The American Dream In The Great Gatsby Analysis

The American dream is the idea of the perfect family and a house with a white picket fence; some people strive their whole life to achieve the dream, but the dream is unachievable—there is no such thing as perfect. The Balance’s article What Is the American Dream? The History That Made It Possible by Kimberly Amadeo says:

The concept of the American Dream was first found in a sermon called “city upon a hill” given by John Winthrop a Puritan as they were on their way to Massachusetts in 1630. As time goes on, the American Dream is used as a popular theme. In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, uses the theme of the American Dream. In the novel Fitzgerald has one of the characters represent the American Dream, showings us what the American Dream is like during the 1920s, and how it explores the idea of America.

What is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s view of the American Dream? Did The American Dream destroy people happiness? How?

The American dream is an illusion, and one can never achieve true happiness when one is searching for it. This is what F. Scott Fitzgerald was thinking when, amongst his failing marriage and panicking country, he wrote one of America’s most beloved classics. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby, a self-made, overly optimistic millionaire who throws lavish parties in search of his long-lost love, is eventually found to be not only a liar, but a failure as well. This failure portrays a different ideal for Fitzgerald: the American dream. In fact, within his novel, Fitzgerald metaphorically depicted the American dream as unachievable and impractical, using the very title itself.

Gatsby refers to a green light across the bay which illuminates from Daisy’s house. “If it wasn’t for the mist we could see your home across the bay” said Gatsby. “You always have been a green light that burns all night at the end of the dock” (98). The Green light represents Gatsby’s American Dream. Everything that haunts and beckons Gatsby; his physical and emotional distance from Daisy and him. It also represents a gap between the past and the promise of the future. Gatsby comparing daisy to a green light that can be seen but never achieved provides of us evidence that Fitzgerald believes the American Dream as something to strive for but can rarely be achieved. In the Great Gatsby, Gatsby’s car is the color yellow. From the outside this seems like an insignificant detail but if observed closer can tell a story about Fitzgerald's view the AMerican Dream. “How do you like this one? Inquired Tom. ‘I bought it last week’ it’s a nice yellow one, said Wilson as he strained at the handle” (130). Yellow is a very similar color to gold and at a distance can even be mistaken for gold. THis shows that even though Gatsby has bettered himself in his financial status over the past 5 years but his success in his American Dream is still false and fake. From the outside he has it all but without Daisy his dream is empty and

The "American Dream" is a term adapted after America became a free nation and was ready for growth and prosperity. It continues even today to be used frequently in reference to the opportunity to starting or having a better comfortable life. In the twenties this household term put on a new meaning of greed, overindulgence and materialism. In his most prestigious work the, The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald portrays the corrupt nature of the American Dream through the fall of his characters. The author portrays the frailty of the American Dream through protagonist of the story, Jay Gatsby, the love of his life Daisy, and Daisy’s husband Tom. Gatsby's undying desire to quickly to impress Daisy turns into greed just as the image of the American dream suddenly became unattainable due to corruption.

“No social system in any country will bring us happiness, health and prosperity unless it is inspired by something greater than materialism.” (Clement R. Attlee). Clement R. Attlee explains the American Dream wasn’t about being smart or creating innovations it was having luxuries that they wouldn’t believe they would own it. In the 1920s, the main phase of Americans in society was the belief of the American Dream of living life to the fullest and up to their highest expectations, but F. Scott Fitzgerald shows the Americans go to far off dreaming and doesn’t realized it till it ruins their lives. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is the character most accountable for his own death,which shows pursing the impractical can

The Great Gatsby depicts The United States in the 1920s. While originally, this period depicted the Great American dream with people pursuing their goals and seeking happiness, it contained an unfortunate turn with people running after money, riches and materialism. Towards the final stage of the story Nick states "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." This clearly displays how most of the upper society had surrounded themselves with lavish cars, posh houses, and extravagant parties forgetting the true value of life. Fitzgerald displays that the "American dream" is not all that people see from the outside, but that a majority of these individuals lived shallow lives, with narrow mentalities. Everything on the outside was glistening, but the inside held many dark, and upsetting secrets. Throughout various themes, symbols and motifs, the underlying meaning that Fitzgerald wants revealed becomes evident.

