Analysis: The American Dream Behind The Mirror

The American Dream behind the Mirror

Today, American society seems to have become trapped behind a mirror, encouraged to pursue one’s own perfection and dreams above all others. Even during the conception of the country people uprooted their lives and left their families and everything they knew in hope for a better life for themselves. They left to explore a new land by themselves where no one knew them seeking to escape who they used to be. The early Americans pursued their self-advancement and the ability to climb the social ladder, and this possibility of a new life became known as the “American Dream:” the lonely selfish pursuit of a better life. This seed of hope was the plague that begot a largely solitary existence. The “American Dream”

In a world where anything goes for the sake of self-advancement a narcissist thrives. Narcissism is evident from the narcissism seen in Pygmalion to the classic narcissism seen in the story of Narcissus. Narcissism as seen in the American Dream is the pursuit of perfection, or a perfect object. This can be achieved through Narcissism as described by Freud with oneself being the vision of perfection by which all other people must be measured, and the only thing that matters and is worth investing in. Not only is the classic narcissism observed but also narcissism explored by David Plant, Pygmalion narcissism, in which the narcissist seeks to create a perfect object. Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby is a prime example of Pygmalion narcissism in the American Dream. He creates an object of perfection, Daisy Buchannan, and pursues her to no end, but she remains always out of his reach. He rejects all his imperfections and casts them on the people around him; significantly onto Tom Buchannan he describes him a despicable human being who twists the world to his own amusement. As described by Plant Gatsby’s narcissism lead him to be perpetually stuck in a state of child-like emotions which controlled his actions and led his desires. Once, confronted and denied by Daisy though, again as predicted by Plant, Gatsby breaks down and cannot bear the weight of all his short comings. His image of perfection rejects him and his fragile mental psyche shatters. Jay Gatsby was the image of the American Dream and in the end when he could not achieve it he was crushed, his narcissism nurtured by the American Dream would not let him believe he had failed and he died believing Daisy was returning to him, one last time placing himself above the “lesser” Tom Buchannan and fulfilling his childish narcissistic needs. The Great Gatsby has been an icon of the American Dream for decades, and it expressly shows how narcissism has become the