Themes Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

755 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The impact of the american dream on the great gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald penned The Great Gatsby in the midst of the Roarin’ Twenties. It was a period of cultural explosion, rags-to-riches histories, and a significant shift in the ideals of the American Dream. Fitzgerald’s characters all aspired to fill an American Dream of sorts, though their dreams weren’t the conventional ones. In the novel, the American Dream did a sort of one-eighty. Instead of looking west, people went east to New York in hopes of achieving wealth. The original principals of the Dream faded away, in their place, amorality and corruption. The fulfillment of one’s own American Dream is often marked by corruption, dishonesty, and hope. The original American Dream had nothing to do with achieving wealth, but had everything …show more content…

Gatsby had been working for so long to make Daisy his, that somewhere along the way his love turned to obsession. His Dream is not the pure thing it started out to be. His first step in fulfilling it was to become wealthy, which he did through corrupt means. He was filled with hope that once Daisy saw his wealth and how much he still loved her, that she would leave her husband Tom and come be with him. He even “bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay” (Fitzgerald 83). In an attempt to make this come true, he and Daisy began to have an affair. The amorality and dishonesty of this only solidifies the fact that Gatsby’s dream was corrupted by his desire to have Daisy, as if she were an object not a person. Gatsby also never took into account that Daisy may have already fulfilled her dream. She was, even throughout her affair with Gatsby, content with her life with Tom because he gave her the life of luxury she had always dreamed of. Daisy’s dream was corrupt from the beginning. Her desire for money won over her desire for love. As for Gatsby’s dream with Daisy, “it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city…” (Fitzgerald

Show More
Related

  • 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

  • Essay On The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

    1872 Words  | 4 Pages

    The American Dream is a powerful thing in the lives and hopes of its citizens, as shown in Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby. It is, and was, faith in individualism, expectation of progress, and mainly the belief in America as a land of opportunity. However, it also is differs from person to person. This plays a great part in Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby. His book took place in the 1920 's, which is also called the 'Roaring 20 's '. During this time, many Americans were freely spending. Moreover, the economy was doing extremely well and thus provided citizens with a sense of security and intense freedom. Many used that freedom and economic boom to become rich in business.

    Read More

  • Examples Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

    1500 Words  | 3 Pages

    The American Dream is a concept in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success. All of this is achieved through the efficiency of hard work and dedication to reach that dream. People are lured into thinking they can have that dream if they live in America because it is the land of opportunity. The novel The Great Gatsby, is centered around the American Dream and how unachievable it is. Fitzgerald 's novel comments on how bad society is and how people dream unrealistically. The American Dream is hard to attain and hard to keep in any social class. In the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald shows, through Daisy 's dream, Wilson 's dream, and Gatsby 's dream, just how hard it is to obtain and fold on to the American Dream.

    Read More

  • Perspectives on the American Dream in Literature

    1539 Words  | 4 Pages

    From its founding, America has been portrayed as the land of opportunity. We have been fed this idea of how wonderful it is and even though many have proved how hard it is to make it, many others work hard to keep the idea alive. The fact that we all believe in this idea keeps the idea going; the idea that is America.

    Read More

  • Research Paper On The Great Gatsby

    1163 Words  | 3 Pages

    Up until now, the term American Dream is still a popular concept on how Americans or people who come to America should live their lives and in a way it becomes a kind of life goal. However, the definitions of the term itself is somehow absurd and everyone has their own definition of it. The historian James Tuslow defines American Dream as written in his book titled “The Epic of America” in 1931 as “...dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” The root of the term American Dream is actually can be traced from the Declaration of Independence in 1776 which stated “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that

    Read More

  • How Does The Great Gatsby Relate To The American Dream

    534 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Great Gatsby is a book about a young man who dreams of becoming really wealthy and have high status throughout his whole life. Therefore he finds a way to accomplish this dream of his and surrounds himself full of luxurious lifestyle that end up being real after all. Consequently Every person in this book has different dreams to accomplish, but they all relate to the American dream to be the same. In the book at some point some of the characters reveal their desires no what they want to do for their dreams. The great Gatsby portrays as being wealthy and getting everything you want no matter what.

