Growing up, Americans begin to form dreams, or goals,based on where they want to go in life. These dreams may change over time, or remain the same, but they are always the focus of an American’s life. However, there comes a point in life when you must decide whether to continue chasing your dream or to face reality and give up and illusions you may have about your life. The plot of two American-based stories, “Sunset Blvd”, directed by Billy Wilder, and The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, revolve around this conflict of illusion, or dreams, against reality and facing the facts of life. Both “Sunset Blvd” and The Great Gatsby ultimately side with illusion and dreaming over reality, a decision which becomes solidified by the closing scenes in both tales, and the death of a main character.
“Sunset Blvd” is not subtle in stating illusion will win out over reality. After all, Norma Desmond, the aged silent movie star who deludes herself into believing that she will be famous again, kills Joe Gillis, our involved narrator and voice of reason. But before we analyze the dramatic pool scene, which dispels any idea that “Sunset Blvd” sides with reality, we must first look at the characters, the embodiments of dreams and of reality in this movie. Norma Desmond, who dreams of rising to greatness again, refuses to believe that time has passed and that she no longer has any fans. Max, her butler and first husband, feeds into this facade by writing her fan mail, encouraging her
One in twenty-five people suffer from borderline personality disorder, a condition where a pervasive pattern of instability in interpersonal relations and self-image form at the beginning of early adulthood and continue on. Jay Gatsby pathologically has an excessive and erotic interest in himself and his physical attributes and appearance, which makes him classify as a narcissist. Narcissism and borderline personality disorder can combine together to make a unique set of symptoms, such as a need for admiration, a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, a grandiose sense of self-importance, being interpersonally exploitative, preoccupation with excessive fantasies of success and ideal love, and frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment. In cases that exhibit a grandiose sense of self-importance, a person may exaggerate personal achievements and expect to be superior and be recognized for said achievements. Gatsby has a myriad of these symptoms and behaviors; and, like in most cases, his condition led to a death because of his unfathomable obsession with Daisy, trying to earn her love and compassion, and attempts at altering the past. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby exemplifies symptoms and mental attributes associated with narcissistic borderline personality disorder.
“It is the elusive Gatsby, the cynical idealist, who embodies America in all of its messy glory.” Clearly as Adam Cohen asserts in his New York Times article “Jay Gatsby, Dreamer, Criminal, Jazz Age Rogue, Is a Man for Our Times”, this phenomenon is indeed true in that the American Dream is presented in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby as an idea that has been depraved into a dream characterized by the constant shift in ethics and fraudulence centered around materialistic visions of opulence and wealth.
In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, the principle character, Jay Gatsby makes an exhaustive effort in his quest for the American Dream. The novel is Fitzgerald's vessel of commentary and criticism of the American Dream. “Fitzgerald defines this Dream, he depicts its’ beauty and irresistible lure”(Bewley 113). Through Gatsby's downfall, Fitzgerald expresses the futility and agony of the pursuit of the dream.
Since American literature’s emergence, the American dream has become a conceptual ideal for many people throughout history. Although the dream has its own distinct aspects throughout different time periods, it predominantly focuses on the foundations of wealth, success and a desire for something greater. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s fiction novel, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby, the protagonist, is primarily known for the numerous lavish parties he throws each weekend at his ostentatious mansion in West Egg in an attempt to reunite with Daisy Buchanan, a woman he falls in love with prior to entering the war before the Roaring Twenties. However, he is seized with an impotent realization on the fact that his wealth cannot afford him the same privileges as others that are born into the upper echelon. Gatsby is completely blinded from his opulent possessions until he becomes oblivious of the fact that money cannot buy love or happiness. Throughout the story, the predilection for materialistic features causes many characters to lose sight of their aspirations, demonstrating how a dream can become easily corrupt by one’s focus on acquiring wealth and power.
The movie Sunset Boulevard written by Billy Wilder highlights the screenwriter’s potential of making a reflexive film more than focusing on the style and aesthetics. The movie revolves around the life of a fallen silent movie star, Norma Desmond, and her fame delusions. With the introduction of the sound in the film industry, she is brushed off and forgotten not only by her associates but also by her dear fans. This lifestyle change caused her to be drawn into the world of superstardom and luxury that she developed for herself in mind. Her universe involved her mansion full of photos framed of her memories and herself in her past. She identifies very strong with her condition that once it is
Holden contemplates moving out west by himself to fulfill his desire of independence, leaving Phoebe, the only person who truly cares for him, behind in the process. When Holden returns home from Pencey, he explains to Phoebe that he got expelled from school. Phoebe expresses her great concern for Holden’s safety from their father, but Holden reassures her he has a plan. He tells her “In the first place, [he’s] going away. What [he] may do, [he] may get a job on a ranch or something for a while. [he knows] this guy whose grandfather’s got a ranch in colorado. [He] may get a job out there… [He’ll] keep in touch with [Phoebe] and all when [he’s] gone, if [he goes]” (Salinger 165). “I’m going away” makes Holden sound like he has committed to departing. “I may get a job out there” highlights how Holden has thought this through and how he wants to continue with this idea. However, “may” connotes a sense of uncertainty which portrays his corrupt morals because he does not have a definite plan for when he reaches the west, but he will abandon his sister anyways. Holden reassures Phoebe he will still be there for her by saying “I’ll keep in touch”, even though he decided to leave her. Holden’s explanation to Phoebe about moving fulfills his wants and will make him independent, however he will be leaving Phoebe behind, who is the only person who truly cares about him since his parents are never around and uninvolved. Later on in the novel, Holden finally decides to leave for the
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby focuses on the corruption of the American dream during the 1920‘s. For the duration of this time period, the American dream was no longer about hard work and reaching a set goal, it had become materialistic and immoral. Many people that had honest and incorruptible dreams, such as Jay Gatsby, used corrupted pathways to realize their fantasy. People’s carelessness was shown through their actions and speech towards others. Fitzgerald uses characterization and symbolism from different characters and items to convey the corruption of the American dream.
