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Compare and contrast great gatsby to the american dream
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Compare and contrast great gatsby to the american dream
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The 1920’s was a period full of entrepreneurs in search of the ‘American Dream.’ F. Scott Fitzgerald was not excluded from this group, writing Winter Dream and the better-known Great Gatsby in search of wealth and fame. The Great Gatsby was published in 1925 as an embodiment of the life Fitzgerald desired. However, before The Great Gatsby, he wrote a ‘rough draft’ with a similar plot called Winter Dream. Within both stories, the abundance of resources caused the characters to be ignorant to their demise. In both works, the main characters Jay Gatsby and Dexter Green struggle with society while trying to steal their first loves, Daisy Buchanan and Judy Jones. Given that Winter Dream is the primary draft of The Great Gatsby, the similar characters …show more content…
Jay Gatsby is extravagant and throws many parties to seem innocent and well-loved by his colleagues. However, Jay Gatsby is different from his predecessor in ways of honesty and mystery. In terms of mystery, the characters of the story speculate about Gatsby being German spy or the cousin of power in Germany. Additionally, Gatsby is not an honest man. He tells narrator Nick, “I was brought up in America but educated at Oxford, because all my ancestors have been educated there for many years. It is a family tradition.” (Fitzgerald 65). Gatsby is leading the audience to believe that he is well-educated because he tells them he was educated at a prestigious school. This would be beneficial to him because it would make him seem more appealing as a business partner. Later in the novel though, Gatsby admits that he only stayed at Oxford for five months and that's why he doesn’t say he’s an ‘Oxford man.’ (Fitzgerald 129). The truth shows that Gatsby may not be as educated as he was leading his acquaintances to think. The contrast between the way Gatsby led his surrounding supporters and the reveal of his truth confirms to the reader that Gatsby lies to people in order to appear more attractive. Concluding, Gatsby is dishonest and mysterious. On the other hand, Dexter has a different set of …show more content…
He is a desperate businessman chasing after his first love, Judy Jones, to make his jump between social classes less artificial. Dexter’s traits have key differences between him and Gatsby, including honesty and the way he is perceived. Firstly, he says to Judy that, “I’m probably making more money than any man my age in the Northwest. I know that’s obnoxious remark, but you advised me to start right.” (Winter Dreams 5). This quote highlights one of the biggest dissimilarities between the characters which is the way they are perceived. Gatsby is seen as mysterious, and many do not know his origins, whereas Dexter shows he is forthright with his acquaintances. Next, Mr. Mortimer Jones described Dexter as willing, intelligent, quiet, honest, and grateful. (Winter Dreams 1). The description by Mrs. Jones shows that Dexter is perceived as honest. Concluding, honesty is one of the most obvious differences between the characters. On the other hand, Gatsby and Dexter also have multiple
The short story of “Winter Dreams” was written around the same time that Fitzgerald was developing ideas for a story to turn into a novel. While The Great Gatsby wasn’t published until 1925, “Winter Dreams” débuted in 1922 and the similarities between the novel and short story were done on purpose. “Winter Dreams” became a short draft which Fitzgerald paralleled The Great Gatsby after, but also differentiated the two in specific ways (“Winter Dreams” 217). The main characters are both men, Jay Gatsby and Dexter Green, who desire for the American dream, not necessarily for themselves, but in order to lure back the women they idealize. In The Great Gatsby and “Winter Dreams” F. Scott Fitzgerald’s constant theme is shown through the characters of Jay Gatsby and Dexter Green, both similar in the way they pursue the American dream of wealth and social status in order to try and win back the women they love, but also different in specific ways.
The Great Gatsby is a book filled with dynamic characters, written by a dynamic person. Throughout the book, the themes and situations are on many symbolic levels. The Great Gatsby is such a novel, that the hero is portrayed to the reader by a man who, with seemingly no effort, will not judge a man easily. He perceives him, takes him in, and analyzes him. This man’s name is not, in fact, Gatsby, but Nick Carraway, the narrator of the story. The man who is being perceived, of course, is Jay Gatsby, our hero.