    Read More

  • What Does The American Dream Symbolize In The Great Gatsby

    1041 Words  | 3 Pages

    Everyone has their own aspirations in life, despite the fact that it might not always be what’s best for them. Taking into consideration that anything is possible through effort and hard work, not everything will come out as expected. Anyone can dream, but will they achieve? Yes, and no. In the novel The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby, the head character, portrays many symbols through his character, morals, and spirit. Jay Gatsby symbolizes the most important one which is The American Dream. Most individuals try to achieve The American Dream although it is still unattainable. In the 1900’s, it became the possession of materialistic things. The author, F. Scott Fitzgerald warned that a pursuit of happiness driven by

    Read More

  • Pursuing The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

    732 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Great American Dream. What a beautiful ring it has. Is it just that-- a dream-- or is it much more? We’ve all heard about chasing the American Dream. We’ve also heard the question of its legitimacy. The longer this country stands, the more doubt we have that the Dream is reachable. Although some people can find great opportunities in America, the American Dream is unattainable.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

    1335 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Immigrants are ruining this country”, is a statement made by almost every conservative in the United States. Yes, with their cheap labor, cultural traditions, and food contributions immigrants are making America a colorful and tasteful disaster. The American dream is so high in thought, yet so low in actuality. This well known dream-or nightmare- of rags to riches shines clear from sea to shining sea. However, the end goal of the American Dream varies from person to person. For some the dream plainly translates to happiness. Although for others, the end goal is an obsession of materials; beachside mansions, exotic cars, pets from the deepest parts of Africa and more things without any real meaning. The dream is only a goal if one is either

    Read More

  • What Is The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

    1122 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, portrays a story of misguided love between a man and a woman who struggle to determine the role in which wealth abides in the people around them. He creates a culture, in which its foundation, continues to be persistent on their self-worth upon materialistic possessions. In this piece, Fitzgerald explores and comments on how Americans pursue the American Dream through Jay Gatsby. Gatsby’s dream, however, reflects something beyond his reach which, defines the green light. Throughout this novel, Fitzgerald shows how the American Dream cannot be obtained but can always be hoped and reached for.

    Read More

  • The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

    380 Words  | 1 Pages

    The American Dream is “the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative”. Like all fantasy’s and idealist dreams they represent the glowing, the good but ignore the problems in real life. The American dream represents, America where opportunities are endless, and yours to have but very importantly hide the issues like racism, sexism, and revenue inequality. The Great Gatsby is most known for its love story but also its review of this so-called American Dream. Jay Gatsby a man who over comes it all rising from poor to wealthy doing the hard work but never achieving his American Dream.

    Read More

  • The American Dream in The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald

    1081 Words  | 3 Pages

    ideal is the way by which a man can feel a sense of involvement, a

    Read More

  • Evaluation Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Roaring Twenties staged a radical change throughout the United States. This time period will always be remembered as an era of deteriorated moral and social principles as well as a time of greed and mass consumption sustained by a national economic boom. Consequently, the idea that anyone, regardless of their race, social position or gender, could achieve wealth, was collectively shared. The belief that all individuals could obtain freedom, equality and opportunity was strong amongst American society during the 1920’s. In 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald created the novel The Great Gatsby, which perfectly described how the American Dream influenced people's behaviour. In both the novel and the movie, directed

    Read More

  • American Dream in The Great Gatsby

    1446 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...dreams – not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion.”

    Read More

  • The Concept Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

    1122 Words  | 3 Pages

    The idea of the “American Dream,” has been widely addressed by the famous writer, F. Scott Fitzgerald, in his several novels, especially in The Great Gatsby. Published in 1925, The Great Gatsby reveals a particular example of those who are devotees of pursuing the American Dream but eventually end up by sacrificing themselves. The concept of the American Dream can be totally different for people, all of whom have their own understanding of these words. In brief, the major essence of American culture has always emphasized on the value of the individual, the pursuit of freedom, the improvement of competition, and the promotion of realism. The common truth of this novel is that each character has their American Dream, which gives them the opportunity

    Read More

More about Themes Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

Open Document