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The classic novel of a corrupt American dream– F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby – makes a bold statement of the era of disintegrating goals and low expectations of Americans commencing in the 1920s. F. Scott Fitzgerald was known to be one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century and many of his literary works have been recognized for their brilliance. This flawless novel being an essential basis for Fitzgerald’s fame and certainly one of my favorites, exemplifies that more worthwhile goals have gone out the window, and wealth truly doesn't buy happiness or in this case love. Fitzgerald definitely proves his point through Gatsby who plays the prime example of deteriorated morals. Displaying the useless merriment and unfathomable desire to possess money and fame; Gatsby hopelessly shows his fortune off due to his unrequited affection from Daisy Buchanan. Nick Carraway, an insightful friend as well a narrator, guides you through the lives of the filthy rich and starts off admitting that “whenever you feel like criticizing any one, just remember that all people in this world haven't had the advantages you've had.” (Fitzgerald 1) thus allowing the reader to keep this quote in mind throughout the novel. Moving from the Midwest, Nick arrives to New York City to be welcomed for dinner at his cousin, Daisy's house, where the reader comes to know of Nick's neighbor Gatsby, and Daisy, the love of Gatsby's life, herself. Nick learns about the backstabbing ways of people who've inherited riches such as Tom, Daisy's deceitful husband, who seems to also have a mistress. Nick also steadily increases his curiosity towards his lavish neighbor. As the novel proceeds, the readers come to know of the love story left unfinished betwe... ... middle of paper ... ...tatus, that he never stopped to think that just maybe even after all the wealth and fame, they could still not bring his Daisy back to him. Gatsby thought he was becoming successful in the future when in reality all he was doing was rewriting his past. And that’s where Gatsby learned the hard way. This novel has taught me numerous valuable life lessons, I shouldn’t take anything for granted and especially not the love I may receive or give; nor my wealth, and to cherish my pride, instead of flaunting it. Most of all I’ve learned you can’t buy people with money for if you have you’ve never really understood the person at all. Gatsby's lost dreams lead him to lose his life, and in totality the magnificent Great Gatsby does nothing but tell us that the tides of our lives keep rowing us back to the past, and because of that we never really know how to live in the future.
In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald gives the reader a glimpse into the life of the high class during the 1920’s through the eyes of a man named Nick Carraway. Through the narrator's dealings with high society, Fitzgerald demonstrates how modern values have transformed the American dream's ideas into a scheme for materialistic power and he reveals how the world of high society lacks any sense of morals or consequence. In order to support his message, Fitzgerald presents the original aspects of the American dream along with its modern face to show that the wanted dream is now lost forever to the American people. Jay Gatsby had a dream and did everything he could to achieve it however in the end he failed to. This reveals that the American dream is not always a reality that can be obtained. Fitzgerald demonstrates how a dream can become corrupted by one’s focus on acquiring wealth and power through imagery, symbolism, and characterization.
The novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, deals heavily with the concept of the American Dream as it existed during the Roaring Twenties, and details its many flaws through the story of Jay Gatsby, a wealthy and ambitious entrepreneur who comes to a tragic end after trying to win the love of the moneyed Daisy Buchanan, using him to dispel the fantastic myth of the self-made man and the underlying falsities of the American Dream. Despite Gatsby’s close association with the American Dream, however, Fitzgerald presents the young capitalist as a genuinely good person despite the flaws that cause his undoing. This portrayal of Gatsby as a victim of the American Dream is made most clear during his funeral, to which less than a handful
The American dream has an inspiring connotation, often associated with the pursuit of happiness, to compel the average citizen to prosper. In Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby’s infatuation for Daisy drives him towards wealth in order to respark his love. Due to Daisy’s rich background, the traditional idea of love becomes skewed because of the materialistic mindsets of people in the 1920s. In the novel the wealthy are further stratified into two social classes creating a barrier between the elite and the “dreamers”. Throughout the novel, the idea of the American dream as a fresh start fails. As Nick, the narrator, spends time in New York, he realizes the corruption pursuing goals. Characters such as Gatsby and Myrtle constantly strive toward an the American dream, which Nick realizes to be fruitless in the end.
“Absence and lack of communication makes the heart idealize a person and subconsciously twist one’s perception of them into something greater than they really are.” (Peint, 2014). Some would argue that the highly acclaimed, widely known American novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a tragic love story revolving around an idealistic, predominantly white high-class society and its “burdensome” dilemmas. Others would argue the novel to be a satirical composition on the lives of the 1% population basking in luxury, their only complication being the pursuit of love and true happiness. Personally I, having read, analyzed, and discussed the text in depth and seeking out my own opinion on the subject matter, have come to categorize The Great Gatsby as another version of the American dream and the pursuit of happiness. What I believe makes the
Through the use of symbolism and critique, F. Scott Fitzgerald is able to elucidate the lifestyles and dreams of variously natured people of the 1920s in his novel, The Great Gatsby. He uses specific characters to signify diverse groups of people, each with their own version of the “American Dream.” Mostly all of the poor dream of transforming from “rags to riches”, while some members of the upper class use other people as their motivators. In any case, no matter how obsessed someone may be about their “American Dream”, Fitzgerald reasons that they are all implausible to attain.
