The American Dream The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Tainted American Dream America is known as the land of the free; where opportunity and prosperity are around every corner. Merriam-Webster’s definition of American Dream is â€Å"a happy way of living that is thought of by many Americans as something that can be achieved by anyone in the U.S. especially by working hard and becoming successful.† Anyone, regardless of circumstance or socioeconomic status, with enough hard work and determination can achieve the American Dream. The Great Gatsby can be portrayed as a critique of excessive materialism in America during the 1920s. Fitzgerald continues to portray this time as an era of the degeneration of moral values and the skewed idea of the American dream. The downfall of the American society, as well as the American Dream, can be seen in the novel’s main characters: Jay Gatsby and Daisy and Tom Buchanan. This American dream was originally centered around the pursuit of happiness, but during this time was contaminated by greed and corruption. This symbolism is seen in the description of The Valley of Ashes, which is said to be located â€Å"halfway between West Egg and New York† (26). The Valley is quite different from the loud, lavish and fascinating New York City. Tom paints us a picture by describing it as â€Å"a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens,† where the â€Å"ashes take the form of houses and chimneys and rising smoke† (26). It is inhabited by the poor, working class who areShow MoreRelatedAmerican Dream : The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1280 Words   |  6 PagesProfessor Ludwig 10 November 2014 American Dream The ideal American Dream is that every citizen in the U.S. may have a promising future, happiness, a family, and health. Some reach the American Dream, and some settle for less. People who do not obtain any type of American Dream cannot truly be happy because their life is not truly fulfilled, which does not satisfy their ambition. Jay Gatsby, a young man who over came poverty, and achieved the ideal American Dream but fell in love with a young ladyRead MoreThe American Dream in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald1129 Words   |  5 Pageseconomy began to soar, and the notion of the American dream began to take effect. The American Dream is the idea that anyone can come from any background and no matter who they are, if they work hard and stay true to themselves, they can achieve their dreams. The Great Gatsby, set in the early twenties, displays that socio-economic power is obtained through inheritance, forming an aristocracy of power and wealth. The Great Gatsby, written by F . Scott Fitzgerald, demonstrates how geography and locationRead MoreThe American Dream in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald1082 Words   |  5 PagesThe 1920’s was a time of great change to both the country lived in as well as the goals and ambitions that were sought after by the average person. During this time, priorities shifted from family and religion to success and spontaneous living. The American dream, itself, changed into a self centered and ongoing personal goal that was the leading priority in most people’s lives. This new age of carelessness and naivety encompasses much of what this earlier period is remembered for. In additionRead More The American Dream in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald2776 Words   |  12 PagesIntroduction The â€Å"Great Gatsby† is a very twisted and convoluted novel which was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It has been written in late 1925, the characters in the novel focus upon a fictional town of West Egg. The plot of the story depends over the mystifying millionaire, Jay Gatsby, who has an impetuous enthusiasm for one of the most beautiful women in town, Daisy Buchanan. The theme of the novel focuses upon the American Dream that shares the experiences of the revival of the World WarRead MoreThe American Dream : F. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby1329 Words   |  6 PagesAn American Illusion After the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was implemented in America, many immigrants from China, Japan, and India were stripped of their pursuit of the American Dream at Angel Island. The immigration station’s detainment of these rejected dreamers destroyed stories before they could happen. These stories of opportunity and the fulfillment of the American Dream make America what it is today. For instance, many immigrants today who are lucky enough to settle into America enterRead More Corruption of the American Dream in the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald1438 Words   |  6 Pages Broken Dreams and Fallen Themes In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald employs the use of characters, themes, and symbolism to convey the idea of the American Dream and its corruption through the aspects of wealth, family, and status. In regards to wealth and success, Fitzgerald makes clear the growing corruption of the American Dream by using Gatsby himself as a symbol for the corrupted dream throughout the text. In addition, when portraying the family the characters in Great Gatsby are used to exposeRead MoreThe American Dream : F. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby1362 Words   |  6 PagesGatsby Corrupted Dream The American Dream is originally thought to be about how hard work can lead one person from poorness to richness with the right amount of effort put in. The American Dream can have different meaning to different people but at the end they are all trying to achieve a goal. The American Dream usually requires hard work and dedication. But cheating your way to success can change a person. An example of a distorted American Dream would be F. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great GatsbyRead MoreCorruption of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald855 Words   |  4 Pages In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald gives the reader a glimpse into the life of the high class during the 1920’s through the eyes of a man named Nick Carraway. Through the narrators dealings with high society, Fitzgerald demonstrates how modern values have transformed the American dreams ideas into a scheme for materialistic power and he reveals how the world of high society lacks any sense of morals or consequence. In order to support his message, Fitzgerald presents the originalRead MoreCorrupted American Dream in the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald1389 Words   |  6 Pagesit corrupted them as they set to reach the American dream by acquiring wealth for the only purpose to pursue pleasure. The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald showing that no one is unaffected by the corruption. This novel is seen through the eyes of Nick Carraway, who moves from the mid-west to west-egg to chase his American dream. He observes the people and events around him as he follows the attempts of his neighbor Jay Gatsby, to gain back Daisy Buchanan’s love. ThroughRead MoreCorrupting the American Dream in The Great Gatsby† by F. Scott Fitzgerald869 Words   |  4 PagesIn the novel, â€Å"The Great Gatsby† by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author establishes materialism and wealth as a corruption to the American dream. The American dream embodies the idea of self-sufficient, honest and intelligent individual with a happy successful life. It is also the idea of the pursuit of happiness but Daisy Buchanan a wealthy aristocrat goes after the empty pursuit of pleasure, portraying her character as a disillusionment of the American dream and how much it lost its good values. The