When one envisions the American Dream, one might picture the classic rags-to-riches story or simply the freedom to prosper and succeed. But in reality, not everyone gets an equitable chance to rise above the ashes, and because of this one can only wonder about the tangibility of this dream. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, readers explore this idea, examining people from the ultra-wealthy, such as Tom and Daisy Buchanan, to the impoverished lower class, such as Mr. Wilson. In doing so, one realizes that not a single character ends up satisfied, all left to grasp the barest trace of happiness and comfort. While Tom appears to fit the simplistic archetype of the affluent out-of-touch person that cruelly antagonizes the other characters …show more content…
Nick specifically depicts his stance and facial features, giving him “the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward” and setting the impression of someone constantly on edge (Fitzgerald 7). While Tom as a member of old-money high-class society could be illustrated as relaxed and in comfortable control of his life, Nick’s use of the word “aggressively” instead depicts a rabid dog that will fight at a moment’s notice to protect its own territory, confirming that he wants to protect his place and position against everyone else. With this stance, Tom may seem akin to an apex predator, but he, in reality, compares more to a sheep in a wolf’s clothing. With his forceful facade and stature, Tom puts people on edge, an intimidation tactic that conceals his genuine fears. But, even with this intense description, Nick “felt that Tom would drift forever seeking,” exemplifying how Tom, along with the other characters, will never be satisfied with their lives (Fitzgerald 6). The verb “drift” makes Tom seem ghost-like, almost inhuman, as just a soul past its prime. This idea connects Tom with everyone else in the novel, seeking to thrive and prosper, illustrating the complexity of the journey to achieve the American Dream, disproving the idea that Tom only serves as a negative depiction of the upper class. Through the description of Tom, Fitzgerald begins to disillusion readers with the validity of the American Dream, even to the seemingly influential upper
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, he captures the alluring niche of the American Dream. Fitzgerald delves into the Roaring Twenties, exploring the era’s instability and immersion in greed and pleasure. In his novel, he reflects personal events and experiences being lower class along with his desire to attain wealth for the means of happiness. Presented through his cast of characters and the realities they face, Fitzgerald criticizes the American Dream. Pairing symbolism and diction, he demonstrates the tragic tales following the glamorized American Dream as a result of the extent individuals resort to in order to achieve this ideal.
Perry Gratsias Mr Sarracini ENG4U1 June 2, 2023 Unveiling the Flaws of the American Dream through Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a powerful indictment of the American Dream, showing the corruption and emptiness that may emerge from its pursuit. In order to examine how Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby's perspectives towards the American Dream differ and how they play a part in highlighting Fitzgerald's critique, this essay will compare and contrast the two main characters. Gatsby stands for the optimism and hope that inspire people to chase the American Dream, whereas Tom represents the upper class's disenchantment and materialistic tendencies. The opposition of Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby reveals Fitzgerald's
Meaningless Pursuites In F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel, The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway is a man who, like many in the 1920s, is searching for meaning and purpose in life. Nick leaves his hometown in the Midwest and moves to New York City, hoping to immerse himself in the glamorous world of the wealthy elite. It is there that he meets the charismatic figure Jay Gatsby, who embodies Nick's desires and aspirations for love and wealth. In this essay, we will explore Nick Carraway's dream of finding meaning and purpose in life, how he achieved that dream, and what the author was trying to communicate through Nick's pursuit of his dream.
When you first ever hear about “The American Dream,” you visualize great luxury, a picture-perfect picket fence, and a high social status. This impractical idealism is solely based on the foundation of “money buys happiness.” It is so inaccurate, considering those with the most riches and power always seem to want more. F. Scott Fitzgeralds novel “The Great Gatsby,” demonstrates how your biggest dreams can quickly become your worst nightmare. Fitzgerald uses the Buchanans, Myrtle, and Gatsby to develop his theme of the corruption and disillusionment of the American Dream.
