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The American Dream, and All Its Splendor (Great Gatsby)

Decent Essays

The 1920s were a decade of rebirth characterised by the founding of the "American
Dream" -- the belief that anyone can, and should, achieve material success. The defining writer of the 1920s was F. Scott Fitzgerald whose most famous novel, The Great Gatsby, has become required reading for present-day high school students. We study Fitzgerald's novel for the same reason we study Shakespeare. The literature composed by both authors contains themes and morals that continue to be relevant to modern society. As a result, this novel could have easily been written in modern times. In his novel, Fitzgerald criticises the American Dream by describing its negative characteristics: class struggles between the rich and the poor, the …show more content…

His failure to obtain her is Fitzgerald's ultimate criticism of the unrealistic dream of happiness found in material wealth. A novel is considered to be good literature not because of the visual impact it makes, but because of the impact of its themes. The American Dream critiqued in The Great
Gatsby still prevails today as the basis for a successful nation. Thus, while the 1920s background makes the novel more interesting and certainly more relevant to Fitzgerald's audience, it is true that the story could take place at any given moment in time. By revealing the results of materialism, such as class struggles, the shallowness of the wealthy, and the false notion that money brings happiness, Fitzgerald shows that the
American Dream of success and money is nothing more than a morally corrupt fantasy.

Works Cited

Fahey, William A. F. Scott Fitzgerald and The American Dream. Toronto: Fitzhenry & Whiteside Limited, 1973. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Ed. Matthew J. Bruccoli. Toronto: Simon & Schuster Inc, 1995. Internet 1. " http://www.uni-ulm.de/schulen/gym/sgu/gatsb/klaus2.htm". F. Scott Fitzgerald Centenary Home Page. "The Great Gatsby's Theme". Board of Trustees of the University of South Carolina, 1997. Internet 2. "http://www.clunet.edu/engdept/ad/gatsby2.html". Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald. "Great Gatsby: Chapters 5 - 9". Infonautics Corporation, 1998. Internet 3.

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