The Great Gatsby : The Unattainable American Dream

Everyone in society has dreams, some bigger than others and some will go so far to lose what's most important to pursue the one dream they believe in. In the book The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald tells the dream of Jay Gatsby and how it was too out of reach for him to obtain. Jay Gatsby is a very wealthy man who only cares about one thing in his life and that is to be with Daisy Buchanan. Daisy is an upper class lady that Gatsby used to be in a relationship with before he went into the World War. While Gatsby was at war Daisy got married to someone else and for the past five years Gatsby has been trying to win her back through materialistic and un moral ways. Gatsby’s dream is to be with Daisy and to once again repeat his long lived past. In the novel The Great Gatsby, Scott Fitzgerald uses Gatsby's pursuit of the green light to reveal that due to materialism and lack of moral rights that the American Dream is unattainable for society.

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

There are many aspects that contribute to the american dream. The most recognizable are wealth and love, but ultimately, the american dream is having everything you could want and more. A lot of the time the american dream is associated with an underdog type of perspective, or a ‘rags-to-riches’ type story. This is to show that the dream can be achieved by anyone, even those starting out with little to nothing to their name. The idea of the american dream is explored in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. In this story, Jay Gatsby is one of the few who are close to achieving the american dream, but falls just short of actually doing so. What stops Gatsby from achieving the american dream is his inability to see the negative aspects to

Achieving the American Dream is like fighting over the last TV on Black Friday. The American Dream is very limited. A person has to have a certain background to achieve it. The American Dream is an illusion. America wants one to believe that they have the perfect set of materialistic things to make their life better. The American Dream consist of having money, a nice house, a great looking car, and a family. Not everyone can achieve that though because of the barriers that they have in this country. The American Dream is not achievable by all people because individual’s divergent backgrounds.

     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?

The American dream is a concept that has been wielded into American literature throughout history. Projecting the contrast between the American dream and reality, F. Scott Fitzgerald incorporates his opinions, primarily based off of his experiences and tribulations in World War I, throughout his literary works.Many people believe that deplorable moral and social values have evolved from the materialistic pursuit of the American dream especially throughout the roaring twenties. His novel, The Great Gatsby, which is set in this time period, shows a castigation of love caused by these specific ideals and lack of morale. It depicts the general

The American Dream and Gatsby’s Dream in the gigantic city of New York during the roaring 20’s have many similarities. Gatsby becomes lost in his journey to his dream through life when getting re-acquainted with a young “golden” girl by the name of Daisy. He falls in love with her at such a young age it seems that this is the only girl for him. His only dream is to get Daisy. It’s sad to say due to Gatsby's tunnel vision and isolation, he struggles to create or maintain close relationships in the present because he is trapped in the past.

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.

“Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" is one of the most influential and famous phrases in the United State’s Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence encapsulates the original conception of the American Dream – the notion that every individual, regardless of their social upbringing, could have the opportunity to reach their full potential and live a comfortable lifestyle. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby takes place during the early 1920s--a time period that demonstrates the pursuit of happiness, opportunity, freedom, equality and finally the American Dream. Myrtle Wilson, a significant character in The Great Gatsby, tries to pursue

Symbolism is a big part in how people express certain feelings or represent important items. The American Dream is a huge achievement that everyone wants to reach. Whether people want to admit it or not, it is a symbol all it’s self. It can be anything really, a great job, a family, white picket fence, even music or attending concerts of your favorite band. The American Dream is something that makes you so happy and what you can achieve or want achieve in your lifetime. The main AMerican Dream is money, a family, and happiness. In The Great Gatsby the american dream is a green light.There are several different colors for the different symbols in the book which are portrayed throughout the book often, and in the right context. Each character is put with that color and in different scenes for different reasons. Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, and Nick Carraway all portrayed the same color symbol; yellow which stands for death and or/ corruption.

In the United States' Declaration of Independence, our founding fathers "…held certain truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." This sentiment can be considered the foundation of the American Dream, the dream that everyone has the ability to become what he or she desires to be. While many people work to attain their American dream, others believe that the dream is seemingly impossible to reach, like F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby examines the "Jazz-Age" generation's search for the elusive American Dream of wealth and happiness and scrutinizes the consequences of that

The American Dream expresses the idea that every citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success through hard work, determination, and initiative. Gatsby conveys courage, determination, and perseverance in his attempt to achieve his dreams to be with Daisy, to attain wealth, and uphold a high status in the community. “Her voice is full of money” (page 120), this quote ties to the desire of wealth and a high social status. People are proud of their success and like to showcase it off as much as possible. The message about the American Dream expresses that there will always be an infinite green light to strive for in life. After accomplishing one dream there is always a new one following shortly.

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.

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.

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