F. Scott Fitzgerald's Portrayal of the American Dream in the Great Gatsby
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English 10
Mr. Nellis
The American Dream
Dictionary.com says that“the American Dream is the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative” (dictionary.com). To many people the American Dream is unattainable. In the novel “The Great Gatsby”, Mr. Gatsby does not attain the American Dream. Gatsby worked really hard to get where he was but he did not get to live his life with Daisy and fit in. F. Scott
Fitzgerald does a nice job of describing this through imagery, setting, and symbolism in the novel. The American Dream is about moving up the socioeconomic class through hard work.
Gatsby does move up in money but not socially. From Gatsby’s parties we first find out that
Gatsby is “new” rich from Tom when he says to Nick “a lot of these newly rich people are just big bootleggers” (107). Gatsby worked hard through bootlegging but still in the eyes of the Tom and the other “old” rich people there just middle class or poor. Gatsby doesn’t fit in even at his own parties; people don’t even know who he is. When Gatsby said “I thought you knew, old sport. I’m afraid I’m not a very good host” (48). Gatsby thinks by throwing a party he can get attention but that is not what happens at all. Gatsby does not fit in the upper class of the
socioeconomic class. This disproves the idea of the American dream because Gatsby did not achieve success.
The American dream makes people think that they can get anything if they work hard enough. F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays this as false. The green light at the end of Tom’s dock is an important symbol within the book. It represents the American dream and Gatsby goal of getting daisy. After dinner with Tom, Daisy, and Jordan, Nick goes back to his house and finds Gatsby stretch[ing] out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was
English 10
Mr. Nellis
The American Dream
Dictionary.com says that“the American Dream is the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative” (dictionary.com). To many people the American Dream is unattainable. In the novel “The Great Gatsby”, Mr. Gatsby does not attain the American Dream. Gatsby worked really hard to get where he was but he did not get to live his life with Daisy and fit in. F. Scott
Fitzgerald does a nice job of describing this through imagery, setting, and symbolism in the novel. The American Dream is about moving up the socioeconomic class through hard work.
Gatsby does move up in money but not socially. From Gatsby’s parties we first find out that
Gatsby is “new” rich from Tom when he says to Nick “a lot of these newly rich people are just big bootleggers” (107). Gatsby worked hard through bootlegging but still in the eyes of the Tom and the other “old” rich people there just middle class or poor. Gatsby doesn’t fit in even at his own parties; people don’t even know who he is. When Gatsby said “I thought you knew, old sport. I’m afraid I’m not a very good host” (48). Gatsby thinks by throwing a party he can get attention but that is not what happens at all. Gatsby does not fit in the upper class of the
socioeconomic class. This disproves the idea of the American dream because Gatsby did not achieve success.
The American dream makes people think that they can get anything if they work hard enough. F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays this as false. The green light at the end of Tom’s dock is an important symbol within the book. It represents the American dream and Gatsby goal of getting daisy. After dinner with Tom, Daisy, and Jordan, Nick goes back to his house and finds Gatsby stretch[ing] out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was