The American dream today is very different from Gatsby's. The dream today is to have our necessities and to have fun. Many people would like to have a house to call your own, a job you like that pays the bills, and a healthy family. Gatsby's dream was to be wealthy and to find love, which was Daisy. He wanted to be an important person that people remembered. Gatsby thought that his wealth would buy Daisy's love, He tried to buy happiness and become something he wasn't. Even with all of his money he was not ever truly happy until he got Daisy. Gatsby lived his whole life with money and class but in the end he ended up dying because of
The American Dream There is no set definition to be found anywhere of the true meaning of The American Dream. Any hope, dream, or goal pursued by anyone in the history of America is an American Dream. In modern times the accepted dream seems to be 2.5 children, a house with a white picket fence, and a perfect spouse. However, as it is shown throughout literature from the early days of America to contemporary times, the American Dream is not always so simple a concept. America was originally founded on the dream of freedom.
The qualities of these compelling characters was their pursuit of pleasure, particularly associated with the amassing of wealth, as a principal goal, upsetting traditional ideas of hard work, social conformity, and respectability. Dexter Greene was desperate to accumulate wealth in hopes that it would partner him with the social elite. Gatsby also pursued wealth in an attempt to raise his own status. Fitzgerald wrote “Winter Dreams” while he was still working on The Great Gatsby and this could be why the two works share numerous thematic and technical components. Both works center on a young man from a decent background who attempts to be a part of the elite world occupied by the women they love and dream about. For this reason, both Jay Gatsby and Dexter Greene are the two most compelling Fitzgerald characters.
One of the traits of Gatsby that makes him truly great is his remarkable capacity for hope. He has faith that what he desires will come to him if he works hard enough. He does not comprehend the cruelty and danger that is the rest of the world. Gatsby, while a man of questionable morals, is as wide-eyed and innocent as a small child in his views of the world. These ideals are evident in Nick’s narration and in the words spoken by the other characters, including Gatsby himself.
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.
“The American Dream”. What is it? What is it all about? “The American Dream” by definition is; the idea that everyone should have an equal opportunity to live a successful life through hard work and dedication. In both the novel ; The Great Gatsby, as well as the film ; Catch Me If You Can, both protagonists, James Gatz (Gatsby) and, Frank Abagnale Jr demonstrate how they view their own “American Dream” as well as how they pursued it. Although they both view it differently, they both pursue it in similar ways.
The 1920’s was a time of great change to both the country lived in as well as the goals and ambitions that were sought after by the average person. During this time, priorities shifted from family and religion to success and spontaneous living. The American dream, itself, changed into a self centered and ongoing personal goal that was the leading priority in most people’s lives. This new age of carelessness and naivety encompasses much of what this earlier period is remembered for. In addition, this revolution transformed many of the great writers and authors of the time as well as their various works. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, perfectly symbolizes many emergent trends of the 1920’s. More importantly the character of Jay Gatsby is depicted as a man amongst his American dream and the trials he faces in the pursuit of its complete achievement. His drive for acquiring the girl of his dreams, Daisy Buchanan, through gaining status and wealth shows many aspects of the authors 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.
The novel, The Great Gatsby focuses on one of the focal characters, James Gatz, also known as Jay Gatsby. He grew up in North Dakota to a family of poor farm people and as he matured, eventually worked for a wealthy man named Dan Cody. As Gatsby is taken under Cody’s wing, he gains more than even he bargained for. He comes across a large sum of money, however ends up getting tricked out of ‘inheriting’ it. After these obstacles, he finds a new way to earn his money, even though it means bending the law to obtain it. Some people will go to a lot of trouble in order to achieve things at all costs. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, conveys the numerous traits of Jay Gatsby through the incidents he faces, how he voices himself and the alterations he undergoes through the progression of the novel. Gatsby possesses many traits that help him develop as a key character in the novel: ambitious, kind-hearted and deceitful all of which is proven through various incidents that arise in the novel.