The early 1920’s were a time when the economy began to soar, and the notion of the American dream began to take effect. The American Dream is the idea that anyone can come from any background and no matter who they are, if they work hard and stay true to themselves, they can achieve their dreams. The Great Gatsby, set in the early twenties, displays that socio-economic power is obtained through inheritance, forming an aristocracy of power and wealth. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, demonstrates how geography and location dictate where the social-class level of an individual exists permanently in society. Furthermore, illusion and affectation portrayed in the novel to conceive the image of power and wealth in a way for someone to attempt to become something they are not, this goes against the idea of the American Dream. Even when the American Dream seems obtainable it is restricted by unruling variables. Therefore, the American Dream is simply, just a dream.
To begin with, Fitzgerald introduces the Great Gatsby with a quote from Nick’s father, Mr. Carraway: “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had” (Fitzgerald 1). This quote means that a wealthy man who grew up without having to assume responsibility may not have the same morals as a poor man who grew up working and providing daily for his family.
Since its publication in 1925, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald has indisputably been one of the most influential and insightful pieces on the corruption and idealism of the American Dream. The American Dream, defined as ‘The belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society where upward mobility is possible for everyone,’ was a dominant ideal in American society, stemming from an opportunist pioneer mentality. In his book ‘The American Tradition in Literature’, Bradley Sculley praised The Great Gatsby for being ‘perhaps the most striking fictional analysis of the age of gang barons and the social conditions that produced them.’ Over the years, greed and selfishness changed the basic essence of the American Dream, forming firmly integrated social classes and the uncontainable thirst for money and status. The ‘Roaring Twenties’ was a time of ‘sustained increase in national wealth’ , which consequently led to an increase in materialism and a decrease in morality. Moreover, the
.... (Parkinson 96) This kind of so-called rebellious lifestyle encompasses a part of Gatsby; the part that put ultimate wealth as a life goal and as a way to Daisy. This depiction of Gatsby’s battle for the girl proves that Fitzgerald’s view towards wealth had to have been influenced by the time period he lived in. It also demonstrates the emptiness of values and morals that were so common amongst the majority of the population at that time. This lifestyle spread like a virus to most people because it promised a happy life while being the social norm at the time. It not only included wealth as a goal but sex and women played a crucial role in the average American dream during the 1920’s. For, “wealth and sex are closely related in this vicious and greedy world of plunder, which renders life meaningless by denying any altruism in human endeavor” (Parkinson 110).
Gatsby downfall came when he sacrificed his morality to attain wealth. Gatsby realises that the illusion of his dream with Daisy, demands wealth to become priority, and thus wealth becomes the desire overriding his need for her [Daisy’s] love. Gatsby claims to others that he has inherited his wealth, but Nick discovers "[h]is parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people" (Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, pg 104) and that Gatsby has lied about his past. In a society that relies on luxuries, Gatsby throws parties to attract Daisy’s attention. Also, Gatsby expresses that same need to keep busy, just as Daisy does, in a society of the elite. Nick describes Gatsby as "never quite still, there was always a tapping foot somewhere or the impatient opening and closing of a hand" (Fitzgerald, pg 68). Gatsby fills his house "full of interesting people...who do interesting things" (Fitzgerald, pg 96). Gatsby's dream is doomed to failure in that he has lost the fundamental necessities to experience love, such as honesty and moral integrity.
...er and money are so powerful they can control someone. People criticize others who are lower than them but they don’t realize they were once in the bottom also. In the roaring 20’s Fitzgerald shows how the American Dream has deteriorated. The American Dream originally was about bettering yourself, discovery, and finding happiness. This changed for Gatsby instead he wanted money and to be involved in social circles he did not belong in.
Corruption of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald embodies may themes, however the most salient one relates to the corruption of the American Dream. The American Dream is that each person no matter who he or she is can become successful in life by his or her own hard work. The dream also embodies the idea of a self-sufficient man, an entrepreneur making it successful for himself. The Great Gatsby is about what happened to the American dream in the 1920s, a time period when the dream had been corrupted by the avaricious pursuit of wealth.
In F.Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, we are introduced to the American Dream, where hard work can lead one from rags to riches, which has been a core facet of the American identity since its birth. Settlers came west to America from Europe seeking wealth and freedom. The Great Gatsby shows the tide turning east, this shift is a symbol of the American Dream's corruption. It is no longer a vision of building a life; it is just about getting rich.
The author clearly wishes to continually demonstrate broken and corrupt relationships in order to display how the failing of the American dream can poison the family. In addition, at one point in the book, Gatsby works with Nick to bring her over so that he can see her again and show her his house. The moment when they appear truly happy together occurs when they are together in Gatsby’s gardens. Fitzgerald plays upon the classic garden image to show that the two are only happy in their natural state, but they are not; they live in the world tainted by the actions and more specifically the failings of mankind. Furthermore, Roger Lewis implies the importance of the valley of ashes in the portrayal of the theme of Gatsby.
Ornstein, Robert "Scott Fitzgerald's Fable of East and West" College English, Vol. 18, No. 3 `