise in popularity”. Fashion also ended up emerging from this new popular genre of music, along with a new upper clouds lifestyle the rich people lived.Organized crime and prohibition played a huge part in the 1920s as well. Digitalhistory states “Prohibition quickly produced bootleggers, speakeasies, moonshine, bathtub gin, and rum runners smuggling supplies of alcohol across state lines. In 1927, there were an estimated 30,000 illegal speakeasies--twice the number of legal bars before Prohibition. Many people made beer and wine at home. It was relatively easy finding a doctor to sign a prescription for medicinal whiskey sold at drugstores.” Some people used other methods to become Rich even if it was immoral, which also led to organized crime. Prohibition caused more crime than before. “Such statistics, however, do not reflect the illegal manufacture and sale of alcohol commonly known as bootlegging, the injuries and deaths that resulted from the consumption of inferior homemade liquors, or the rapid growth and complexity of organized crime to maximize profits from the illicit trade”(chism 374). Many people like Nick Carraway tried to use the stock market to earn a good amount of income. In fact in the 1920s the stock market was part of the reason why the economy reached a new high. Lots of people used the stock market to become rich whether it was selling bonds are trading and buying shares and stocks, but sadly it all lead to the Stock market crash of 1929.” Many economists believe that Federal Reserve policies led to the stock market crash of 1929 and were a main cause of the Great Depression that followed. In 1928, the Fed decreased the money supply in the economy, in part to try to discourage stock market speculation”(Lopus 71). The wealthy lifestyle motivated many people like Jay Gatsby to pursue the American Dream. Society today like it was back then in the 20s is still divided in social classes. Different characters in the book represent those classes. According to Crossref-it.info the Wilsons represent the poorer class. The Normal average white collar working males were Nick. The New Rich folk was Gatsby as well as “the established rich, represented by Tom, Daisy, Jordan and numerous other minor characters such as Mr Sloane and Gatsby’s party guests”.

The American Dream is one of the most important themes of the “The Great Gatsby”. In his book, “The Great Gatsby”,F Scott Fitzgerald depicts a hindered relationship disguised as a love story that was corrupted by the lust for money and the illusion of happiness created by the rise of the American dream. According to Huffington “ The American author most associated with the idea of “the American dream” is F. Scott Fitzgerald. His 1925 novel The Great Gatsby revolves around such a dream and its failures, with those motor cars and high wages proving crucial to the plot, and the young man born poor losing his dream and his life, while the rich folks “retrea[t] back into their money[.]” However, it was Adams who coined the term in its ironic fullness, not Fitzgerald”. The roaring 20s brought out many Examples of the first people to start pursuing this dream, later known to be called the American dream.