The American Dream, “a life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the U.S.” (Dictionary.com) In both the Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman, the American dream is a key concept throughout the book. Although the American dream is not the same for everyone, it still has the same result every time. It is truly just a dream. It is unrealistic and clouds your judgment, yet some still try to achieve it.
No one can be perfect in everything; it is good to make mistakes as long as we learn from them. Jay Gatsby was a man of secrets; he leaves an insightful mark on every person he talks to. Gatsby’s neighbor, Nick, says “it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men.”(Fitzgerald 6-7). Nick was simply appalled by Gatsby and wanted to know about him and any secrets he may have, Nick felt Gatsby was a great man of mystery and was extremely interesting. Gatsby told Nick “I don’t want you to get a wrong idea of me from all these stories you hear” (69), then opened himself up to Nick and told him “My family all died and I came into
Nick Carroway is not a very judgmental person, in fact, he himself states that he withholds judgment so that he can get the entire story out of the person to whom he is listening. To say that Nick is both approving and disapproving is not suspiring, for Nick rarely looks at things from only one perspective. Nick finds Gatsby to be ignorantly honest, in that Gatsby could not fathom the idea of saying something without really meaning it. He respects Gatsby for his determination to fit in with the East Egg crowd, though Gatsby does not realize that he does not really fit in with them. On the other hand, Nick sees Gatsby to be excessively flashy and, in the words of Holden Caulfield, 'phony.' Gatsby's whole life is a lie from the moment he left behind the name James Gatz and became Jay Gatsby. Gatsby lies about his past to try to have people perceive him as an 'old money' guy when that really is not necessary. Gatsby's valiant efforts to lure Daisy are respectable, yet they show Gatsby's failure to accept reality and give up on his long lost dream.
Gatsby has this mysteriousness about his character and in the novel when Gatsby first introduces himself to Nick; something is drawn to finding out more about the man called “Gatsby”. Gatsby only reveals little about himself throughout his relationship with Nick, and the first time that he reveals his character to Nick, he is very interested “ My incredulity was submerged in fascination now; it was like skimming hastily through a dozen magazines.” (F. Scott Fitzgerald pg.72) Nick’s perception of Gatsby is show through this quote by him showing fascination and interest towards Gatsby’s character. When Gatsby shows him tokens from his past, nick is like a kid in a candy store, looking through all of the tokens, wanting more and more, but Gatsby only tells him a little about himself. Nick thinks that Gatsby is interesting because of what he tells and shows him, but a major part of why he is so interesting to Nick is because he only has revealed little of his character, where Nick wants to see all of it. Gatsby is called a great man in this novel, and what makes him so great is the way that he reveals himself to others. Gatsby does not make interactions with too many people, and that is part of why he is so “great” when you meet him. At his parties there is a mysterious mood that settles once his name is said because of al the contradicting rumors of who he is. When Nick is
As the narrator of the novel, every event and piece of knowledge presented in the The Great Gatsby is filtered through Nick, although he credits himself as “one of the few honest people that I have ever known” the reader can deduce his inclination to lie, since his hypocritical comment that in spite of his “[inclination] to reserve all judgements” he has become “the victim of not a few veteran bores” (Fitzgerald 59, 1). Nick desires to be part of the upper class shown through his move to West Egg and his values held in luxury over truth causing him to highly regard tactfully convincing liars and mock amateurs. He admires a woman whose bold lies show a “surprising amount of character”, yet claims “dishonesty in a woman is a thing you never blame deeply” (Fitzgerald 163, 58). On the other hand, Gatsby’s vibrant, “threadbare” yarns are worthy of mocking along with his supposed ruby collection and overly excited display of his Oxford photograph to prove he went there. While Nick is quick to point out deceit in the ways of others, he is oblivious to his own bias, hypocrisy, and lies, creating a delusion of self-righteousness. After starting to go out with Jordan, he reveals a “vague understanding” with a girl back in Minnesota, Nick’s home, that should be