The Great Gatsby

1166 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The great gatsby as the representation of the american dream

The fundamental theme of The Great Gatsby is the decay of the American Dream. Through his insightful analysis and criticism ¬of 1920s high society, Fitzgerald argues that the American Dream no longer signifies the noble pursuit of progress; instead, it has become grossly materialistic and corrupt. Fitzgerald’s novel is structured as an allegory (a story inside another story), the terrible death of Jay Gatsby is, by extension, the death of the American Dream.

For Fitzgerald, the true American Dream is characterized by a spirit of perseverance and hope; through these, one can succeed against all odds. This ideal is embodied by the young Gatsby (then James Gatz): he painstakingly plans the path by which he will become a great man in his "Hopalong Cassidy" journal ¬ and then follows it, to the letter. When Mr Gatz shows the ragged book to Nick, he declares, "'Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this or something. Do you notice what he's got about improving his mind? He was always great for that'." The journal exemplifies the continual struggle for self-improvement that once represented the American ideal. In comparing the young James Gatz to Benjamin Franklin, Fitzgerald suggests that the American Dream does endure despite the decay of modern society ¬ there will always be those guided by an indomitable hope. Modern society, however, has no place for such dreamers: Gatsby’s avid longing to win Daisy's love ultimately remains unrealized, and in fact leads to his destruction. Gatsby is first seen late at night, "standing with his hands in his pockets"; Nick says, only half in jest, that he is "out to determine what share is his of our local heavens." Nick watches Gatsby's movements and comments:

"He stretch...

... middle of paper ...

... to the Midwest with this disturbing knowledge: the American people must struggle to keep from losing its humanity: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." The dream is now utterly lost and can never be resurrected ¬ at least not in its original, its purest form.

Through the story of a doomed romance, Fitzgerald expresses the tragic decline of American values. Gatsby and the other characters of the novel act as mere vessels for the author's true story: the American Dream, once a pure and mighty ideal, has been degraded and buried by the dehumanizing lust for money. Nick Carraway is an outsider to his own story: he is an honest man, an observer who bears witness to the calamity. The Great Gatsby is not, in the final analysis, a eulogy for a man named Jay Gatsby, instead, it serves as a eulogy for the idea of America itself.

Show More
Related

  • The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    377 Words  | 1 Pages

    In F. Scott Fitzgerald's, The Great Gatsby, the pursuit of the American dream in a corrupt period is a central theme. This theme exemplifies itself in the downfall of Gatsby. In a time of disillusionment the ideals of the American dream are lost. The classic American dream is one of materialism and when Gatsby incorporates Daisy, a human being, into the dream he is doomed to fail.

    Read More

  • Flaws In The Great Gatsby

    514 Words  | 2 Pages

    The character of Gatsby and Fitzgerald’s commentary on the logical fallacies of the American Dream are closely intertwined, which is why Fitzgerald goes to such great lengths to separate the two. By distinguishing Gatsby from the flaws he possesses allows the reader to care for Gatsby, and the impact of his death all the more powerful when it finally occurs. By making Gatsby a victim of the American Dream rather than just the embodiment of it, Fitzgerald is able to convince his audience of the iniquity of the American Dream by making them mourn the life of the poor son-of-a-bitch

    Read More

  • dfrg

    539 Words  | 2 Pages

    Since its publication in 1925, The Great Gatsby has remained a spot-on representation of a time in American history in which the people believed anything was possible. Gatsby is the definition of this idea. The underlying cause of everything in this novel is his--and in essence everyone’s idea. This idea is the ubiquitous notion of the American Dream. And Fitzgerald does not only write about the American Dream, but about its corruption as well. This following quote truly epitomizes what the American Dream had become in the eyes of Fitzgerald:

    Read More

  • Unhealthy Pursuits in F. Scott Fitzgerald´s the Great Gatsby

    623 Words  | 2 Pages

    Literature has been portraying the idea of the American dream in many different stories throughout all of history. This dream can be defined as someone rising from the bottom and finding wealth and love in their everyday life. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the storyline illustrates the life of several characters pursuing the American dream in New York City. The characters are all by intrigued Jay Gatsby, the man who lives across the bay with the biggest house in the city. Every person wants to gain the wealth that Gatsby has. The corruption of this desired American dream develops throughout the novel as the characters pursue love and money yet ultimately end up broken-hearted, empty-handed, or dead. During the time period of The Great Gatsby, the empty and superficial way of life was masked by the glamour and wealth that the people were absorbed in.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby

    562 Words  | 2 Pages

    F. Scott Fitzgerald inquires about the American Dream through the characters in his publication. Jay Gatsby was born into a meager family, but he does not allow that to cease his hard work towards success in life. He addresses many personal goals for himself that he meets throughout his life. Nick Caraway, Gatsby’s neighbor and the man of which the story is told through his eyes, explains Gatsby’s determination as “an extraordinary gift for hope”. One goal is to gain Daisy Buchanan’s attention once again. When Gatsby goes off to war, Daisy marries a man of similar abundance. Gatsby’s plan is to purch...

