There are no limits to what someone 's dream could be, and that is the beauty of the American dream. The American dream can be represented by chance/opportunity, wealth/prosperity, and the pursuit of a better life. The American dream is driven by the desire to prosperous and wealthy. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, He writes about a man filled with ideas and dreams that reach for the stars. Wealth and Prosperity can make a man strive to achieve, such as when Nick first makes it to New York and sees all the sights and realizes what he is able to do,”There was too much to read, for one thing, and so much fine wealth to be pulled down out of the young breath giving air”.
The fact that he has everything that any American could ever wish for emphasizes how important the one entity is that he is missing, the love of the woman that he cares for so immensely. These two specific stereotypes outline exactly how real people in the 1920s lived and how their attempts at the American Dream played out. Therefore, because many Americans in the 1920s strove to achieve the American Dream, Fitzgerald utilized Gatsby’s endeavors to highlight the two different classes of people: both those who struggled with their attempt at the American Dream and the few lucky ones who accomplished it. Gatsby was not always filthy rich, as Fitzgerald depicts him for the majority of the book. Unlike the Buchanan’s, Gatsby was not
The Dream consists of a seemingly simple theory; success. Charles Foster Kane possessed everything that a materialistic man could dream to have: money, power, a successful career, women, and extravagant possessions some men would go to extremes lengths to have. Yet, Charles had it all. The most important ingredient of happiness in life Kane lacked however, was the single component he couldn 't buy and that was: love. "You won 't get lonely, Charles... You 'll be the richest man in the world someday."
Throughout The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, many characters have differing views on the topic of the American Dream, some including Nick Carraway, James Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, and Tom Buchanan. They range in views of a dream revolved around money and pride, and a life full of love and success. Yet, it is not possible for every single person to achieve what they want in life. The American Dream is achievable if determination and passion is loaded into the efforts, but not everybody can reach it if it lies too far away and the person doesn’t feel like pursuing it. As this novel was set in the 1920s, it was not as normal to run after what you wanted, and to break the social norms.
He seems to be living the American dream with a nice house, wife, child, and all the money anyone could want. However, even with all this fortune, he is still unhappy with his life. To fix this, he goes and gets a lover, Myrtle Wilson, to be a second
Evan Olmstead English II - 6th Mr. Davidson 2/16/18 AMDG The Great American Dream F. Scott Fitzgerald 's The Great Gatsby portrays many themes, however the most significant theme relates to man 's unsuccessful attempts at the American dream. The Great Gatsby shows how not one by many characters fail at achieving their American dream. The American Dream as defined by James Truslow Adams in 1921, "life should be better, richer, and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each regardless of social class or circumstances of birth”. The desire to strive for what one wants can be achieved if one is willing to work hard enough. The dream is represented by the ideas of a self sufficient man or woman, who is willing to do anything to achieve the goal of becoming successful.
Eventually, in his life, he becomes one of the richest and most famous people in America; it many ways it would appear that he had achieved the American Dream. However, if we analysed Gatsby’s life closer there is still things that were not accomplished in his life, specifically his love of his Daisy, marries someone else. Furthermore, while he is well known, he lacks many true friends, and finally, that even though he became rich, people still rejected him calling him a bootlegger. Fitzgerald uses The Great Gatsby to say that the American Dream is never truly attainable as there are always going to be unintended ups and downs, as seen through Gatsby’s failures and shortcomings. Throughout the book, many characters say that Gatsby was a
However, the more challenges one faces the harder it will be to achieve the dream. This is shown through the development of Nick Carraway, a main character, and how he begins the novel by expressing how he had advantages others did not have. As his dad told him, “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,” he told me, “just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.”(Fitzgerald 1). From a young age, Nick was taught that he should not ever judge people because he himself had an advantage and was in a much better position to achieve the American Dream. Nick later goes on to say that he is, “inclined to reserve all judgments.”(Fitzgerald 1).
Shelby Barnes October 16, 2017 English Sydney Carton Sydney Carton is the protagonist of this book. Although he lived a life full of disappointment throughout most of the book, he touches the hearts of many people. No one loved him and he was orphaned at a young age because his mother and father died early. He was melancholy and was convinced that he should be unhappy for all of his life. He believed his only purpose in life was to die.
Clyde starts in a very low class. David Lord explains the roots of these desires in his work, Dreiser Today. “It is undoubtedly true that poverty and social inferiority in childhood breed exaggerated views [...] when the individual is denied many things that he needs, [and] he sets greater store by those within reach” (Lord 234). Coming from a low class Dreiser presents Clyde being “denied many things that he needs” like success. Clyde’s childhood was of “poverty and social inferiority” lacking in money, beauty, and overall success creating “exaggerated views” of them.