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The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

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The Great Gatsby is a highly symbolic piece of literature, representative of life in America during the early 20th century. In particular, however, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel represents the overall failure of the American Dream in an era seemingly known for its economic prosperity. His main argument is that in the end, the American Dream will always be known as a failure; unattainable to almost all who seek it. Fitzgerald argues that the ideals of the American Dream at the time of the so-called “Roaring Twenties” and the “Gilded Age” were more destructive to someone’s overall character than beneficial to their happiness and socioeconomic status. Throughout the course of the novel, the author attempts to uncover the more negative aspects of life in the 1920s and ‘30s, suggesting that dancing flapper girls, luxurious parties, and the growth of the American economy all helped to hide the corruption, cynicism, greed, and dishonesty going on behind the scenes. The American Dream is what its name suggests—simply a dream—and one that Fitzgerald argues won’t ever come true. Fitzgerald portrays the 1920s as an era not only of decaying social and moral values, but as a time when people recklessly pursued the American Dream; much to no avail. An example of this kind of recklessness can be found by examining the protagonist of the book, Jay Gatsby, who seeks to rekindle his past love life with a woman named Daisy Buchanan. At first, Daisy is portrayed as loyal, innocent, and pure.

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