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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Decent Essays

The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, provides a dark and pessimistic outlook into the American life style in 1922. Jay Gatsby, an American wealthy social identity, appears to have it all. But wealth, stature and an extravagant lifestyle seems not to be enough for Gatsby; he still yearns for his old idealistic love Daisy. In an ideal world this has the making of a great love story with a happy ending, but Fitzgerald chose to carry the story as a reflection of the American era the book is set in. An era consumed by appearances and excess and overall pursuit of the American dream. The American dream preaches an idea that America, dubbed the New World, is a path to success and wealth for anyone willing to work hard and seize opportunities. Wealth was considered the key to a prosperous and happy life. Reality spelt something different and the idea of the American dream began to crumble under the weight of high expectations, greed, excessive spending and people resorting to illegal trades and methods to achieve their dreams. The most comprehensive indication of illegal trade used to achieve wealth in as quickly as possible is Meyer Wolfshiem fortune and Gatsby’s link to that. Gatsby is shown as the epitome of that dream; throughout the course of the book revelations indicate that he has managed to overcome humble beginnings to amass great wealth and stature. But the lustre of that life diminishes when at the end it becomes clear that he traded illegally in alcohol

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