Greed And The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

Gatsby and the American Dream Have you ever wondered who could ever live the American dream? In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is the main character and in love with something he does not have, but lives a dream to others. He has all the money he needs to throw parties and have fancy things. Gatsby is considered to be living the American Dream. In the book by F. Scott Fitzgerald shows how Gatsby represents and lives the American dream. In the book The Great Gatsby, it shows how Gatsby lives the American Dream.

The American dream is the belief that all Americans can achieve personal happiness and success through hard work, initiative, and determination. It says that all people should and do have the opportunity to achieve this. It was meant to encourage Americans to strive for their dreams and make an attempt to turn dreams into reality. The Great Gatsby shows how the American dream is represented by the American people. Fitzgerald, however, uses symbolism to show that the American dream is corrupted due to Americans’ view of it and how they strive to achieve it.

The Great Gatsby may appear as a novel containing dramatic, twisted relationships; however, the main theme has to do with the culture of the 1920s, and how it leads to the downfall of the American Dream. The 1920s were an age of change: politically and socially. The nation’s wealth nearly doubled, leading many Americans into a prosperous society, while others experienced extreme poverty (The Roaring). People began performing, women wore flapper dresses and smoked; it was very much a popular time to be bold. One major event that contributed to the culture change in the 1920s was the ban on alcohol. The 18th Amendment to the Constitution banned the manufacture and sale of liquors, which closed every bar and tavern around. Even though it was illegal to sell alcohol, people still found a way to purchase it through speakeasies. Young people had the time of their lives during the early 1920s by attending parties every weekend containing excessive alcohol. Many of the older generations, however, were unsure of this new culture because it was so different from the norm. Drinking was a symbol of all they disliked about the contemporary city, and eliminating alcohol would, they believed, turn back to an earlier time.

Life in the Roaring 20’s was a flurry of parties and money mostly made by illegal activities, such as bootlegging, since the Prohibition and Volstead Act were both in effect. This is the setting in which The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald took place. It offers a look into the life of the eccentric Jay Gatsby, the man known for his extravagant parties. There was one thing that money could never buy him though, and that was the love of his dream girl, Daisy Buchanan. The Great Gatsby tells the story of hope, love, betrayal and death. Daisy Buchanan, the golden girl, lives a prosperous life in “old money” East Egg, while her past love Jay Gatsby lives across the bay in West Egg, the land of new money.

In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of the themes that is clearly shown is the American Dream and the expectations. The main character of the book, Jay Gatsby depicts the corrupted and uncorrupted versions of the American Dream. Jay worked arduously ever since he was a child and he achieved his corrupted dream, wealth. Gatsby’s dreams were incomplete, he was missing an important feeling, love. Jay couldn't get with his dream girl Daisy. The theme that gathered from the book is an unfulfilled American Dream and the expectations that Gatsby made for himself.

According to Lily Rothman from TIME, “People whose annual income is between $50,000 and $74,999 are happier than people who earn between $75,000 and $99,999.” This startling statistic relates to how Gatsby, a very rich man, felt. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, it is revealed that even if you are successful and rich, you may not be able to find happiness. This reveals the idea of the “American Dream” is a complete myth, because even if you succeed in life, it doesn’t mean you will be happy. Fitzpatrick shows this theme by making Jay Gatsby unable to get Daisy Buchanan, the girl he wants, when he is a poor, young man.

The 1920’s was a period of time where many people held the belief that they could diminish the power held by the established elite and provide social mobility for everyone. Prior to this time period, many Americans were more frugal, and it was harder for families to truly escape the cycle of poverty they had struggled with for so long. These new modern beliefs encouraged people to go against the traditional role society had given them. Prominent characters from the novel The Great Gatsby attempted to pursue this newfound American Dream held by society. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the belief that people could obtain social mobility conflicted with the reality that the traditional social hierarchy was only accessible for high class Americans.

