Comparison of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby and “Winter Dreams”

The term “The American Dream” was coined in 1931 by American writer James Truslow Adams and described America as a place of opportunity based on one’s ability and hard work. Although the term originated in 1931, the fundamental ideas of the American Dream debuted in 1920’s society and contrasted greatly with previous notions of a stagnant class structure. This was due to the booming post-WWI economy, which provided an increase in accessibility to leisure items and activities, allowing luxuries typically reserved for the upper class to be enjoyed by the masses. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, reflects these social and economic changes. The novel follows the rise and fall of Jay Gatsby, who achieved prosperity in spite of being born the son of a poor, North Dakota farmer. Though many believed in an emergence of class mobility in the 1920’s, the novel The Great Gatsby demonstrates the ultimate inaccessibility of the American Dream - a holistic realization of social and economic equality.

The similarities between Dexter and Gatsby are why “Winter Dreams” is a prototype of The Great Gatsby. In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is a man that is born into a poor family but gets rich through illegal work, which is similar to Dexter in “Winter Dreams”, who is also poor at first but then gets rich through a laundry company. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald writes about Gatsby’s becoming by explaining that his parents are unsuccessful farm people that he does not see as a parents and he leaves to lead a new life as a rich man (Fitzgerald 98). Gatsby starts off as a poor man who wants to be someone else. He creates a better version of himself , a version that is not dragged down by poverty. Gatsby wants to be a successful person in life and changing his identity to break away from his lower class lifestyle was his way to do it. Later on, Gatsby uses this to become rich and get back with Daisy. In “Winter Dreams”, Dexters main dreams are to be successful and get Judy. His motivation for quitting his caddy job and starting his laundry company is to gain money, and in turn, win over Judy. Both men are influenced by women and their desperation to get them as well as their desire to be more than what class they were born into. Although the characters are very similar they show differences in how Dexter views his relationship with Judy and how Gatsby perceives his relationship with Daisy. In “Winter Dreams” Fitzgerald shows the two characters differences by writing “The dream was gone [...] ‘long ago, there was something in me, but now that thing

“Winter Dreams” was published in 1926 by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald was well known for his novel “The Great Gatsby”. Both “Winter Dreams” and “Great Gatsby” both have a common theme. The failure of the American dream, and the poor boy falling in love with a rich girl. Most of his writings depict the jazz age and what they are. “Winter Dreams” was about a young boy dreaming of this perfect life. But in the end his dream turns sour and ‘his life falls apart knowing that his dream has fallen apart. F. Scott Fitzgerald demonstrates characterization throughout the whole short story. The setting is very significant in this story because it paints the backstory, and helps visualize what's happening during the story. The author also uses the theme to convey the lesson of “Winter Dreams”. F. Scott Fitzgerald in “The Winter Dream” depicts the fallacy of the American dream because no

Jay Gatsby and Dexter Green possess similar character traits, they both come from new money and feel incomplete without somebody from their past.

The American dream is often described as the desire for social mobility and the opportunity for wealth and success for all. According to Laura Goldblatt, author of Can’t Repeat the Past: Great Gatsby and the American Dream, “The term ‘American Dream’ provides a shorthand for aspirations that include the desire for social mobility, the ideals of freedom, and a non-hierarchical society,” (1) Of course, while there is an overall definition of the American dream, its interpretation varies from person to person. For some, it is the white picket fence and upper-middle class ideology. For others, it’s the dream of being able to support their families with their hardwork and dedication. However, for Jay Gatsby, it is only to gain wealth and success that will lead him to earn the love of Daisy Buchanan. To him, Daisy was his American dream and he would do anything, buy anything and give anything to have her, as shown throughout F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Gatsby’s interpretation of the American dream is best encapsulated through his relentless pursuit to obtain Daisy’s love and attention. Although he used a showy appearance of wealth and prosperity to fulfill his desire for Daisy’s attention, the readers realize that money could not buy her affection in the long term, that Gatsby only committed to a life of extravagance for the sole purpose of wooing Daisy Buchanan, and he died sad and alone with his version of the American Dream never being fully realized.

The American Dream, something we all dream to prosper, however differs from each one of us. Whether it be to obtain riches or love, or simply live happy, we all aspire to cross that finish line at the end of day. The universal theme of the American Dream is presented throughout The Great Gatsby, and is shown throughout many of the characters in which many are emptied, because of their lust for money. For instance, in the novel The Great Gatsby the main character Gatsby shows downfall for the American Dream, because of his ambition, and corruption. The character expresses his downfall through his traits of ambition, and resilience in obtaining his materialistic riches, and most important living happy ever after with his “nice” girl Daisy, the one who got away.

