The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

“She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me. It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart she never loved anyone except me!” (Fitzgerald 123). People saw Gatsby as the epiphany of the American Dream. But what actually was the “American Dream”? The American Dream was people who craved money and wealth, both of which Gatsby had attained. Money would allow them to obtain everything they could ever dream of, solve all their problems, most importantly, give them a social status, and with money and status came happiness. “I’ve got a man in England who buys me clothes. He sends over a selection of things at the beginning of each season, spring and fall” (Fitzgerald 98). Gatsby was constantly throwing huge parties with everyone around town showing up uninvited, when in reality, he did it all for one person, Daisy. Gatsby contained the best possessions money could buy, a mansion, clothes, books, cars, etc. “As soon as I arrived, I made an attempt to find my host, but the two or three people whom I asked his whereabouts stared at me in such an amazed way, and denied so vehemently any knowledge of his movements” (Fitzgerald 42). Gatsby hired people to throw elaborate parties for him, he sat back and hoped that

The author Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby as a novel that talks about and covers American issues in the 1920s. He shows in the novel the carelessness and selfishness of everybody at the same time by portraying all of them in the location of west and east egg. Fitzgerald talks about a couple different topics throughout the novel. One of those is," the Attainment of a dream may be less satisfying than the pursuit of it" and the second one is"the American Dream is corrupted by the desire for wealth". He uses those themes to show how americans lived at a different time.

The American Dream is a worldwide known idiom and it emphasizes an ideal of a successful and happy lifestyle which is oftentimes symbolized by the phrase “from rags-to-riches”. It originated out of the ideal of equality, freedom and opportunity that is held to every American. In the last couple of decades the main idea of the American Dream has shifted to becoming a dream in which materialistic values are of a higher importance and status. The Great Gatsby is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925 during the “Jazz Age”. Jay Gatsby is a parvenu who worked himself his way up. He is the main character and he has a quixotic passion for Daisy Buchanan and he has a need for

The American Dream, is an idea that all Americans are familiar with, no matter what age they are. It is the dream that everyone has an equal opportunity, to use hard work and integrity to achieve success. The American Dream is an integral aspect of Jay Gatsby’s life in the novel, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The novel follows Jay Gatsby, as told by Nick Carraway, through the trials and tribulations that correspond with newfound wealth and the quest to find true happiness in a cynical and testing environment. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald suggests that the American Dream has the power to corrupt individuals, through his depictions of wealth, materialism, and the consequences they inflict in the character’s lives.

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 1920’s was a decade of striving for prosperity and the American dream. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s historical fiction novel, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby builds his way up to wealth and does everything he can to attain his goal, but is ultimately unable to attain it. Through his decision to set up The Great Gatsby as a frame story, Fitzgerald conveys the theme that the American dream is not necessary attainable, no matter how much one sacrifices or works towards it.

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.

Peoples from all generations have wanted some type of wealth in order to gain power and respect from their peers. The Great Gatsby is told from the perspective of Nick Carraway and is about a man named Gatsby, who tries to win back the heart of Daisy Buchanan. Daisy has been in love with Gatsby for years, but could not wait for him and decided to marry Tom Buchanan. The story takes place in New York, where there is a separation of classes. Moreover, the american dream is a major discussion throughout history and is still being talked about today and is tied to the novel. Furthermore, the overall dream is to be rich and live in a giant house with equal opportunities for every human being. However, societal differences and stereotypes have made it hard for some to rise, which can be seen in the story's plot. Based on the character stereotypes, societal differences, and theme, The Great Gatsby is a relevant novel that can impact a reader's perspective of the American Dream.

