The Great Gatsby: Tainting the American Dream
David Donatacci
English Composition II
6/16/13
The Great Gatsby
Back in the early 19th century, America was brought up as the land of opportunity and success. It was the idea that life in America, everybody had the ability to achieve something great through talent, dedication, and hard work for a better life. It was made clear that not everybody obtained such a life because of the difficulty. This cultural outlook was known as an America Dream. A typical objective of this dream in the 1900’s was to have a job, own a house and raise a family and prosper in this abundant life. “It is a land in which life should be better and fuller for everyone, … It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which people shall be able to attain through skill” (Adams, 1931). Nick states that through hard-work and the discovery for something worth fighting for, the American Dream can be achieved. F. Scott Fitzgerald expresses through the characters how this American Dream has been corrupted by materialism and possessions.
“Using Jay Gatsby to exemplify the rise and fall of the American Dream, Fitzgerald’s novel traces the arc of a life as it begins in wonder, reaching for the stars, confronts society’s spiritual emptiness and gratuitous materialism, and ends in tragic death” (Tunc, 67). Gatsby tended to be a mysterious character early on in the novel giving off false implications on who he was and how he inherited all his money. Towards the end, we see that Gatsby was hard-working man who strived for the things he wanted, and seemed to achieve them. Gatsby was raised as a poor farm boy and set up his dreams early on in life. “Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this or something” (Fitzgerald, 173). His father’s outlook on his son represents the dedication needed to attain the American Dream as him and Nick read Gatsby’s schedule that stated everything he would do from the time he got up till he had to go to
English Composition II
6/16/13
The Great Gatsby
Back in the early 19th century, America was brought up as the land of opportunity and success. It was the idea that life in America, everybody had the ability to achieve something great through talent, dedication, and hard work for a better life. It was made clear that not everybody obtained such a life because of the difficulty. This cultural outlook was known as an America Dream. A typical objective of this dream in the 1900’s was to have a job, own a house and raise a family and prosper in this abundant life. “It is a land in which life should be better and fuller for everyone, … It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which people shall be able to attain through skill” (Adams, 1931). Nick states that through hard-work and the discovery for something worth fighting for, the American Dream can be achieved. F. Scott Fitzgerald expresses through the characters how this American Dream has been corrupted by materialism and possessions.
“Using Jay Gatsby to exemplify the rise and fall of the American Dream, Fitzgerald’s novel traces the arc of a life as it begins in wonder, reaching for the stars, confronts society’s spiritual emptiness and gratuitous materialism, and ends in tragic death” (Tunc, 67). Gatsby tended to be a mysterious character early on in the novel giving off false implications on who he was and how he inherited all his money. Towards the end, we see that Gatsby was hard-working man who strived for the things he wanted, and seemed to achieve them. Gatsby was raised as a poor farm boy and set up his dreams early on in life. “Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this or something” (Fitzgerald, 173). His father’s outlook on his son represents the dedication needed to attain the American Dream as him and Nick read Gatsby’s schedule that stated everything he would do from the time he got up till he had to go to
Cited: Adams, James Truslow. The Epic of America. Boston, MA: Simon Publications, 1931. Print. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: A Division of Simon & Schuster Inc, 1925. Print. "New Women." New Women. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 June 2013 TheBestNotes.com Staff. "TheBestNotes on The Great Gatsby." The Great Gatsby Themes – theme analysis / symbolism / main themes. John Wiley Publishing Company, 11 May 2008. Web. 16 June 2013. Tunc, Tanfer Emin. “The Great Gatsby: The Tragedy of the American Dream on Long Island’s Gold Coast.” Bloom’s Literary Themes. 2009. P67-79, 12p. 16 June. 2013. Print.