The Great Gatsby and The American Dream
The Great Gatsby and The American Dream
The American Dream is a way of life. The idea that if you work hard you will get lots of money, which in turn will make you happy. In the famous novel The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is the ultimate symbol of The American Dream. He started from nothing and worked his way up to the top. As The Declaration Of Independence says ‘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.’ In other words, every American has a right to really make themselves into someone, to follow the American Dream, to be American. Nick Carraway, the narrator, seemed to be simultaneously enchanted and repelled by Jay Gatsby’s religious dedication and belief in The American Dream. So Fitzgerald’s opinion on The American Dream is not easy to interpret through the novel.
Fitzgerald portrays The American Dream as positive since it gives hope to those who follow it. Nick recounts the time when he spotted Jay Gatsby gazing seawards towards a green light, which, he learned later, reminded him of his dream to have Daisy. Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. The green light is the glowing beacon symbolising Gatsby’s assured hope of gaining Daisy. Nick recognises the positive meaning this dock light held for Jay Gatsby yet also registers that, in reality, that light is slowly fading away, along with Gatsby’s dream. ‘Believe’ is usually a positive word, one to describe your faith in the unproved. Is it merely a coincidence that the light is green? Possibly not, green means go, it is a positive colour and most of all - green means hope. But there is a dark side. Green is the colour of envy and suspicion - which are traits in followers of The American Dream, and
The American Dream is a way of life. The idea that if you work hard you will get lots of money, which in turn will make you happy. In the famous novel The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is the ultimate symbol of The American Dream. He started from nothing and worked his way up to the top. As The Declaration Of Independence says ‘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.’ In other words, every American has a right to really make themselves into someone, to follow the American Dream, to be American. Nick Carraway, the narrator, seemed to be simultaneously enchanted and repelled by Jay Gatsby’s religious dedication and belief in The American Dream. So Fitzgerald’s opinion on The American Dream is not easy to interpret through the novel.
Fitzgerald portrays The American Dream as positive since it gives hope to those who follow it. Nick recounts the time when he spotted Jay Gatsby gazing seawards towards a green light, which, he learned later, reminded him of his dream to have Daisy. Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. The green light is the glowing beacon symbolising Gatsby’s assured hope of gaining Daisy. Nick recognises the positive meaning this dock light held for Jay Gatsby yet also registers that, in reality, that light is slowly fading away, along with Gatsby’s dream. ‘Believe’ is usually a positive word, one to describe your faith in the unproved. Is it merely a coincidence that the light is green? Possibly not, green means go, it is a positive colour and most of all - green means hope. But there is a dark side. Green is the colour of envy and suspicion - which are traits in followers of The American Dream, and