Literary Analysis Of Jay Gatsby And The American Dream

815 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Narrative on Fitzgeralds great gatsby

Jocelyn Lampkin Mrs. Walton English III 10 April 2014 Literary Analysis of Jay Gatsby and the American Dream The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was set back in the 1920s which is one the greatest decades in American history. It was a time when everyone wanted to “get rich quick.” Americans believe that if they have enough money, they can buy their happiness through materialistic spending, increase power socially, and possibly manipulate lost time. F. Scott Fitzgerald's characterization of Jay Gatsby embodies the American Dream ---nice car, family, money, the whole white picket fence with a dog scene that Americans visualize.Throughout the novel readers are exposed to some of Gatsby's “great” achievements. But not all “great” things in life end up being truly great, and Gatsby is an example of the American Dream’s downfall. Gatsby comes from a small town in North Dakota and he once lived with “shiftless and unsuccessful farm people” but then met a “quick and extravagantly ambitious” man named Dan Cody who changes his life forever. He is the man who brought Gatsby out of his present poverty into a wealthy man and now owns a “colossal Long Island mansion”, like coming from rags-to-riches(ch 1). A dream that recurs throughout the book is to recover lost time and memories. The green light at the end of Daisy's dock is symbol of both The American Dream and Gatsby's dream to repeat the past and be reunited with Daisy. Even after five years have passed because of him leaving for war, he still finds a way to get her attention. He does this by throwing extravagant parties that everyone attends and to raise his social connections and better yet to see if Daisy will show up. He uses most of his money on her as a way of showin... ... middle of paper ... ...ar memories existed. Many thoughts go through one’s head about loved one’s while being in a war. All of the rich characters have a similar way of dealing with issues. This is to knock out and destroy anything in their path. One could infer that these characters just can’t wait for a problem to be dealt with on their own time.Therefore the thought of buying someone back into your life comes into mind and most likely doesn’t work. Gatsby’s ways of dealing with problems revolve around money and constantly pleasing others. No matter how hard Gatsby tries to “stretch out his arms and touch the light” and no matter how hard he “fights against the current” he learns that you cannot please everyone. He learns this after his plan to be with Daisy again falls apart.Therefore, even Gatsby’s extreme wealth and materialistic spending was not enough to chase the ‘American Dream’.

Show More
Related

  • Essay On The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

    729 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the beginning, Gatsby was a poor army boy who fell in love with a rich girl named Daisy. Knowing from their different circumstances, he could not marry her. So Gatsby left to accumulate a lot of money. Daisy, not being able to wait for Gatsby, marries a rich man named Tom. Tom believes that it is okay for a man to be unfaithful but it is not okay for the woman to be. This caused a lot of conflict in their marriage and caused Daisy to be very unhappy. Gatsby’s dream is to be with Daisy, and since he has accumulated a lot of money, he had his mind set on getting her back. Throughout the novel, Gatsby shows his need to attain The American Dream of love and shows his determination to achieve it. You can tell that Gatsby has a clear vision of what he wants when Nick says, “..he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I gla...

    Read More

  • Flaws In The Great Gatsby

    514 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Gatsbys Pursuit Of The American Dream

    828 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Great Gatsby, a novel by Scott Fitzgerald, is about the American Dream, and the downfall of those who attempt to reach its impossible goals. The attempt to capture the American Dream is used in many novels. This dream is different for different people; but, in The Great Gatsby, for Jay, the dream is that through wealth and power, one can acquire happiness. To get this happiness Jay must reach into the past and relive an old dream; and, in order to do this, he must have wealth and power.

    Read More

  • How The Great Gatsby Relates to the American Dream

    951 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby: Chasing Dreams

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    The green light at the end of the Buchanan’s dock symbolizes Gatsby’s lust for wealth and power, and also his dream of having Daisy. The interpretation that stands out the most of any is that green is the color of money, therefore Gatsby’s motivations are fueled by the wealthy status of someone on the East Egg that he would wish to have as well. However, just like his dreams, the light is very “minute and far away” (30). Gatsby throws lavish parties, lives his life in luxury, and fools himself into believing he is upper c...

    Read More

  • The Corruption of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby

    1296 Words  | 3 Pages

    On April 10, 1925 F. Scott Fitzgerald published The Great Gatsby, a novel that would later become one of the best known pieces of classic literature in history. However, at the time of its publication, Gatsby was fairly unpopular ad the reviews were never consistent. As shocking as it may seem, I believe it is because Fitzgerald’s intelligence and creativity levels were way ahead of his time, which is evident when one pays close attention to the themes of the novel. Forgiveness, love, and memory of the past are just a few themes you will come across in this story. Aside from these, there is one other theme that is much more dominant and could possibly have been the cause of The Great Gatsby’s slight lack of initial success. It is the basis of everything the characters in the novel do as well as everything they feel. It is what they use to justify their actions, and it is what everyone longs for. This theme is better known as the American dream.The Great Gatsby is representative of the American dream in multiple ways. There are some aspects of the novel that symbolize the overall corruption of the American dream; there are others that signify the love of wealth, and the division of rich and poor.