    Read More

  • Great Gatsby

    742 Words  | 2 Pages

    Another theme that is used is the American dream. Gatsby himself is a believer in the American dream of self-made success. During the book, we learn that he had created himself out of nothing, that his whole life is merely fiction. Gatsby remained fully committed to his dream of being socially accepted to the end. Therefore he never comprehends that his strive for success and social acceptance led him to his deathbed. That is why Gatsby is a prime example of the American dream.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby

    842 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald reflects the American society in the 1920’s and the different social groups that coexisted. The Great Gatsby portrays the failure of the American Dream, where corruption, illegal trading, superficial relationships, and social classes take the main roles. The author demonstrates how the American dream has become a pursuit of wealth and materialism through the exploration of the upper class. In addition, the author uses characterization to reflect the upper class in the 1920’s as two separate groups: the “old” money, and the “new money”. These are shown through the main characters in the novel, such as Gatsby and Tom Buchanan.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby Themes And Motifs

    1347 Words  | 3 Pages

    Book Analysis F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of "The Great Gatsby," reveals many principles about today's society and the "American dream. " One of the biggest fears in today's world is the fear of not fitting into society. People of all age groups and backgrounds share this fear. Many individuals believe that to receive somebody's affection, they must assimilate into that person's society. In the story, Jay Gatsby pursues the American dream and his passion for being happy only to come to a tragedy and total loss.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby

    1649 Words  | 4 Pages

    Early events from Fitzgerald’s life appear in The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald resembles Jay Gatsby, a caring man who obsesses over wealth and luxury and falls in love with a beautiful young woman while stationed at a military camp in the South. Nick Carraway, also similar to Fitzgerald, is described as a young man from Minnesota, educated at an Ivy League school (in Nick’s case, Yale), who moves to New York after the war. After the publication of his books, Fitzgerald fell into a life-style of parties, while writing to earn more money to please Zelda by. Gatsby obtains a lot of wealth at a young age, and dedicates his life to earning possessions and throwing parties that he believes will allow Daisy to love him. Fitzgerald, similar to Nick in The Great Gatsby found this new lifestyle thrilling and dramatic, and, like Gatsby, always admired the very rich. In many ways, The Great Gatsby represents Fitzgerald’s explanation of his feelings about the Jazz Age. Fitzgerald was motivated by his love for a woman who symbolized everything he always wanted, even though she led him toward everything he loathed just like Gatsby.

    Read More

  • Greatness In The Great Gatsby

    1105 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a boy, James Gatz was self-disciplined in his daily life, to help ensure he did everything in his power to achieve great things in his future. Upon meeting Gatsby’s father, Nick Carraway learned that James had ran away from home, inducing a short-lived sadness in Mr. Gatz. Mr. Gatz understood why James had decided to flee his home, consequent to seeing his son’s favorable outcome. Just to solidify what kind of child James Gatz was to Nick, Mr. Gatz showed Nick Carraway a composition, written by James in the back of his copy of a book called Hopalong Cassidy. In the novel Mr. Gatz says “Look here, this is a book he had when he was a boy. It just shows you.” (Fitzgerald 184). The entry that Mr. Gatz was referring to had a strict schedule allotted to each day and a general resolves section that stated the following “No wasting time at Shafters, No more smoking or chewing, Bath every other day, Read one improving book or magazine per week, Save 5 ( Crossed out ) 3 per week, Be better to parents.” (Fitzgerald 185). In spite of Gatsby’s great achievements in his life-time, he was not given anything, as a boy he knew he must be disciplined and work hard to seize his dreams. Gatsby’s parents did not have the ambition that over-whelmed Gatsby, and they did not push him to accomplish his dreams, success was solely accomplished by Gatsby’s will to do whatever it

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby

    1133 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart, and all they can do is blankly stare.”

    Read More

  • The American Dream In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

    1522 Words  | 4 Pages

    Now that Gatsby’s entire life’s work is purposeless, his death is easily foreshadowed. Fitzgerald uses this dismal realization to reiterate that the American dream is impossible and the closer one comes to achieving it, the closer they bring themselves to death.

    Read More

  • The Theme Of The American Dream In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

    1180 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Corruption of the American Dream in the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    1440 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald employs the use of characters, themes, and symbolism to convey the idea of the American Dream and its corruption through the aspects of wealth, family, and status. In regards to wealth and success, Fitzgerald makes clear the growing corruption of the American Dream by using Gatsby himself as a symbol for the corrupted dream throughout the text. In addition, when portraying the family the characters in Great Gatsby are used to expose the corruption growing in the family system present in the novel. Finally, the American longing for status as a citizen is gravely overshot when Gatsby surrounds his life with walls of lies in order to fulfill his desires for an impure dream. F. Scot. Fitzgerald, through his use of symbols, characters, and theme, displays for the reader a tale that provides a commentary on the American dream and more importantly on its corruption.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby: American Dream or American Nightmare?

    1747 Words  | 4 Pages

    The American Dream, a long standing ideal embodies the hope that one can achieve financial success, political power, and everlasting love through dedication and hard work. During the Roaring 20s, people in America put up facades to mask who they truly were. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald conveys that the American Dream is simply an illusion, that is idealist and unreal. In the novel, Gatsby, a wealthy socialite pursues his dream, Daisy. In the process of pursuing Daisy, Gatsby betrays his morals and destroys himself. Through the eyes of the narrator, Nick, one sees the extent of the corruption Gatsby is willing to undertake in order to achieve his dream. Although Fitzgerald applauds the American Dream he warns against the dangers of living in a world full of illusions and deceit; a trait common during the Roaring 20s. The language and plot devices Fitzgerald uses convey that lies and facades, which were common during the Guided Age, destroys one’s own character and morals. Through Fitzgerald use of symbolism, expectations, and relationships, he explores the American dream, and how it is an illusion that corrupts and destroys lives.

    Read More

More about The Great Gatsby

Open Document