The American Dream In The Great Gatsby Analysis

The idea of American Dream as presented by F. Scott Fitzgerald in the Great Gatsby novel involves rising from poverty or rags to richness and wealthy. The American Dream exemplifies that elements such as race, gender, and ethnicity are valueless as they do not influence the ability of an individual to rise to power and richness. This American Dream makes the assumption that concepts such as xenophobia are non-existent in America a concept that is not true and shows vagueness of the American Dream. In his novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the Great Gatsby to demonstrate the overall idea of living the American dream. Gatsby leaves his small village of farmers and manages to work his way up the ladder although some of the money he uses to climb the ladder is associated with crime “He was a son of God and he must be about His Father's Business, the service of a vast, vulgar and meretricious beauty” (Fitzgerald 6.7). This phrase shows that Gatsby wasn’t meant for a life similar to that of his father but rather destined for greatness. However, his dream his short-lived and he doesn’t make it to the top as Daisy who is a symbol of his wealthy rejects her and a series of events transpire that result in his death before he could live his American Dream alongside everyone else who was working up the ladder to live the American Dream.

The roaring twenties involved the rise of new technology such as the invention of new cars, which doubled people’s wealth. Also involved the rise of bootleggers, who were selling alcohol illegally. The major person behind bootlegging was Al capone who was a big time crime boss involved in the illegal act of business. F. Scott Fitzgerald writes The Great Gatsby which mainly takes place on Long Island and New York, during 1922. One of the major characters, Jay Gatsby, lived in North Dakota on a farm, to a  family that  was not well-to-do. He attended St. Olaf college, and year after he met Dan cody, where he got involved with bootlegging. Gatsby grew wealthy because of bootlegging, and now he lives in West Egg in a Luxurious Mansion. Gatsby was successful in gaining his wealth, but he didn’t achieve the american dream he hoped for because his money didn’t buy him happiness.

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, he demonstrates the actions of society and by doing, so he ridicules the high class and lower class, which ended up critiquing the American Dream. The American dream is an idea to give people hope that through hard work one will achieve wealth, fame, and prosperity. This dream symbolizes the desire to attain a luxurious house, car and even a perfect marriage if one is diligent enough. It is represented by the idea of a self-sufficient man or woman who is determined to achieve a goal to become more successful. However, the American Dream is an illusion that only leads to corruption in the pursuit of social mobility.

To properly comment on Fitzgerald's feelings about the American Dream, we should define its meaning. Webster's Dictionary defines the American Dream as: "American social ideal that stresses egalitarianism and especially material prosperity; the prosperity or life that is the realization of this ideal." John Pidgeon's view of the American Dream is, "The Dream is founded upon the philosophical fundamentals on which our nation was built, summed up in Thomas Jefferson's expression that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights to liberty, life and the pursuit of happiness. In other words, America was to be a place where men were politically free to pursue whatever goal they wished". (Pidgeon, 178-179)

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, the ideals of wealth and dreams are exhibited through the lives and experiences of Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby. Specifically, Gatsby tends to waste his wealth rather than investing for the future. He uses the “green light” to serve as a constant reminder of his dreams and life goals he wishes to pursue. Nick Carraway’s friendship with Gatsby enables him to partake in the wealth and luxuries of Gatsby's lifestyle. The American Dream is brought to fruition through Gatsby’s lavish lifestyle and extravagant parties. Furthermore, the motifs of wealth and dreams are perpetually shaping and influencing the characters’ decisions, experiences and outcomes over the course of the story.

The American Dream is defined as “America was going on the greatest, gaudiest, spree in history and there was going to be plenty to tell about it” (Cowley 31 ) this is what everybody was claiming the American Dream was supposed to be . The money was all for show, the dream was all a lie, and the class you were a part of was suppose to dictate your life. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby is consumed by the want for the American Dream and chasing what was the illusion of true love, wealth, and social status.

