The Failure Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

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 term “The American Dream” was coined in 1931 by American writer James Truslow Adams and described America as a place of opportunity based on one’s ability and hard work. Although the term originated in 1931, the fundamental ideas of the American Dream debuted in 1920’s society and contrasted greatly with previous notions of a stagnant class structure. This was due to the booming post-WWI economy, which provided an increase in accessibility to leisure items and activities, allowing luxuries typically reserved for the upper class to be enjoyed by the masses. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, reflects these social and economic changes. The novel follows the rise and fall of Jay Gatsby, who achieved prosperity in spite of being born the son of a poor, North Dakota farmer. Though many believed in an emergence of class mobility in the 1920’s, the novel The Great Gatsby demonstrates the ultimate inaccessibility of the American Dream - a holistic realization of social and economic equality.

Loss of the American Dream The Great Gatsby is a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald set in 1925 about the hopelessness of the American Dream which could be identified through the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg. Doctor T. J. Eckleburg is known as an old billboard sign for an eye doctor located in the Valley of Ashes, but the doctor abandoned the sign long ago. In this novel, Fitzgerald uses symbolism to demonstrate the loss of hope of the American Dream within the characters. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald uses the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg as a symbol to represent the eyes that are watching the corrupted society during the 1920’s in America.

shirts and began throwing them, one by one, before us, shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel… Suddenly, with a strained sound, Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily. ‘They’re such beautiful shirts,’ she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds” (Fitzgerald 92). Daisy had married Tom and he was wealthy but when she went to Gatsby’s mansion, she realized the extent of his wealth. Gatsby and Daisy’s main focus in their lives was money. Money was all they really cared about. “Jay Gatsby’s quest, the wealthy Daisy, represents the emptiness of an American society focused on money, a sordid but accurate view of the American Dream” (Adamson 25). The American society is basically empty with a large focus on money rather than the significant things in life.

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 negative side of the American Dream comes when people pursue success at any cost, which in turn destroys the vision and the dream” (Azar Nafisi). The main theme in The Great Gatsby is the Loss of the American Dream. Jay Gatsby is one of the main characters of the book who acquired new money after working hard his whole life. Another main character, Tom Buchanan, was born into old money and lived leisurely in the comfort of his wealth. The plot of the book is constructed from Gatsby’s motivations, intentions, and disillusionment.

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.

We often hear people trying to define the American dream, but how can it be defined if the definition isn’t consistent? In today’s society the definition of the American dream varies from person to person. Some may say it’s based on getting an extravagant degree from a high ranked college, the amount of money in a bank account, or even something as simple as having a family. It may seem erratic but that’s the beauty of it, everyone’s definition is different, and that’s why it’s obtainable for everyone.

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.

Throughout Fitzgerald's book, The Great Gatsby, it’s essentially about the American dream and if people had money, new or old, they could have the American dream, but when they have it all, what do they do with it? Money can turn people into very respectable, and polite people and they still work for what they have, or it can turn people into snobby rude people that expect everyone to do everything for them. Long story short, money affects the way people behave.

Gatsby’s dream is not to have Daisy, but to have her past self. Gatsby wants to pick up

“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 books important theme is the Decline of the American Dream since throughout the story, the main characters had an American Dream. Gatsby was in love with a woman, Daisy and throughout the story he was trying to get her. Fitzgerald portrays the 1920s as an era of spoiled social and moral values. They had evidence of greed, and empty pursuit of pleasure. They had an abundant of glamorous parties and it was also an era of wild Jazz music. Gatsby threw parties every Saturday night where people drank, partied and just had a good time. Gatsby threw these parties to get noticed by his true love Daisy. Gatsby perfected his image of Daisy. He thought she was perfect and tried everything to get her love. Gatsby couldn't get Daisy since she was married to Tom therefore he couldn't achieve his American Dream

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, which took place during the summer of 1922 in New York, the narrator Nick Carroway travels east in hopes of becoming an independent individual, however, while he is there he enters the world of the elite where he gradually uncovers the truth about the lacking morals of the rich and famous. At the beginning point of Nick’s time in New York, he purchases a petite house in the core of an exceedingly rich neighborhood, West Egg, as a start of pursuing The American Dream of becoming financially successful. There Nick befriends a group of highly wealthy people where their persistent immoral behaviors expose that the success, the people, and the ideal that The American Dream represents is ironically

The American dream is defined as “an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative” (Google). There were many conflicts that interfered with trying to reach each individual's dreams. Each character had their own meaning of their dream, Jay Gatsby especially. He had a big impact in his life, Daisy, which led to failure in his own American dream. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby almost lived out his American dream, by finding the love of his life, and almost fulfilled the dream to be with her forever.