The backgrounds of these two characters, Gatsby and Dexter, dictate how they make decisions when attempting to win Daisy’s and Judy’s affections. “Dexter Green’s father owned the second best grocery-store in Black Bear--the best one was “The Hub,”patronized by the wealthy people from Sherry Island--and Dexter caddied only for pocket-money.” (Fitzgerald 1) Because Dexter grew up with a surplus amount of money he was therefore not as determined to be with the girl of their dreams. Although the author reiterated throughout the short story that Dexter wanted to be with Judy, he does not actually do anything drastic to get Judy’s attention. Instead, he waits for Judy to approach him and acts quite serene when they are together. “He had been full of the idea so long, dreamed it right through to the end, waited with his teeth set, so to speak, at an inconceivable pitch of intensity.” (Fitzgerald 97). Because Gatsby grew up in the absence of money and only acquired what he had through strenuous work, he was not willing to let his dream go as easily as Dexter. He held onto his dream of being with Daisy until his life came to an abrupt end. Although Gatsby and Dexter both created elaborate dreams for themselves that were seemingly flawless, their dreams’ success was dictated by just one character’s

There's always a start and an end to a dream. From the start line to the finish line of living out the dream. Gatsby represents the American Dream, he had started near the start line. The start line represents that there's both an advantage & disadvantages, the certain kind that not everyone has the same opportunities for and they’re not in the same social status.

The American Dream: Is is fact or fiction? In the United States’ Declaration of Independence, our founding fathers set forth the idea of an American Dream by providing us with the recognizable phrase “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”. The green light at the end of Daisy Buchanan’s dock symbolizes Jay Gatsby’s “Pursuit of Happiness” in the novel, The Great Gatsby, set in the 1920s on Long Island, New York. The American Dream can be defined as “the belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society where upward mobility is possible for everyone. The American Dream is achieved through sacrifice, risk-taking, and hard work, not by chance” (Fontinelle, Amy). At the birth of our country in 1776, our founding fathers introduced the American Dream as a personal desire to pursue happiness; however, the pursuit of happiness was not intended to promote self-indulgence, rather to act as a catalyst to encourage an entrepreneurial spirit. As our country has changed, the idea of the American Dream, in some cases, has evolved into the pursuit of one’s own indulgences such as material gain regardless of the consequences.

What is the American Dream? Is it wealth and power? Or is it liberty and freedom? The American Dream is different for every individual. In Gatsby’s case, his dream revolves around the pursuit of Daisy. The Declaration of Independence states, “All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and pursuit of Happiness.” This statement compresses the wide array of American Dreams into one statement. The pursuit of happiness is different for every human being. Gatsby’s dream was to rise out of a low economic level and into high wealth, winning Daisy over along the way. “The dream of finding fortune, fame, and true love is something that almost all Americans strive for” (Galley). Gatsby was too ambitious in the pursuit of his dream. During his struggle for Daisy, he failed to recognize that his vision was not attainable. The American Dream causes corruption in the world.

The 1920s was a time of dramatic and political change, a time of lavish parties, and excessive spending. F. Scott Fitzgerald does a phenomenal job in portraying the twenties. In which Fitzgerald depicts ‘rich being richer’, new money vs old money, and the American Dream. The American dream is where someone starts economically low and works hard to gain prosperity. Gatsby represents the American Dream and Nick is attracted to Gatsby.

F. Scott Fitzgerald's works, the novel The Great Gatsby and the story “Winter Dreams” illustrates that the main characters Jay Gatsby and Dexter Green both face challenges in achieving the American Dream because of sacrifices to gain wealth and status; this theme is clearly revealed through the pursue to erase their lower-class beginnings and revitalize a treasured romance.

literature has meaning and a sturdy purpose. Three words with important meaning in society appear in

There is no doubt that both Dexter Green and Jay Gatsby are destroyed by their ambition. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s two stories Winter Dreams and The Great Gatsby, both main characters lose their goals when they chase after them too much. The Great Gatsby is about a man who returns from war to chase after a previous sweetheart of his, despite her already being married. Winter Dreams is about a man who falls in love with a woman purely to prove he can fit in her social class. Despite the slight differences in their plots, both of the main characters a blinded by a hopeless love, are willing to do anything to reach their goals, and ultimately end up destroying themselves. There are several direct parallels between Gatsby and Green.

One of the most influential writers of the early 20th century was a man named F. Scott Fitzgerald. The biggest topic that he wrote about was the American Dream. Fitzgerald uses many different aspects of writing to get his opinion across, such as the outcome of stories like The Great Gatsby and “Winter Dreams”. He also uses the setting and to explain his beliefs. Based of his work, Fitzgerald believes the American dream is not only unrealistic, but also unattainable.