The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

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.

The American Dream is the ultimate goal which many members of the working class strive to achieve. The main idea of this dream is that with hard work and determination, one can become successful in their field. Despite being a prevalent belief in American culture, this magnificent goal can also take the form of an illusion. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the American Dream is represented by Jay Gatsby’s desperate pining for Daisy Buchanan–an unobtainable goal which will effectively result in a delusional state of being.

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.

The American Dream is based off the idea that if you live in America, and if one works hard, they will ultimately have a better and happier life. Sadly, the American Dream is an oversold idea that usually never pans out. The American dream separates the perception of reality versus the desire for the dream, the desire for money, fame, and power. In the book, reality is indistinguishable from the American Dream idea. From a psychoanalytic view, the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is based of many Freudian theories. The main Freudian theory that is most relevant is that each character in the book has either a overpowering superego or id, this brings all the characters to their indivisible doom.

Bill Rancic once said, “The American Dream is still alive out there, and hard work will get you there. You don’t necessarily need to have an Ivy League education or to have millions of dollars startup money. It can be done with an idea, hard work, and determination.” This statement is proven in The Great Gatsby, a novel that outlines the theme of an “American Dream” and is told by Nick Carraway, who has just moved to West Egg in New York City from Chicago. The “American Dream” has been described in many ways, and most of the time, this description is based around money, family, and success. While many believe he is highlighting that the American Dream is present and achievable, in The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses complex characters in

The ‘American Dream,’ is clearly defined by the Merriam-Webster as, “a happy way of living… that can be achieved by anyone in the U.S… by working hard and becoming successful.” In addition, they also specify the ideals of “living the American dream” as “ [people] with good jobs, a nice house, two children, and plenty of money.” The roaring twenties were what one would call ‘the life of the party,’ for authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and even some characters in their novels, exhibited fairly wealthy lifestyles, whilst attending social affairs, and heavily drinking. However, this ‘golden age’ of sorts suddenly came crumbling apart, partly due to the stock market crash in 1929. “Babylon Revisited,” by Fitzgerald, alludes to this sudden time of loss and despair through an alcoholic man, Charlie Wales, who practically

In an American context, what’s so great about a novel that portrays the tragic downfall of the American Dream? Apparently, this central theme itself is one of the major factors that contribute to the greatness of The Great Gatsby, the popular 1925 novel written by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby, which is arguably one of the greatest novels of all time, reveals the America of the 1920s in a naked light. In this essay, I will discuss what makes The Great Gatsby the great American novel.

A noteworthy topic in The Great Gatsby is the quest for what can be named the American dream. This speaks to the possibility of the American Dream, where characteristics of diligent work and desire appear. The novel The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald encapsulates many topics. Still, the most noteworthy one identifies with the defilement of the American dream. The American Dream is characterized as somebody beginning low on the monetary or social level, and buckling down towards success and additionally riches and popularity. By having cash, an auto, a major house, decent garments and a cheerful family symbolizes the American dream. This fantasy additionally speaks to that individuals, regardless of who he or she is, can wind up plainly effective in life by his or her own work. The want to take a stab at what one needs can be refined in the event that they buckle sufficiently down. The fantasy is spoken to by the thoughts of an independent man or lady, who strives to accomplish an objective to end up plainly effective. The Great Gatsby is a novel that shows what happened to the American Dream in the 1920's, which is a day and age when the fantasies wound up noticeably ruined for some reasons. The American dream causes debasement as well as has caused devastation. Myrtle, Gatsby and Daisy have all been ruined and wrecked by the fantasy.

In his sarcastic novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald frequently shows how racism and classism influence the viability of achieving the American dreams through obscure methods. The novel details Gatsby’s achievements and his dream, including Daisy, and makes a comparison with other people of different races and classes indirectly, but visibly. The fact that even though Gatsby was much wealthier than those in East Egg, he has never realized his American dream. He never owned Daisy truly and never acquired respect from others but rumours, due he isn’t born in upper class and only makes money through bootleg. Gatsby’s mansion draws attentions and fakely reminds people of the feasibility of making the American dream. However, his unexpected death, killed by Wilson, a mid-class white man, that is not resolved by the police proves that the American dream is just like a phantom and is not truly available for everyone. Fitzgerald takes us into the suffering of Gatsby showing that the American dream is like a shell company which makes everyone look forward to their future with great expectations, but only certain minimum individuals can truly reach it because people are not standing on the same starting line.

A land of countless opportunities to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, courage, and determination is the American Dream. In addition to the American Dream, society has been separated to distinguish citizens from each other to categorize individuals according to the job, salaries, and economic resources. The socioeconomic latter is divided into three branches: the upper class, the middle class, and the lower class. The novel, The Great Gatsby, used the American Dream and the socioeconomic latter to capture a cross-section of the American society.

The author’s use of the minor character George Wilson in The Great Gatsby assists in displaying the hardships that accompany the effort of trying to achieve the American Dream. In chapter II page 25 of the novel, the audience is introduced to George Wilson. For reference George along with his wife Myrtle reside in The Valley of Ashes. Now the valley of ashes in modern terms is the ghetto, it is describes as “a fantastic farm where she’s from like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where

Everyone in America has a set goal, this goal is the American dream. Many different people see this American dream in a different way. The American dream is something that any American, it doesn't matter what your race is, or nationality, etc, thinks that they have to achieve to be able to live a happy life and always be satisfied. In the 1920s a story written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby is focused on the American dream. The dream is expressed through who you love, how much money a person has, and where you fit into the social status.

The “American dream” is very different to everyone. Some people think of it as having barbeques and beer while others think of it as a day on a beach. In ‘The Great Gatsby’ written by F. Scott Fitzgerald this idea is depicted by the highest, most lavish lifestyle possible. Fitzgerald shows this by ensuring the characters portray their success through having the biggest house, with the finest clothing, and the largest boat to take out onto the bay. Gatsby fought after this lifestyle with his unhealthy pursuit of wealth and obsession with a women that would never love him back. Gatsby wouldn’t come to see the truth of the people that surrounded him until it was far too late.

“We anticipate our own happiness, and eat out the heart and sweetness of worldly pleasures by delightful forethought of them.” -John Tillotson. Men and women cling to the material possessions and desires of this world. They pin their hopes on this idea that, if they can just get this one thing, they will be satisfied and will never need anything else to make them happy. However, this train of thought is not correct. People appreciate whatever they don’t have because they see it as a prize to be won. Once this prize is won however, they clean the trophy and make sure it’s spotless for a few days , but then they put it on a shelf with the others to be forgotten. In Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, his characters are exactly like this. The people of the world he wrote about all want or desire more than the rare gems they already hold, such as wealth and prosperity, power, and love. They have these grand hopes and dreams and aspirations of owning it all, but “it all” is still not enough for them. Through his writing, Scott communicates to the reader that the extravagant life that comes with the American Dream is not as perfect as it appears.

“The American Dream is that any man or woman, despite of his or her background, can change their circumstances and rise as high as they are willing to work” (Fabrizio Moreira Quotes). Jay Gatsby believed that he could achieve his American Dream of being successful and marrying Daisy by working extremely hard in his lifetime. He labored to make a great amount of money through a disreputable way with Meyer Wolfshiem. His main agenda was to win Daisy back to him and he did everything he possibly could to make that happen in his life. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby strived for his idea of the American Dream, but fell short in the end.