Modern Dream Essay : Tom Ford And The Modern Day Jay Gatsby

The ideal American Dream can be portrayed in many different ways, though generally based upon the idea of opportunity for upward mobility within society. While people move to the top of society, they accumulate the perceived good things in life: the perfect partner, high social status and respect in the workplace to go along with the unlimited wealth and power. This idea is dated all the way back to the beginning of American literature. In the past, Americans started with the basic needs and only the things they needed to get by in life. Now families are transforming into a life view filled with the perfect life, nice car, large house, and the ideal family. In The Great Gatsby the main character Jay Gatsby was born into a family with no

“... 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.

There are many similarities involving the main characters in the books The Great Gatsby and A Raisin in the Sun. For example, they are similar because their entire lives revolve around money. Also, they define their lives by determining what social class they live in. Another main likeness between the two is that they reside in large cities. Which leads to problems that people in rural communities wouldn’t have. On the other hand, they also have major differences. One is wealthy, the other lives in poverty. Jay Gatsby lives in a paradise-like community in New York, while Walter Younger and his family live in the slums of Chicago. Another difference between them is their race. Jay, being a white, is a well respected individual in his part

If the American Dream is the hope of attaining success, Jay Gatsby of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby by all appearances achieved the American Dream. If success is equal to materialism, then Gatsby was indeed successful. He used his display of wealth and possessions to gain the approval of his true love Daisy Buchanan. Some would argue, however, that this does not represent the American Dream accurately, but is a warning of how materialism can lead to the downfall of individuals and societies. “The Great Gatsby proves to be of both literary and philosophical significance as it explores deep questions of both the 1920s United States and human beings as a whole.” (tycary, from website Teen Ink) In post WWI 1920s America, society was changing rapidly from its traditional Mid-western values to a more “Eastern,” modern and open-minded society due to “new economic prosperity and technological advances that led to an age of rationalism.” (tycary, from website Teen Ink) Women had been forced out of the home and into the work-place during the war and gained voting rights as well. They were moving toward equality and this freedom allowed them to enjoy activities that were once enjoyed only by men. Prohibition, originating from strict conservatives in the Western US, failed to reduce the crime rate and instead instigated the rise of bootleggers and speak easies. The wealthy spent their time impressing their friends with elaborate parties of drinking, smoking and dancing.

Two characters that may have struck the audience to have nothing in common but internally have many similarities. They might have completely different actions in situations, different looks on the way of life, and different goal in the end of their time, but are very similar in certain aspects. These two characters are Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway. Jay Gatsby is a middle aged man that came from nothing but has now has worked his way to have “everything.” He came from a poor family but became incredibly rich. He did not achieve his success in the best way, but he made it. He owns a huge mansion on West Egg that he would have never been able to afford in his past. Nick Carraway is the narrator of the story. So, the readers get to actually hear

Being wealthy is one of the things that Tom and Gatsby have in common. For both of them, maintaining a high social status is a priority. They strive to be financially successful. Tom went to a wealthy school and he flaunts his money with expensive sports cars. Gatsby, on the other hand, shows his need for wealth when he quits

Jay Gatsby is a self-made man, he turned himself from a farm boy to one of the richest men in America at the time and bought himself a beautiful mansion on West Egg, Long Island with the other new millionaires. In contrast to the newly rich, there are those who have inherited their wealth from family before them such as Tom and Daisy Buchanan. These people were lucky to be born into their lives and reside on East Egg along with other family’s with “old money”. Readers come to easily

1. The green light, situated at the end of the Buchanan’s dock, represents Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for the future. Gatsby associates the light with Daisy and in Chapter one, he reaches toward it

In the great Gatsby, There are 2 different classes being shown between characters. Tom and Gatsby are the 2 most wealthy people in the story. Socially , Gatsby hides his origins, he pretends he has a higher status. This highlights the distinctions made in American society between ‘old money’ and the ‘new money’ or ‘newly rich’ such as Dan Cody and Gatsby . In chapter 6, Tom clearly recognises the social distinction, while Gatsby does not, causing him to be excluded from the supper party. Gatsby's wealth is more about criminal things, throwing parties and driving nice cars and over all having the “American Dream”, and based off Gatsbys definition of it, most americans

In both texts, we see characters that struggle with personal identity as a result of rigid social boundaries. For Gatsby this means creating an entirely new persona based on his brief love encounter with Daisy. The illusion that he can ‘repeat the past’ , shapes and moulds him into becoming an individual that he, himself no longer completely recognises. It is almost as though Gatsby is so consumed by the character he has created he almost believes his fabricated truths. This is particularly noticeable when Gatsby explains he “lived

Jay Gatsby lies about how he got his money and , leaving everyone in his past behind. Gatsby says he comes from wealth “I am the son of some wealthy people in the Middle West all dead now. I was brought up in America but educated at Oxford, because all my ancestors have been educated there for many years. It is a family

So most the times Jay committed crimes multiple times to get money. The quote best examples Gatsby by saying “ Gatsby didn 't even achieve all of his wealth through hard work, like the American dream would stipulate instead he earned money through crime.” One of the crimes he committed was that he would sell alcohol for some quick cash.

     F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a tragic tale of love distorted by obsession. Finding himself in the city of New York, Jay Gatsby is a loyal and devoted man who is willing to cross oceans and build mansions for his one true love. His belief in realistic ideals and his perseverance greatly influence all the decisions he makes and ultimately direct the course of his life. Gatsby has made a total commitment to a dream, and he does not realize that his dream is hollow. Although his intentions are true, he sometimes has a crude way of getting his point across. When he makes his ideals heard, his actions are wasted on a thoughtless and shallow society. Jay Gatsby effectively embodies a romantic idealism

     Perception and reality do not always align. Is true love really true love, or is it a farce, a self-created mythical re-interpretation of the thing we hold so dear? In The Great Gatsby, is Gatsby really in love with Daisy, or his vision of her? Does she feel the same way for him, or does she truly love him? And what does the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock mean to Gatsby?

Even though there are clear external differences between Jay Gatsby and George Wilson, there are also similarities between them. First off, both Gatsby and Wilson seek women that are romantically involved with Tom. Even though Wilson is already married to his woman, Gatsby goes on having an affair. They both want acceptance of these women and they both come from a very working-class background. They both want recognition of these women, and they both come from the background of the working class itself. Wilson is working for an honest life trying to stretch every dollar, Gatsby working illegally, regularly throwing away money.