gatdream Death of the American Dream in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

Death of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby

The American Dream embodies the belief that each person can succeed in life on the basis of his own skills and effort. This idea awakes and develops during the 18th and 19th centuries - a period of fast development in the United States. The issues of growth, progress and money become a major theme in American society, which is why Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby focuses on this problem. Through the characters Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby, the author impressively presents a failure in achieving this dream. The collapse of Gatsby's attempt to win Daisy proves that dreams, money and blind faith in life's possibilities, are not enough for a man to reach his goals.

Gatsby perceives Daisy as a rich, beautiful and charming young lady, who represents the perfect woman. This ideal inspires his love and evokes his dream to reach her. He is a poor and uneducated young man, without any past. This is why Gatsby is impressed by the glamour and careless gayety that surrounds Daisy. That veneration is expressed in his words: "I was flattered that she wanted to speak to me, because of all the other girls I admired her most." The beauty of her life, fill Gatsby's mind with passionate sense of mystery and love. He sees Daisy as an "excitingly desirable" woman, which makes him thrilled, but at the same time unsure about the future. Even though he feels she is unreachable, he keeps his hope, which inspires him to fight for her.

Gatsby's ambition represents the American Dream. He believes that despite his empty past and lack of education, he can succeed on the basis of his abilities, hard work and money. Gatsby does everything - legal and illegal in order to gain the wealth and property that will win him Daisy. The source of his money is unclear, and as Tom Buchanan suggests he is a "bootlegger". This denotes that Gatsby is determined to achieve his goal and is ready to put all the efforts needed to accomplish his high set aim. He has a blind hope in the abilities of life - he trusts that money can buy him Daisy's love.