Corruption Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

Nick Carraway once said “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter – tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther...And one fine morning – So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby to show the American Dream and what it truly means. The American Dream means that everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve what they want in America. In the time of The Great Gatsby, this dream has been corrupted and shifted towards money and materialistic ideals. For example, Gatsby believed that all he needed was money to achieve his dream of having Daisy, but even after all that work,

Her dream was to get everything and anything she wanted. She went after Tom because she knew he could give her anything she wanted. This greed led to her damaged marriage and her death. “Myrtle Wilson’s body, wrapped in a blanket, and then in another blanket, as though she suffered from a chill in the hot night, lay on a work table by the wall, and Tom, with his back to us, was bending over it, motionless.” (146). Myrtle ran into the road because she believed that Tom was in the yellow car but she was mistaken. This led to her being hit by the car, but none of this would've happened if she didn't seek Tom. Another example would be during the apartment party. The mention of Daisy from Myrtle's mouth led to her being punched. ‘I’ll say it whenever I want to! Daisy Dai-‘Making a short deft movement, Tom Buchanan broke her nose with his open hand.” (41). After the violence, she still stays with Tom because of her dream even when she could be in danger. The only reason she stays with Tom is because of her ideals and what she believes is the true American Dream even when it eventually leads to her death. The new American dream of all you need is money to be happily destroyed Myrtle's life and failed her when it was supposed to be about equal opportunity in life for

She knew that Tom could provide her with everything she ever wanted in life. When she meets Gatsby for the first time in 5 years everything changes in her life. “She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me.” (130). She wanted her dream of being rich and having everything she ever wanted enough that she married Tom, a man she almost didn't marry the night before their wedding. She stayed with him for the money and status, but when Gatsby showed up she realized how she still loved him. After Myrtle's death, she chooses Tom over Gatsby even though she has loved him since they met she chooses Tom’s status and stability over the love of her life. Daisy and Tom leave before Gatsby’s funeral on page 172. Daisy could've been with the love of her life but chose Tom over Gatsby because of his wealth and stability. This dream of hers of being rich and having everything in the world was so overpowering she would rather be with a man who cheats on her so much than a man who would do anything for her no matter what. The American Dream left everyone miserable during the roaring twenties, we have examples of this in the book of everyone fighting during Gatsby’s party and, a prime example was Daisy who would do anything to achieve this dream including leaving the love of her