The pursuit of any happiness, or success in life is an exciting journey, a journey that not very many people accomplish. Any pursuit of happiness is a dream driven by wealth,fame, and popularity. Money leads the American Dream to be corrupt by placing materialistic values in the lives of Americans. All these materialistic belongings paint a picture of such an amazing life. for those chasing this happiness, Americans believe that there is no greater life without wealth or fame. Today's society no one seems to be happy if they aren't living the dream. So why has the American Dream been corrupted? Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, and The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald explore the corruption of the American Dream.

F. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates the common characteristics of perseverance, hard work, and wealth in 1920s America through the protagonists of The Great Gatsby and how those certain ideals inevitably clash. In a time period swelling with the prospect of wealth and aspiration, The Great Gatsby twists the common ideals of the 1920’s by illustrating the iniquity of these prospects. Protagonist, Jay Gatsby, plays the role of the wealthy cultural icon, throwing grand parties while being adored by many. His intentions, however, resonate on a deeper level than simply rising above in social status. All that Gatsby does is based around winning the heart of his long time love, Daisy Buchanan. While Daisy is beautiful, her beauty is not what mesmerizes Gatsby, but her wealth. Gatsby being born into a poor family generated an obsession with wealth and status that he has worked to attain his whole life. In Daisy he sees wealth, explaining the motives behind Gatsby’s desire while incorporating themes of the American Dream and mendacity. Jay Gatsby epitomizes the American dream which necessitates his obsession with Daisy Buchanan, the personification of wealth. Gatsby’s failure to achieve his goal of winning Daisy illustrates the hypocrisy of the American dream.

In The Great Gatsby, even with all the money in the world, Gatsby was not truly content with his life. Jay Gatsby’s American Dream was to be reunited with his old love, Daisy. He began as unprivileged, but gradually worked his way up to become a “New Egg”. From extravagant galas, to luxury cars and a huge mansion, many would assume he was satisfied.

by the desire for wealth and therefore the American Dream is fraudulent. Fitzgerald weaves a

The American Dream is the ultimate goal which many members of the working class strive to achieve. The main idea of this dream is that with hard work and determination, one can become successful in their field. Despite being a prevalent belief in American culture, this magnificent goal can also take the form of an illusion. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the American Dream is represented by Jay Gatsby’s desperate pining for Daisy Buchanan–an unobtainable goal which will effectively result in a delusional state of being.

On April 10, 1925 F. Scott Fitzgerald published The Great Gatsby, a novel that would later become one of the best known pieces of classic literature in history. However, at the time of its publication, Gatsby was fairly unpopular ad the reviews were never consistent. As shocking as it may seem, I believe it is because Fitzgerald’s intelligence and creativity levels were way ahead of his time, which is evident when one pays close attention to the themes of the novel. Forgiveness, love, and memory of the past are just a few themes you will come across in this story. Aside from these, there is one other theme that is much more dominant and could possibly have been the cause of The Great Gatsby’s slight lack of initial

The American dream for most people is having the opportunity to be successful. Nonetheless, there are many obstacles to overcome such as poverty, racial prejudices, lack of will power, and the unequal chances of opportunity. These obstacles are what prove that the American dream is more of a dream than a reality.

“The Great Gatsby” is known as one of the great American novels set in the 1920s and tells a story of a man named Jay Gatsby and how he tried everything he could to get a girl, Daisy Buchanan, to love him only to end up floating in a pool of his own blood. One main aspect to the whole story is the idea of wealth and money. This can be seen at the front of the novel when Nick Carraway, Daisy’s cousin, talks about where he lives in west egg and that his cousin lives in old money east egg. Each side of town is wealthy but the old money looks down on the new money such as Jay Gatsby. The reason being that the Buchanan’s were born into money and didn’t have to work to obtain their wealth as Gatsby has. Throughout the novel this notion of being rich and wealthy is played out when nick goes to visit his cousin and he talks about her husband Tom Buchanan and how “even in college his freedom with money was a matter for reproach” (Fitzgerald 13) this shows that here is a person who has always been wealthy and has lived a life of luxury. As we find out later in the novel even with all this money and his wife, “the golden girl” (Fitzgerald 255) that he was having an affair leading one to believe that no matter what Tom had is was never enough for him. And one could even think of Gatsby in the same light. What if he did have daisy for himself would that be enough or would it be just