    Read More

  • The American Dream in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    1085 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, perfectly symbolizes many emerging trends of the 1920’s. More importantly, the character of Jay Gatsby is depicted as a man amongst his American dreams and the trials he faces in the pursuit of its complete achievement. His drive to acquire the girl of his dreams, Daisy Buchanan, through gaining status and wealth shows many aspects of the author's 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.

    Read More

  • Jay Gatsby and the American Dream

    1165 Words  | 3 Pages

    America has been a land of dreams from its beginning. People immigrate to start a new life and reinvent themselves, but even the hardest working individuals have been mistreated. There’s so much to discover and to strive for. The American Dream is a concept that appreciates the struggles of those who live in America, and it’s something we’d all like to believe exists. Because, it’s so desirable, tales are often told about people who live a greater life after moving to America. Some like to think that Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby exemplifies a man who achieves the American Dream. While Jay Gatsby seems to be a great representative of the successful American Dream, his life truly shows the failure of the American Dream.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby Final Essay

    754 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Fitzgerald's Use Of George In The Great Gatsby

    898 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Great Gatsby was published by F. Scott Fitzgerald during the peak of the Roaring Twenties. During this period in history, America was rising into economic prosperity and growth. The citizens of the nation were looking for their chance to become great, to gain fame, or in essence, to achieve the American Dream. Fitzgerald’s characters illustrate multiple perspectives on what the so-called American Dream is. Through these illustrations, he remarks on what the country of America has become and the extent to which it affected the different classes. Through the lens of the American Dream, The Great Gatsby could be examined by both an optimistic and a pessimistic viewpoint to generate a supporting and dissenting opinion of the American Dream.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Imagery In The Great Gatsby

    668 Words  | 2 Pages

    The American Dream stands for the symbol of wealth and happiness. But in The Great Gatsby, F.Scott Fitzgerald portrays the American Dream in a different way. The character Jay Gatsby was a man who took the American Dream too far,to the point he couldn’t figure out the difference between his false life of riches from reality. This American novel describes how living the American Dream doesn’t always end in happiness.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby Complexities Of The American Dream

    654 Words  | 2 Pages

    A story isn’t a story without a deeper meaning. This proves true with the book The Great Gatsby, a book set in the roaring 20’s where the American Dream was the only thing on everyone’s mind. Author F. Scott Fitzgerald dives into the downside of the American Dream and the problems it causes. Through imagery, flashbacks, and irony, F. Scott Fitzgerald writes of the complexities of the American Dream.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Materialism In The Great Gatsby

    766 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author presents the American dream throughout a male character in literature. This character is Jay Gatsby, who is a person that wants to pursue the American Dream. Moreover, some people believe that reaching the American dream is the culmination of a successful life; anyone regardless of class or gender can succeed in America. The Great Gatsby portrays the American dream in the person of Jay Gatsby and so the desire for conquering dreams and wealth are present in the 1920’s.

    Read More

  • The Fall of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby

    1792 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Roaring 20's was an era of decadence and endless possibility. The American Dream was something that everyone coveted. Essentially, The American Dream meant that anyone who had the talent and worked hard enough, could achieve it. Money, a loving spouse, and status all showed that a person had been successful in their life and were vital points to the American Dreams of the Characters in the Great Gatsby. Many of them strived in their own way to achieve “the dream”, however, twisted ideals of love, wealth, and class led to the eventual fall of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby.

    Read More

  • Corruption Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

    421 Words  | 1 Pages

    The American dream is a long standing ideal symbolizing the hope that one can achieve financial success, political power, and everlasting love through dedication and hard work which is showed throughout the novel “The Great Gatsby”. “Long before ‘America’ became a country, it was a continent, and long before it was known to exist as a continent, it was a vision and a dream” (Freese 78). This vision or dream was portrayed in the novel by Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby is a novel about the unconditional love of the self-made man Jay Gatsby to a woman that embodies for him true love, success and the ultimate possession. Although, one of the major themes of this novel was not just, love but the decline and corruption of the American dream. “The Great Gatsby, we are told, is not simply a chronicle of the Jazz Age but rather a dramatization of the betrayal of the native American Dream in a corrupt society” (Ornstein 54).

    Read More

More about Literary Analysis Of Jay Gatsby And The American Dream

Open Document