The Role Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

1544 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: American prohibition and how the people felt

What is the American dream? As American, the idea of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness have been ingrained in the fabric of our society as the American Dream. It is the notion that regardless of where a person comes from, through hard work and dedication, one can achieve their American Dream. The fictional character portrayed in F. Scott Fitzgerald novel “The Great Gatsby” are no different. The novel takes place in the summer 1922 during a decade of great social changes in America. World War I had just ended, and the United States was in the twilight of progression and economic prosperity. The second Industrial Revolution created new inventions and innovation of mass production, and soaring stock market made America among the wealthiest nation in the world. Savannah Grantham writes, “1920’s Americans created a world of economic prosperity that they wanted to endure forever” (Grantham 1). The Prohibition of the 1920 opened new opportunities to gain wealth. As a result, the strong economy created a nation of consumerism and materialism. The opportunity to gain wealth became synonymous with achieving the American Dream. Americans bought new cars, fancy clothes, and lived a lavish lifestyle. For many, wealth had Daisy; the pure, charming, innocent golden girl from Kentucky was popular among the military officer. Daisy Fay was the first “nice girl” Gatsby falls in love with because in his eyes, she represent all the wealth and glamour of the American dream. However, unbeknown to Gatsby, behind her beauty and charm is a materialist and superficial girl. The two began a short love affair before Gatsby is shipped to fight for the country. While Gatsby was away, Daisy, meanwhile moved on with her life and marries the wealthy Tom Buchanan. After five long years of separation, both Daisy and Gatsby finally reunited in hope to rekindle their love

Show More
Related

  • Essay On The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

    729 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby American Dream Quotes

    648 Words  | 2 Pages

    The American dream is an idea that every American has an equal chance of success. In the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald shows us this is not the case. Fitzgerald wrote the character Jay Gatsby as a tragic American hero. Jay Gatsby went from a nobody to a millionaire and most people believe that he had achieved the American dream. However, he did not achieve the American dream because he lost a piece of himself in his pursuit of his supposedly incorruptible dream.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Unrequited Love In The Great Gatsby

    1088 Words  | 3 Pages

    To explain the basis behind their relationship; Gatsby first met daisy at a party at her house that her parents were hosting for young army men in hopes that their daughter would find that could be a suitable husband. Soon after they became so close and fell madly in love. Daisy came from old money and gatsby had no money at all which made their relationship come to a halt when Gatsby asked to marry Daisy. With a breaking heart Daisy had to turn him down because she couldn’t marry someone that couldn’t provide what she needed...fabulous wealth. Many years past as Gatsby went to war, came back to war, and got a job helping Dan Cody on his voyages. After Gatsby7 was denied the money that Dan Cody wanted to inherit to him he got into the business of bootlegging which made him filthy rich. Everything he did over the course of the years was for Daisy so he could finally get to be with her. Sadly Gatsby later found out that Daisy had gotten married to a man named Tom Buchanan leaving Gatsby torn that Daisy did not wait for him to get rich. All gatsby had now was hope and a love so strong for Daisy that it made his heart ache. Tom narrates, “But his heart was in a constant, turbulent riot. The most grotesque and fantastic

    Read More

  • Gatsbys Pursuit Of The American Dream

    828 Words  | 2 Pages

    The American Dream had always been based on the idea that each person no matter who he or she is can become successful in life by his or her hard work. The dream also brought about the idea of a self-reliant man, a hard worker, making a successful living for him or herself. The Great Gatsby is about what happened to the American Dream in the 1920s, a time period when the many people with newfound wealth and the need to flaunt it had corrupted the dream. The pursuit of the American Dream is the one motivation for accomplishing one's goals, however when combined with wealth the dream becomes nothing more than selfishness.

    Read More

  • Daisy Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson of The Great Gatsby

    1358 Words  | 3 Pages

    Daisy Buchanan is married to Tom Buchanan and cousin to Nick Carraway. During World War I, many soldiers stationed by her in Louisville, were in love with her. The man who caught her eye the most was Jay Gatsby. When he was called into war, she promised him that she would wait for him. Also that upon his return they will be married. Daisy, lonely because Gatsby was at war, met Tom Buchanan. He was smart and part of a wealthy family. When he asked her to marry him, she didn't hesitate at once, and took his offering. Here, the reader first encounters how shallow Daisy is, making her a dislikeable character. Another event that Daisy is a dislikeable character is when she did not show up to Gatsby's funeral. When Daisy and Gatsby reunite, their love for each other rekindle. She often visited Gatsby at his mansion, and they were inseparable. This led Gatsby on because he dedicated his whole life into getting Daisy back, and she had no gratitude towards it. At the hotel suite scene, Daisy reveals to all that she loves Gatsby, but then also says that she loves Tom as well. This leaves the reader at awe, because after...