The first part of achieving any dream is working hard for it, but does everything always go as planned? In the novel, The Great Gatsby, one particular journey stands out among the rest. Gatsby, once a poor man, embodies the idea of the American Dream and making the impossible possible. The importance of putting forth this effort is seen when Nick says, “he had thrown himself into it with a creative passion, adding to it all the time” (95). The American Dream is a multistep process. First, one must envision the dream. Second, a step by step process must be observed rather than expecting immediate success. At times, events occur that act as barriers to these steps. Gatsby’s dream is represented by the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock, which symbolizes his vision, the future,
F. Scott Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896. He was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and his parents were both born in Maryland and Irish. You could say he grew up very lower middle class. Fitzgerald’s views of relationships began at an early age. It was interesting because many of his best books came from the idea that women & men relationships is just a game with one person ending up being a winner. He claimed to forever have a jazz-age attitude that would stick with him for life, and it worked. F. Scott Fitzgerald died December 21, 1940 at the young age of 44.
America was built upon the idea of freedom and opportunity, the idea that everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve success through hard work and determination. However, hard work and determination can only get someone so far. Despite one’s ambitions to live out the American Dream, it is rare to see someone surpass one’s social class based purely on the desire to succeed. Instead, this social climb is controlled by those already in control of power and wealth. This correlation between wealth and social status is also displayed in athletics. It is a known fact that athletes have a special talent for the sport they partake in. However, there are many people who excel at a sport but are unheard of primarily because they lack the funding and sponsorship from the rich. The American Dream is false hope that is criticized in one of America’s greatest piece of literature, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Although America is a placed filled with opportunity, one 's opportunity is limited by the supremacy of the upper class; Therefore, The Great Gatsby remains the Great American Novel by revealing the corruption in society’s hierarchy that is still prominent in modern society.
“That locality is always vaguely disquieting, even in the broad glare of afternoon, and now I turned my head as though I had been warned of something behind. Over the ashheaps the giant eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleberg kept their vigil, but I perceived, after a moment, that someone’s eyes were regarding us with peculiar intensity from less than twenty feet away”(Fitzgerald 124). The eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleberg watches over all the characters while they live in what they consider the “American dream”. The Great Gatsby, a historical fiction novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, speaks to the readers about the illusion of the American dream. Gatsby’s life and death is a product of an illusion because of Gatsby’s determination for wealth in his youth, the unlawful money he receives, and Gatsby’s love for “old money”.
Oftentimes society gets so caught up in achieving greatness that it is blinded to the obstacles of reality. The American Dream can sometimes be so unachievable yet so alluring that people cannot help but strive after it as if it were their destiny. Fitzgerald highlights this phenomenon in his novel The Great Gatsby through many characters and their pursuit of their own American Dreams. Fitzgerald uses figurative language and contrasting diction to show his cynical attitude about the pursuit of the American Dream and the blindness of those who believe in it.
The disillusionment of the American Dream is a frequent but important written theme in the American literature. Fitzgerald’s famous book The Great Gatsby is one of the most important representative works that reflects this theme. F. Scott Fitzgerald is best known for his novels and short stories which chronicle the excesses of America's Jazz Age during the 1920s. His classic twentieth-century story of Jay Gatsby examines and critiques Gatsby's particular vision of the 1920's American Dream. The Great Gatsby can be seen as a far-reaching book that has revealed many serious and hidden social problems at that time. As one of the most popular and financially successful
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, is a one of the best stories written during a chaotic period in our nation’s history, The Jazz Age. The Twenties were a time of social experiments, self-indulgence, and dissatisfaction for majority of Americans. Fitzgerald depicts all these characteristics throughout the novel with his interesting themes, settings, and characters. The most elaborate and symbolic character Fitzgerald presents to his readers is Jay Gatsby. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby as a vehicle to explore the idea of The American Dream, which was a key element in shaping American society and it’s citizens. Fitzgerald does not sugar-coat his definition of the
After World War I, America offered the potential for boundless financial and social opportunities for those willing to work hard—an American Dream. The American Dream is defined as someone starting low on the economic or social level, and working hard towards prosperity and or wealth and fame. Establishing fame, becoming wealthy, having lavish luxuries, and a happy family would come to symbolize this dream. For some, however, striving for and realizing that dream ruined them, as many acquired wealth only to pursue pleasure. Even though the characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby appear to relish the freedom of the 1920s, their lives demonstrate the emptiness that results when wealth and pleasure become ends in themselves. Specifically, the empty lives of three characters from this novel— George Wilson, Jay Gatsby, and Daisy Buchanan—show that chasing hollow dreams results only in misery.