The American Dream In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great G

The Deceiving Dream The American Dream is a highly controversial topic as many think of it as a hoax or an unrealistic fantasy. The Dream itself refers to the fact that “every American citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative" (Google Dictionary). One may think that with hard work, determination and perseverance, anything is possible, but in a country like America where you need money in order to make money, this idea seems unrealistic. Things like university and college costs for the desired course makes this Dream seem out of reach as well.

Even though America was meant to be a classless society, economic classes still separate people to a great extent in the 1920’s. In The Great Gatsby and the Twenties, by Ronald Berman, Berman explains that both Nick and Gatsby want to change their lives through hard work and success, (Berman p83) which seems as American as can be. However, those who were born rich never truly accept those who worked hard to become upper-class. When Tom tries to insult Gatsby, he calls him “Mr. Nobody from Nowhere”(Fitzgerald p130), suggesting that even after Gatsby puts in years of effort to become rich, even after he makes a small fortune, the fact that he was not born upper class is enough to make him “less” in some people’s eyes. When Tom is at Gatsby’s house, he still tries

In the book he is the only one who uses the American dream for a a for a noble cause. “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy – they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together and let other people clean up the mess they had made”(Fitzgerald 136-145). They are careless and showy and this is the only thing they have to show for their success. The rich are only seen a successful because of the money that people think they have. What they don 't see it out and see that kind of success truly is, they don 't really have anyone To share it with all they do is spend it so people know that Rich a truly empty form

Fitzgerald writes "There was a wholesome bulkiness about his person and his position and Daisy was flattered. " He could offer Daisy prestige in addition to all the old money one could dream of. Gatsby had made his money by illegal means. He was a nobody from nowhere and although he was rich beyond belief, he was one of the hundreds of nouveau riche who lacked the cache of the old money set. Although Gatsby could offer Daisy romance, love, excitement and intrigue, her need for security freedom and money made her eventually choose Tom.

Fitzgerald refers to the green light across the bay from Gatsby’s mansion which implies that Gatsby has yet to cross that long treacherous path just to get to Daisy. In an attempt to reach the end, Gatsby does things that went against the morals instilled in him at a young age and amasses his wealth by selling drugs and oil instead of working for it like most immigrants in our country do. To depict his message, Fitzgerald portrays Gatsby as a scapegoat and someone who takes the blame for something he did not do in order to be with the love of his life, but in the end realizes that all the years of wrongdoing brought him nowhere. By portraying the consequences of the American Dream, it reminds most immigrants today that the American Dream is not easy to achieve. Many believe that living in America and working an 8 hour shift is going to make them wealthy; however, when he or she experiences the hard work and long hours that are required to be successful, that is when you’re really living the American

The American Dream is the ideal that everyone is given an equal opportunity in being able to achieve their goals through hard work and determination. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the American Dream instead is materialistic and greedy. In The Great Gatsby people were ambitious and abrasive; they did whatever they could, to get where they wanted to be. Fitzgerald conveyed his ideal of the American Dream through Jay Gatsby. Gatsby was wealthy, ambitious, persistent, and got what he wanted any way he could, making him Fitzgerald’s biggest symbol of the American Dream.

After World War I, America seemed to provide unlimited opportunities for anyone willing to work hard—an American Dream. For many people the idea of accomplishing their American dream corrupted them, as they acquired wealth it changed them and made them a completely different person. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, we learn about a few character that appear to take advantage of the freedom of the 1920s, their lives reflect the hollowness that results when wealth and pleasure become ends in themselves. The three characters in this novel — George Wilson, Jay Gatsby, and Daisy Buchanan—show that chasing the American dream can have a very high cost in the end, and only end in misery. Nick first meets George Wilson while traveling with

Academic Introduction The philosophy of the American dream is deeply rooted in the soul of the American nation. It portrays the idea of America as a land where all dreams can come true and where those individuals who work hard can live a fuller, happier life. Since the very beginning of the establishment of this ideology, it was already repleted with stereotypes which are still present these days. Taking this into account, to what extent is the American dream really achievable? The aim of this paper is to show how the hegemonic discourse of the American dream is based on stereotypes and consequently fails at accomplishing the expectatives of those who believe in it.

But is that true? Can everyone achieve this dream? I strongly feel that the population with epilepsy struggle with achieving the American Dream. They must go through their daily life, without knowing if they are safe from the world or worst themself. I feel these individuals, struggle and face many different obstacles in their life that others do

Daisy not being with the first person she loved because he didn’t have enough money then watching him leave. Tom losing his wife to someone he has no chance with. George marrying a woman who cheated on him then watching her die. Myrtle continuing on a relationship even though it wasn’t right then running in front of a car. In my opinion the American Dream does not exist it is merely a figment of our imagination, a figment of every human being to ever have thoughts imagination.

The American Dream is often described as the ideal way of living. The belief that anyone, regardless of race, class, gender, or nationality, can be successful in America; even rich, if they just work hard enough. The life of having happiness, money, and equal opportunity; these are just a few desires that make up the so called American Dream, but the dream is not the same for everyone. The life people strive for and the Dream is also believed by people in other countries. They leave their homeland and come to America for a better life.

Additionally, the death of the Original American Dream is shown through the increasing desire for materialism and excess. Myrtle’s love of materialism is what ruins her marriage with her husband and drives her toward death. When she first marries George, Myrtle believes that she is crazy about him, but she reveals, “The only crazy I was was when I married him. I knew right away I made a mistake. He borrowed somebody’s best suit to get married in, and never even told me about it…”

Much like their personality, people during this time period could never settle because they always thought that more is better. Most of their decisions are based off personal benefit. The Great Gatsby contains rhetorical queues, such as logos, ethos, and pathos, that validate that the pursuit of “The American Dream” transforms society into greedy, heartless people. At this time, people only thought about social status because that determined who you partied with and how much money you had.

Despite an individual’s race, demographics, and origin, most people have the desire to live a prosperous lifestyle. In many cases, to achieve this prosperous life, one must endeavor to overcome great obstacles. For instance, the characters in A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, a play about a black family who all have aspirations of obtaining the American Dream, expect their goals to come easily. Achieving any goal is difficult but for these characters, racial boundaries make their dreams harder to achieve. Walter and Beneatha are all adamant about accomplishing their goals; however, they fail to notice their own characters flaws that stand in their way.

James Gatsby’s only dream was to be wealthy and to get Daisy to come back to him. Jay Gatsby was born from a poor family and had fantasies where he is rich and powerful. In order to