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“The American Dream is invariably seen to fail. Discuss” The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald is seen as one of the greatest American writers, admired by his contemparies and by modern audiences of today. Fitzgerald was very much in tune with the early twentieth century American culture. He is credited with capturing the ‘Jazz Age’, which he described as “a generation grown up to find all Gods dead, all wars fought, all faiths in man shaken”. Fitzgerald observed the culture around him with a critical eye. Despite being able to depict America like few others could, many see Fitzgerald’s writing as an indictment on its values. Works such as The Diamond as Big as the Ritz and Absolution (said by Fitzgerald to be an introduction to The Great Gatsby ) are regarded as attacks on the concept of the American Dream and that Fitzgerald believed it to be futile. This disillusionment is most starkly and tragically explored in The Great Gatsby. The character of Jay Gatsby could be perceived as the embodiment of the American Dream. He comes from a poor working background, where he is James Gatz, and reinvents himself into the wealthy popular figure of Jay Gatsby. He represents the idea that “anybody can make it in America”. After Gatsby’s death, his Father shows Nick his ‘schedule’ from when he was a boy; SCHEDULE Rise from bed 6.00 A.M Dumbbell exercise and wall-scaling 6.15 – 6.30 “ Study electricity, etc. 7.15 – 8.15 “ Work 8.30 – 4.30 P.M Baseball and sports &nb... ... middle of paper ... ...dreams – not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion.” The American Dream is simply that; a dream. Through the tragedy of Gatsby, Fitzgerald shows us what happens when fantasy and reality are brought together. Despite seemingly having everything, Gatsby has nothing. His material wealth cannot compensate for what he lacks emotionally. Like Jay Gatsby, the American Dream will always fail when it is shattered by reality. Bibliography Deborah L. Madsen, American Exceptionalism, Keele University Press, 1998 Leslie Fieldler, Love and Death in the American Novel (3rd Edition), Penguin, 1982 Thomas Stavoli, Scott Fitzgerald: Crisis in American Identity, Vision Press, 1979 Brian Way, F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Art of Social Fiction, Arnold, 1986 Neil Campbell and Alisdair Kean, American Cultural Studies: An Introduction to American Culture, Routledge, 1997 Ann Massa and Scott Donaldson, American Literature: Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries, Newton Abbot, 1978 Marius Bewley, The Eccentric Design: Form in the Classic American Novel, Columbia University Press, 1959 F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, Wordsworth Editions Limited, 1993
The American dream in the novel is shown to be unachievable. For some time, the American dream has been focused upon material things that will gain people success. In the Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald attempts to criticize American
The character of Gatsby and Fitzgerald’s commentary on the logical fallacies of the American Dream are closely intertwined, which is why Fitzgerald goes to such great lengths to separate the two. By distinguishing Gatsby from the flaws he possesses allows the reader to care for Gatsby, and the impact of his death all the more powerful when it finally occurs. By making Gatsby a victim of the American Dream rather than just the embodiment of it, Fitzgerald is able to convince his audience of the iniquity of the American Dream by making them mourn the life of the poor son-of-a-bitch
Since its publication in 1925, The Great Gatsby has remained a spot-on representation of a time in American history in which the people believed anything was possible. Gatsby is the definition of this idea. The underlying cause of everything in this novel is his--and in essence everyone’s idea. This idea is the ubiquitous notion of the American Dream. And Fitzgerald does not only write about the American Dream, but about its corruption as well. This following quote truly epitomizes what the American Dream had become in the eyes of Fitzgerald:
...nd: A Study of the American Novel in the Nineteen-Sixties. Yale, 1973. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism, Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale,1975.
...n American Literature. By Henry Louis. Gates and Nellie Y. McKay. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2004. 387-452. Print.
Meyer, Michael. The Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. 8th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 2189.
The Great Gatsby is a view into the society of the 1920's masterfully created my 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. "The American dream is the idea held by many in the United States of America that through hard work, courage and determination one can achieve prosperity." (Wikipedia) So basically the American Dream is to have money, and a family. Gatsby got his money, but what he really wanted was Daisy Buchanan.
Jay Gatsby ultimately does not achieve the American Dream. Fitzgerald portrays Gatsby as the epitome of the American Dream; he grew up poor but worked his way to the top of the social hierarchy. The American Dream is the idea that every US citizen has an equal opportunity to achieve success through hard work and determination. Gatsby has money and a well-known name, but none of his efforts in achieving the American Dream were legal. The American Dream is essentially based off of morals, and Gatsby performed unethical task while working his way to the top. Additionally, Fitzgerald conveys that one should not confuse love and money. The saying “money can’t bring you happiness” is accurate; money has no substance, whereas, love does. In
Fitzgerald expressed that Americans give in too easily and are too careless, both which eventually lead to despair and consequence. He also portrayed that we create new fantasies to assist us while we chase old dreams. Fitzgerald’s definition and opinion of the American Dream still provide insight into today’s society, not just in the roaring 1920s, which is why The Great Gatsby continues to be a celebrated American
Since the 1920’s,The American Dream has been an ideal that everyone struggled to have. The Great Gatsby is based on the idea of The American Dream, and the demise of those who attempt to capture its false goals. For Jay Gatz, the dream is that, through wealth and power, one can obtain happiness. Jay devotes most of his adult life to achieving this unattainable dream by ending and creating relationships and conjuring up a web of lies in order for him to appear wealthy and well rounded.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald suggests Fitzgerald thinks that the American Dream is based on illusions. Fitzgerald uses an immense amount of symbolization and a variety of literary devices to portray, define, and all in all bring a whole different perspective to the American Dream. Not only does he shed light on the American Dream, but he goes in depth about the people who pursue it and the impact of their pursuit and desire for it. He does this through his depiction of Jay Gatsby and the people in Gatsby’s life.
George and Barbara Perkins, “ The American Tradition in Literature ,” ( Boston ) Mcgraw Hill, 2009
Perkins, Geroge, and Barbara Perkins. The American Tradition in Literature. 12th ed. Vol. 2. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009. Print
Perkins George, Barbara. The American Tradition in Literature, 12th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009. Print
Perkins, George, ed. Benet’s Reader’s Encyclopedia of American Literature. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1991. Print.