For instance, Daisy specifically wants her husband to have money, power and a high status regardless of who it is. This is why Gatsby could not have his true love five years ago; “[Daisy] … [marries Tom] because [Gatsby is] poor and she [is] tired of waiting for [him]” (139). Daisy’s conceited and immoral character is revealed as one comes to realize that love holds little value in Daisy’s heart. Just like the other Bourgeoisie, she can only imagine living the American Dream. If Daisy had set these materialistic thoughts aside, she could have the perfect marriage and live a happy life. Furthermore, Nick is also unable to develop a relationship with his cousin Daisy because he is unable to see value in achieving the American Dream. Nick tries to do best for Daisy by setting up meetings between her and Gatsby after discovering that Tom is an imbecile brute; however, these efforts are wasted. Daisy’s desire for living the ideal life is too strong as she mercilessly leaves Nick behind. She proves that she and Tom are “…careless people …they [smash] up things and creatures and then [retreat] back into their money and vast carelessness or whatever it [is] that [keeps] them together...” (191). Nick is angered and offended by Daisy and Tom’s hunger for wealth because the couple cuts ties with Nick as he is a barrier standing in the path of their dream. Humans have clearly become materialistic; creating and maintaining human relationships are no longer the focus of life. Families and friends are torn apart by the American Dream; hence F. Scott Fitzgerald advises modern society to recognize that some dreams are not meant to be

The ‘American Dream’; a thirst for wealth and success. Many want it, but few end up succeeding in achieving full success. Jay Gatsby, from The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a fictitious version of someone who achieved success, and demonstrated his goals even from an early age. “Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this or something.” (Fitzgerald, 116) Says Mr. Gatz, who was Jay Gatsby’s father. This quote demonstrates how Gatsby had always planned to become successful, even when he was at a young age. Another one of Gatsby’s ambitions is Daisy. Even though Daisy is married to Tom, he sets his hopes high as she is the love of his life. “He hadn't once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes. Sometimes, too, he stared around at his possessions in a dazed way, as though in her actual and astounding presence none of it was any longer real. Once he nearly toppled down a flight of stairs.” (Fitzgerald, 91) This quote demonstrates how infatuated Gatsby is with Daisy. He set his hopes so high that he wanted to be with somebody who is ‘Old Money’, which is perceived as a higher class; and, the person that

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.

The American dream is an ideology, a vision that’s form varies from individual to individual, based upon one’s own experiences. Although the one thing that remains constant in every single definition is that this ideology, just as the name states, is only a dream. It is meant to merely drive people to unlock their hidden potential and become their best self, for the sole purpose of living one’s out one’s own definition of success. In “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the American Dream is Jay Gatsby’s inspiration and his opportunity, however, as the book progresses it becomes more evident that not all people share the same opportunity.

History, rather than one’s financial status, is the deciding factor in determining one’s acceptance into the highest social classes. This idea is expressed in the song “All Falls Down” by Kanye West, “Even if you in a Benz, you still a n----- in a coupe” (“All Falls Down”). If a wealthy man has no impressive or notable background and is not considered “old money,” his achievement of the American dream, an ideal that every American has an equal opportunity to achieve prosperity, would be limited. Throughout American history, the “American dream” has been critiqued. While some authors support this idea by following the paths leading up to impressive successes of impoverished characters, others, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, negate it. In his novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald argues against the concept of the American dream by contrasting the financial successes of Jay Gatsby with the lack of achievement of Gatsby’s own aspirations of acceptance into the upper class. Despite being extremely wealthy, Gatsby lives in the shadow of his insignificant youth. Although throughout The Great Gatsby, wealth appears to be a mechanism in elevating Jay Gatsby’s social status, Gatsby’s unimpressive past disables him from fully achieving the American dream.

“Winter Dreams” by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a story about a young man named Dexter Green who is the son of a father who is the owner of the second best owned grocery store in the town of Dillard. In the winter he skis across the golf course where he caddies at in the summer to make some spending money. The “winter dreams” idea of the story is the American Dream that Dexter comes to embody but, he finds out success comes at a high cost and social mobility restricts Dexter’s capacity for happiness. The point that Fitzgerald is trying to get across to the reader is that the American Dream may not be what most perceive it to be and that there is a dark side to the American Dream with the idea of money cannot buy happiness. The American Dream is used

The American Dream gave them something to fight for. This was a chance to climb above their previous generation in terms of the social ladder. Even though it was superficial, Gatsby’s outlook on life was something that could be labeled as optimistic. Although Gatsby’s intentions were good he remained ignorant to the truth around him. Gatsby believed that if he worked hard he would overcome the poverty of his early life and he did just that. Gatsby though, did not strive to become a better man or a man with money for himself, but rather for Daisy. Gatsby threw around large amounts of money as if it was nothing in an attempt to win the heart of Daisy. He even threw incredibly lavish parties in hope that Daisy would one day attend. He thought this would give him the chance to win her love. Gatsby truly believes that