Great Gatsby Equality

“... it is a story about failure and death, an idealistic quest for unworthy goals, and the almost total collapse of the aspirations of nearly all of the principal characters” (Nagel 113). The Great Gatsby is a story that represents people’s unachieved aspirations that lead to a sad existence and ultimately death. They are all trying to attain one thing, the American Dream. The American Dream is almost impossible to attain and that is why a lot of people failed when it came to living out the American Dream. In Fitzgerald’s, “The Great Gatsby”, Gatsby tries to attain the American Dream through Daisy throughout the whole novel but fails and is left heartbroken.

Dreams are a compelling force in people’s lives. They are what propel them forward each and every day in an effort to reach something better. The American Dream has been sought after by millions all over the world for hundreds of years. This country was founded on the belief that anyone could achieve their dreams. However, in the 1920s these hopes and aspirations began to splinter until they ultimately shattered. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbolism, setting, and theme to depict the unattainability of the American Dream.

The first dream that does not get fulfilled is the one of Gatsby. He starts off as an underprivileged boy and struggles his way to the top. We make his acquaintance when he is on the top of his life. He is enjoying his big house and his vast wealth. The one thing he cannot have is his lovely Daisy. Gatsby’s story reflects the “classical” American dream: Anyone can make anything of himself/herself with just elbow grease, spirit and a whole lot of confidence. Jay loves Daisy and, sadly, she is the one thing which he cannot procure to his “perfect life”.

Gatsby believed that in order to fulfill his own concept of the American Dream he needed to win Daisy’s love, and to do that he would need to “establish himself as Somebody.” Although he loves Daisy, he also sees her as more of a goal – a step toward the perfect life promised by the American Dream. In a way, Gatsby views Daisy much the way

The idea of American Dream as presented by F. Scott Fitzgerald in the Great Gatsby novel involves rising from poverty or rags to richness and wealthy. The American Dream exemplifies that elements such as race, gender, and ethnicity are valueless as they do not influence the ability of an individual to rise to power and richness. This American Dream makes the assumption that concepts such as xenophobia are non-existent in America a concept that is not true and shows vagueness of the American Dream. In his novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the Great Gatsby to demonstrate the overall idea of living the American dream. Gatsby leaves his small village of farmers and manages to work his way up the ladder although some of the money he uses to climb the ladder is associated with crime “He was a son of God and he must be about His Father's Business, the service of a vast, vulgar and meretricious beauty” (Fitzgerald 6.7). This phrase shows that Gatsby wasn’t meant for a life similar to that of his father but rather destined for greatness. However, his dream his short-lived and he doesn’t make it to the top as Daisy who is a symbol of his wealthy rejects her and a series of events transpire that result in his death before he could live his American Dream alongside everyone else who was working up the ladder to live the American Dream.

During the 1920’s, most Americans cared about their wealth and social standing. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald displays the characters striving for happiness, love, and wealth, in which none of the characters can have all of the options in the life they have. He does this to explain his own struggle with his American dream by never having a lot of money, never being a very successful writer, and losing his golden girl. Fitzgerald portrays his pessimistic view on the struggle of fulfilling the American dream by portraying different types of people trying to achieve their own dreams with the obstacles of social status, and the influence of reputation getting in the way of their individual dreams.

No average American can reach the “dream” without a major struggle. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald the author shows that the American Dream can only be accomplished by those who have a social advantage. You can see those differences in between characters throughout the whole book. The "American Dream" fails several times, which F. Scott Fitzgerald describes in his book.

In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald critiques the idea that America is a meritocracy and that anyone can achieve the American Dream and become rich and successful if they just work hard enough. Moreover, Fitzgerald represents the American Dream with a pessimistic perspective such as it being a doomed journey to wealth, prosperity, and a high social status as opposed to the conventional: it being an act of settling down, having a family, and providing for them. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald uses the socioeconomic status of his characters, their actions, and the settings in which they live in to justify the illusory nature of the American Dream.

The Great Gatsby is a novel that illustrates the society in the 1920's and the associated beliefs, values and dreams of the American population at that time. These beliefs, values and dreams can be summed up be what is termed the "American Dream", a dream of money, wealth, prosperity and the happiness that supposedly came with the booming economy and get-rich-quick schemes that formed the essential underworld of American upper-class society. This underworld infiltrated the upper echelons and created such a moral decay within general society that paved the way for the ruining of dreams and dashing of hopes as they were placed confidently in the chance for opportunities that could be seized by one and all. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates the

In the 1920’s the United States was rapidly changing. World war 1 was great for American businesses, and the economy grew immensely. Americans, of all races and gender, were living the high life, and the American dream was born. The idea of this dream was that everyone should be rich, happy, loving, and can be if they work hard enough. The American dream was very diverse and looked different for everyone; women were completely new people, African Americans were free, and immigrants were flooding into America. In the story, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald does a poor job of portraying the American dream for most of the country.

The Great Gatsby is set in post WWI America and at the time, the American dream was for any hardworking person to be able to achieve success and happiness regardless of their background or social class. This was a time of great change and revolution with the roaring twenties and rising middle class.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of The Great Gatsby, relates and connects to the themes that are prominent in Gatsby through his life history and experiences. Fitzgerald’s father failed to be a successful business man, so the family had to rely on Fitzgerald 's mother’s family for support. Additionally, Fitzgerald is similar to the narrator of Gatsby, Nick Carraway, because he too grew up with wealthy friends despite only being middle class. The Great Gatsby was placed in the nineteen-twenties; the decade after the war. The decade is known as the roaring twenties and is a time where people are starting to build a life for themselves. The American dream became a significant ideal as many Americans began to start their lives. Unfortunately, a great number of people strived for wealth, but it is the wealthy that are discontent and live unfulfilling lives. It is according to the American dream that anyone should be able to have their dream; except, it is the poor and lower class that struggle to attain their goals through honest means. Finally, no amount of hard work can change the social class barriers that exist to divide the lower class and the upper class. The American dream is an ideal created to instill Americans with the idea that with hard work, determination, and initiative they can achieve success and prosperity; however, this is unrealistic and unachievable. After the war, many people started to build a life for themselves whether it be by starting a business or

For generations many have immigrated to this great nation know, as the United states of America, all seeking for their share of the American dream. The American dream is the philosophy that anyone can become successful through hard work and perseverance. The 1920’s embodies this concept like no other decade in American history. It is also during this time frame that one sees the perversion of this dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald suggests in his novel, The Great Gatsby that there is a right and wrong way to obtain the American dream. Throughout the novel, Gatsby is symbolic for the materialistic nature of the American dream and its corruption in the 20th century.

his origins, could succeed in life on the sole basis of his or her own skill and

The Great Gatsby represents the unachievable American dream through presenting Gatsby as a man whose dream “must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it” (Source A). The quote goes on to say that Gatsby’s dream is already behind him. Across the novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays the American dream as unachievable. Some might argue that the American dream does not occur as a major theme in the novel and it is not prominent in real life. This is untrue due to the fact that not only does the idea of the American dream play a major role in the novel, it also develops America and it’s citizens everyday. Fulfilling the American dream has been an ambition for dozens of years; Fitzgerald’s portrayal of Gatsby’s American dream, the real life American dream, and how this dream means something different for every person all help to show this aspiration.