The strong desire for luxurious pleasure and money ultimately corrupts the American dream which was originally about individualism. As a result, S. Fitzgerald portrays the corruption during this era by creating a novel infused with lies and deception. The author, S. Fitzgerald drives a basic storyline in which characters, in the novel, compose their identity through lies and deception. Jay
We really first start to see foreshadowing to this theme in the second Chapter with George Wilson and Myrtle Wilson, one making a living as a mechanic/gas station operator, the other making money by being in an affair with Tom respectively. This brings to mind how the American Dream of fortune can’t always be brought around by hard work, in the case of George. Later on in Chapter 4 the reader learns about Gatsby’s plan to win Daisy back through his show of wealth and social power. Daisy, being the ultimate symbol of success for Gatsby, is his goal that has been for so long out of reach. Next in the 5th Chapter, Gatsby starts an affair with Daisy.
We are told that the green light is “minute and far away”, which insinuates that what Gatsby is looking at is something in sight but at the same time something unreachable. This proves to be true for Gatsby, since Daisy chooses Tom over him at the end. The people of West Egg will always be chasing the American Dream, meanwhile, the green light is close to Tom and Daisy, who do not need the American Dream, because they are born into wealth and
Paul Laurence Dunbar, an influential poet, once stated “we wear the mask that grins and lies.” (Source B). This mask symbolizes the American Dream. A widely shared idea of wealth and luxury, however, a darker truth looks within. The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates to readers the hollowness and decline of the American Dream. Some may say that each generation molds the American Dream, but the deceit and desolation still lingers.
Gatsby grew up wanting to be rich, adoring everything about Daisy and her way of life since he was a young man going into the war. His image of Daisy and her wealth is much more perfect in his head than reality. On Gatsby’s dock there is a green light, which seems to represent his strive to be with his image of Daisy, and be perfect himself. “Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now to him vanished forever. Compared to the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near to her, almost touching her.
He considered that the factor that Daisy broke their engagement and married to Tom is because he was destitute. Ultimately, Gatsby was full of hope that he can win Daisy back if he earns enough wealth. Consequently, the green light shows Gatsby’s efforts to pursue to touch the green light and holding his hope and dream. In the other point of view, the color green symbolizes that Gatsby’s dream is doomed to fail and
Ironically, the downfall of the American Dream occurred through the pursuit for the American Dream. In ‘The Great Gatsby’ Fitzgerald portrays a corrupt society whose citizens all strive to fulfill their role in society. With characters from multiple different financial status’ the author unveils the different ways used to obtain this dream. During this time the prohibition was in place and this led to many lower class people gaining
The American dream has been defined as “the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity” (Dictionary). There were many conflicts that characters encountered when trying to achieve their own American dream. Each character had their own specific dream, Jay Gatsby especially. Daisy, Jay Gatsby’s love, had an impact on his life, which led to the failure of his own American dream. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby almost lived out his American dream by finding the love of his life and almost fulfilling his dream to be with Daisy forever.
In the novel, Jay Gatsby’s American Dream is to do anything and everything possible to win over Daisy Buchanan. But, once Gatsby finally has her, he still is not satisfied. Nick Carraway states that Jay Gatsby paid a high life for one single dream that he eventually no longer cared about (Fitzgerald 161). He then wants Daisy to admit she has only ever loved him. Daisy is incapable of giving him the new dream he really wants.
One side of the scale is just more fortunate and had a head start to reaching the goal because of their families past. The most accurate representation of the american dream in the novel’ The Great Gatsby, is Jay Gatsby. He contains the attributes of all of the characters combines. He Is in pursuit of love. The money is just pouring in for him, and on top of everything, he considered himself to be happy although he does not have completely everything that he wishes