Web. 14 Nov. 2015. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/487273/John-Quidor Starwinar. (2010. Herman or Henry. Web.
The Declaration of Independence promises the rights of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" to all American citizens. Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" is both a qualification and a condemnation of these values; although American democracy is based on the concept of equality, in reality social discrimination and divisions of class are not so easily overcome. The behavior of Fitzgerald's upper classes is also a comment on the failure of the American Dream: "their decadence and carelessness show how material success has destroyed spiritual life" (Posnock 207... ... middle of paper ... ...994. Posnock, Ross. "'A New World, Material Without Being Real': Fitzgerald's Critique of Capitalism in The Great Gatsby."
England: Penguin, 1990. vii-lvi. Way, Brian. "The Great Gatsby." Modern Critical Interpretations: F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Ed.
The Great Gatsby. Author F. Scott Fitzgerald. England: Penguin, 1990. vii-lvi. Way, Brian. "The Great Gatsby."
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. London: Penguin Books, 1990. Trilling, Lionel. "F. Scott Fitzgerald."
Oxford University Press, N.Y. 1990. 142-151. Holman, C. Hugh and William Harmon. A Handbook to Literature. MacMillan Publishing Company, N.Y. 1992.
New York: St. Martin?s Press, 1989. Wollaeger, Mark A. Joseph Conrad and the Fictions of Skepticism. Stanford, CA; Stanford UP, 1990.
Huck Finn. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishing. 1990.
Fitzgerald masterfully allows the reader watch the evolution of Franklin’s American dream from its fertilization in the ambition of James Gatz to its dominance over Gatz’s life, eventually spawning Jay Gatsby (Gatz-bye) a self-destructive man holding on to a dream that can never become a reality. In addition to Gatsby’s delusional pursuit of happiness, Nick Carraway, our narrator, suffers from the same addiction to a dream, which, if made true, will never live up to its expectations. It is obvious that Nick envies Gatsby, hence the title of the novel. Nick is in awe of Gatsby’s wealth, social power and moreover, and most of all, the carefree lifestyle it allows. Nick, at the same time he is completely unaware of the illicit means by which Gatsby has gained his wealth.
59-83. Posnock, Ross. "'A New World, Material Without Being Real': Fitzgerald's Critique of Capitalism in The Great Gatsby." Critical Essays on Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby." Ed.