There are numerous differences between today’s society and society from 100 years ago; nevertheless, Fitzgerald’s vision of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby is similar to today’s ideals of the famous fantasy. While the dream can come from inherited wealth, the reality is it generally comes from working hard to become successful. Based on the analysis of The Great
The historic American dream (the one in The Great Gatsby) was more achievable back then but now we can not achieve it due to countless problems that have developed over the years. Overall Fitzgerald's' version of the American dream in The Great Gatsby is very different from today’s version because of the attainability, happiness, economically, and
Fitzgerald reveals that the concept of the American Dream, through Gatsby’s character, by showing an image of an individual working hard enough to have a successful future regardless of their past, is never attainable- demonstrated in American society today, except for those who
The ever-hopeful end result of pursuing the American dream is the aspiration of achieving a substantial amount of money and successfully building the white picket fence. Many talk about the famous accounts of successful dream chasers, however, hidden under their feet are countless Americans anxiously waiting to climb up the ladder. In contrast, several get caught up on earthly desires believing it will lead them to eternal satisfaction, but often, it decides their own fate. In The Great Gatsby, American author F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the tragedy found within numerous characters. This novel reveals all social classes striving to achieve the American dream, showing how even the most wealthy struggle to live an authentic, happy life.
The American Dream suggests that every American citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work. One of the major ways that Fitzgerald portrays this is by alluding to outside events or works of literature specifically from that time period. Another major relationship that develops in The Great Gatsby is between Tom and Daisy. F. Scott Fitzgerald alludes to things such as the World’s Fair and “The Love Nest” to display the eventual dismantling of Tom and Daisy’s relationship. Both of these separate plots consolidate under the idea of Gatsby trying to become the epitome of the American Dream, as seen through his strive for a “perfect life.”
Francis Scott Fitzgerald once stated, “The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart and all they can do is stare blankly.” Throughout his famous work, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald portrayed the American Dream. Contrary to the ideology of the “Roaring Twenties” society, he described the American Dream as a delusion. People of the era focused on materialism in order to boost their wealth and status and forgot the importance of their relationships. Several characters within the novel sought to gain a higher status in society.
The American Dream is the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success, prosperity, and social mobility through hard work, determination, and initiative. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby attempts to achieve social mobility but ultimately fails due to the constructs of old vs new money. An argument is shown that the American Dream is just that, a dream, and that happiness cannot be achieved through wealth. In the novel, the super poor are stuck in their social class, unable to move because they live in the valley of ashes, which represents poverty and the corruption and social decay that came with the lavish and careless lifestyles of the rich.
The Great Gatsby Literary Analysis “They were careless people…” says Nick Carraway, the narrator of The Great Gatsby. In a story depicting the 1920s during a time of prosperity, growth, and the emergence of the America as a major global power, this statement may seem to be contrary. But in reality, Nick Carraway’s description of his friends and the people he knew, was not only true, but is an indication of those who were striving for the American dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald suggests that the American Dream is foolish, the people who pursue it are immoral and reckless, and this pursuit is futile. First, F. Scott Fitzgerald proposes that the American dream is foolish.
The Great Gatsby presents its characters as having living the American Dream. However, it is only a belief; the behaviors they have and decisions they take only leave them with a false perception of life and lifestyle. The Great Gatsby relates to the corruption of the American Dream for those materialistic people who were after money. Fitzgerald reveals the idea of corruption in the American Dream through conditions such as wealth and materialism, power and social status, and relationships involving family and affairs. He uses examples of this corruption to show the reader that people are willing to lie, betray others, and commit crime to be able to live a ‘better and fuller’ life.
In most modern literature and film there are extremely noticeable archetypes among the characters. In superhero movies characters such as Batman and Captain America are quickly placed into the “hero” archetype and their almost equal arch nemesis’ are easily identified as the villains of their stories. However, what is not commonly done is further exploring these archetypes and simple behavioral details in order to further diversify these characters. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald’s different writing style along with decisions the characters make allows for a much more difficult time pinpointing each character’s explicit archetype; Fitzgerald’s writing style along with the narratorial design of the story permits these archetypes to change
As defined by Aristotle, “a tragic hero is a literary character who makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his/her own destruction” (“Tragic Hero” 1). In The Great Gatsby, Great historical writers like Sophocles and the aforementioned Aristotle used this character archetype while manifesting their works to create characters that were both larger than life, but also were human. Like these dateless litterateurs, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses this timeless archetype to create the titular character Jay Gatsby. Fitzgerald likens Gatsby to fellow tragic heros like Antigone, Oedipus Rex, and Odysseus by describing him to be both a common man and larger than life. Furthermore, similar to other tragic heroes, Gatsby has a tremendous fall from grace.