The American dream, the ideal that every US citizen should have equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. Everyone in life have goals that they want to accomplish, that they want to achieve, and that they want to live for, but it can’t be done in one day. In the novel The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of the main themes in the novel is The American dream and the desire of the main character to achieve. My goal in life is to live in a nice house and have a high-paying job, but there will be obstacle that will try to stop me from achieving my goal, the economy and society itself will try to stop me from achieving the goals I desire.

The American Dream is the idea of having an equal opportunity of achieving prosperity and happiness through hard work and determination. The idea of the American dream is the main focus of novel The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby is about the narrator Nick Carraway who tells the story of Jay Gatsby, a wealthy self-made man who is in love with Daisy Buchanan. However, Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan who is also a rich man but from inheritance. The colors red white and blue appear often in the book, each color has its own meaning in relationship to the “American Dream”. Red signifies passion, violence, and power. Blue represents hope, and White represents class and high stature. F.Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby uses extensive description of the colors red, white and, blue to illustrate certain parts of the American Dream are fake.

For instance, even though Gatsby's lives a luxurious life, the reader can see it does not correlate directly with the American Dream and does not assure his happiness. The reader can tell that there is still something missing in his life. In fact, the first time Gatsby is introduced as unhappy is when he “[stretches] out his arms toward…a single green light, [which was] minute and far away” (Fitzgerald 11).  Because the green light comes from Daisy Buchanan’s boat dock, the light can metaphorical represent Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for the future. When Nick first sees Gatsby in chapter 1, Gatsby is on his dock trying to reach towards his end goal, which is having a future with Daisy. With this in mind, after Gatsby spends more time with Daisy, he starts to think that “‘her voice is full of money’” (Fitzgerald 63). With the American Dream being closely related to wealth, the reader can see that to Gatsby, having in his life Daisy is the only thing missing from his American Dream. Throughout the novel, the reader can see that Gatsby gets more and more depressed when he is

The American Dream has always been a necessity to the American Culture. The American dream was one thing that attracted people to start a new life on American’s land; the land of opportunity, wealth, and prosperity. The Dream continues to be relevant after all the years of being in existence, but this dream is not the same as it one nor is it the same for each person. As a whole, the American Dream can be interpreted as starting low on economic or social level and working the way to the top. Being different for each individual, the American Dream is not necessarily attainable for everyone.

F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays the American Dream in the character of Jay Gatsby throughout the novel The Great Gatsby. Gatsby succeeds in changing his life as he goes from having nothing to being very wealthy. His success, however, comes during a corrupt time. How Gatsby made his fortune is not clear but it is clear that he was involved in illegal business transactions. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald shows that the American Dream is achievable, but only by adding the illegal aspect to Gatsby’s success he also problematizes the American Dream throughout the plot. Throughout The Great Gatsby the character of Jay Gatsby depicts the American dream.

Throughout the contemporary history of America, people have outwardly exuded their own confidences that a better life was within their reach. The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald explores dreams and how they affect and ultimately corrupt dreamers. Fitzgerald tells the story of a poor, midwestern man who goes to seemingly endless lengths to achieve the goal of a richer life in New York. This man, Jay Gatsby, reinvents himself, amasses a fortune through illegal activity, and funnels his wealth into a single goal: win back his lost love, Daisy. Gatsby’s dream for his new life with Daisy consumes him, similar to the dreams and ultimate fates of other characters in this novel. The characters all harbor their own version of the American dream in their minds. The American dream is the idea that “[E]very man, whatever his origins, may pursue and attain his chosen goals, be they political, monetary, or social” (Pearson 638). There is a common belief that America guarantees the means to achieve a better life and a hopeful future, but people fail to realize that the American dream is an unfulfilled promise. Each character in the Great Gatsby is corrupted in some ways by a dream, or conversely corrupted by the lacking of one. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the characters’ vulnerabilities and flaws to show the corruption of their interpretation of the American dream.

The American Dream is merely the idea that people are desiring something, however the deprivation of it is what makes us want it more than anything. This “something” can be defined as love, happiness, hope, wealth, fame, and the list goes on. Typically, a person is afraid to be uncomfortable in order to pursue their dreams. The human mind is a complex structure that forces us to be afraid of chasing things that could potentially make or break us. When a person receives the thing they once craved, a new goal, or desire, sparks up in their minds. As a human, our minds will never allow us to be completely satisfied.