    Read More

  • Great Gatsby

    1132 Words  | 3 Pages

    As the story continues, we soon learn that the romance behind Daisy and Gatsby first began in 1917. They had fallen in love when Gatsby was an officer, but their relationship was cut short when Gatsby was sent away to be a soldier overseas. He continued to write letters to her, but she had found someone else, a man by the name Tom Buchanan. She married him the following year for his money, but there was much difficulty getting her to the actual wedding. The day of, she received a letter from Gatsby, making her unsure of her marriage to Tom. But she went through with the marriage, and never thought of Gatsby again.

    Read More

  • How The Great Gatsby Relates to the American Dream

    951 Words  | 2 Pages

    "The American dream is the idea held by many in the United States of America that through hard work, courage and determination one can achieve prosperity." Wikipedia: So basically the American Dream is to have money, and a family. Gatsby got his money, but what he really wanted was Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby spent his whole life striving for one thing.

    Read More

  • What Are The Similarities Between The Great Gatsby And The American Dream

    698 Words  | 2 Pages

    “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.

    Read More

  • The American Dream in The Great Gatsby

    615 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The American Dream“: what does it mean? Wealth, material possessions, and power are the core values of “The American Dream.” For many Americans, the dream is based solely upon reaching a higher standard of living. Gatsby was one of these Americans who lived his whole life in pursuit of wealth and power.

    Read More

  • The American Dream In The Abundant Gatsby

    1558 Words  | 4 Pages

    This represents the abstraction of the American Dream, area qualities of harder plan and appetite are shown. The atypical The Abundant Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald embodies abounding themes; about the a lot of cogent one relates to the bribery of the American dream. The American Dream is authentic as anyone starting low on the bread-and-butter or amusing level, and alive harder appear abundance and or abundance and fame. By accepting money, a car, a big house, nice clothes and a blessed ancestors symbolizes the American dream. This dream aswell represents that people, no amount who he or she is, can become acknowledged in activity by his or her own work. The admiration to strive for what one wants can be able if they plan harder enough. The

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby and the American Dream

    864 Words  | 2 Pages

    The freedom in self endowment has always been the fuel to the average American citizen and his drive toward success. In other words, Americans always strive to achieve the ever so revered American Dream. What is the American Dream? David Kamp describes the American Dream as "the idea rooted in the United States Declaration of Independence which proclaims that "all men are created equal" and that they are "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights" including "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."(Kamp). The dream lies deeply rooted in American society and the very mention of it lights a passionate fire in the hearts of American citizens everywhere. The idea behind the dream is that if an individual has sufficient willpower, he or she has a fair chance of achieving wealth as well as the freedom and happiness that come packaged with it. Essentially, it offers the opportunity of achieving spiritual and material fulfillment. It promises success at the cost of hard work and perseverance. Over time however, this idea of attaining success through hard work and perseverance has been skewed into one which exploits greed and carelessness and The Great Gatsby is an excellent affirmation of this. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald derides the gradual corruption of hard work and perseverance in the American Dream by utilizing the motif of driving and incorporating it with the the ideas of greed and carelessness.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby

    413 Words  | 1 Pages

    The relationship between Gatsby and Daisy is one of constant lies, and deceit. Gatsby falls in love with Daisy before he goes to the Army as a young man, and Daisy fell in love with him too. Yet Daisy is very materialistic and Tom, a very rich man came into place and Daisy married him instead of waiting for Gatsby like she had promised. Gatsby waited for Daisy but she did not wait for him, and instead married Tom just for his money. This shows how there relationship has been riddled with lies since the very beginning of the story.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Selfishness In The Great Gatsby

    1173 Words  | 3 Pages

    The entire book revolves around his one selfish desire to be with the woman he loves, Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby is well aware that Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan, but that does not stop him. Gatsby and Daisy begin seeing each other and spending a great amount of time together. This was not enough to satisfy Gatsby. One night, he and Tom, Daisy’s husband, were in dispute.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby and the American Dream

    1547 Words  | 4 Pages

    F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, “The Great Gatsby”, is one of the few novels he wrote in 1925. The novel takes place during the 1920’s following the 1st World War. It is written about a young man named Nick, from the east he moved to the west to learn about the bond business. He ends up moving next to a mysterious man named Gatsby who ends up giving him the lesion of his life.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby And The American Dream

    1584 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Great Gatsby is an example of a few certain people who had dreams to become wealthy and have a better life which is what the American dream is all about.

    Read More

More about The Role Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

Open Document