The American Dream is defined as the “idea that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative” (Adams). This idea has been relevant to Americans ever since the creation of the United States of America. Everyone has their own interpretation of it and embody it in their own way. Over time, the American Dream has been altered and changed in regards to how our society has evolved. During the 1920s, the American Dream became corrupt and America’s main focus was on materialism and wealth. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, he depicts the corruption of the American Dream based on greed and false prosperity which strayed from the true version of it which valued hard-work, and initiative.

In the book The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald suggests that the American dream is deceptive and that the people who pursue it are dissatisfied, he also states that the pursuit is ultimately meaningless. What is the American dream? Well the American dream is the idea that no matter what race, gender, class, or religion you are if you work hard you can achieve your dreams and become wealthy. The dream is represented by the ideas of a self-sufficient man or woman, who works hard to achieve a goal to become successful. The Great Gatsby is a novel that shows what happened to the American Dream in the 1920’s, which is a time period when the dreams became corrupted for many reasons.

In the past the American Dream was an inspiration to many, young and old. To live out the American Dream was what once was on the minds of many Americans. In The Great Gatsby, the American Dream was presented as a corrupted version of what used to be a pure and honest ideal way to live. The idea that the American Dream was about the wealth and the possessions one had been ingrained, somehow, into the minds of Americans during the 1920’s. As a result of the distortion of the American Dream, the characters of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby along with many others, lived life fully believing in the American Dream, becoming completely immersed in it and in the end suffered great tragedies.

The American Dream can be defined as the “dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” (James Truslow Adams) Even though America is mainly idealized as the land of opportunities, not everyone puts in the effort to achieve the American Dream. People question the vitality of the American Dream. One of the main examples of this is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald uses his novel, to display his idea of the American Dream. It can be inferred that Fitzgerald’s idea of the American Dream is to obtain love and wealth. Fitzgerald’s American Dream was not fully achieved The Great Gatsby. This can be proven by Fitzgerald’s indictments

One of the most influential writers of the early 20th century was a man named F. Scott Fitzgerald. The biggest topic that he wrote about was the American Dream. Fitzgerald uses many different aspects of writing to get his opinion across, such as the outcome of stories like The Great Gatsby and “Winter Dreams”. He also uses the setting and to explain his beliefs. Based of his work, Fitzgerald believes the American dream is not only unrealistic, but also unattainable.

The American dream is an ideology, a vision that’s form varies from individual to individual, based upon one’s own experiences. Although the one thing that remains constant in every single definition is that this ideology, just as the name states, is only a dream. It is meant to merely drive people to unlock their hidden potential and become their best self, for the sole purpose of living one’s out one’s own definition of success. In “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the American Dream is Jay Gatsby’s inspiration and his opportunity, however, as the book progresses it becomes more evident that not all people share the same opportunity.

Fitzgerald’s novel, the Great Gatsby is one of the most meticulously written story of all time. This book incorporates different themes, yet the shadiness of the American Dream is the most significant one. The American Dream designates that one starting very low on their economic or social status and getting success and wealth trough their arduous work. Having a big house, a nice car and a happy family show the success of the American Dream. This dream is also shown by the concept of a self-made man, who struggles through life to get successful and wealthy. This dream does not only cause corruption but also destruction.

The American Dream is what we all aspire to achieve. The idea of starting off with nothing and to become something has caused millions of people from all corners of the world to immigrate to this country for over 300 years. However, what exactly is the American Dream? F Scott Fitzgerald answers this question within his novel The Great Gatsby. Through the eyes of Nick Carraway, Fitzgerald analyses the high class of the 1920s and reveals that the American Dream has been distorted from a pure ideal of security into a convoluted scheme of materialistic power. Fitzgerald incorporates the aspects of both the Òold dreamÓ & the Ònew dreamÓ in his tragic story to depicts how the inflexible dream has been corrupted and lost forever.

The American Dream, is an idea that all Americans are familiar with, no matter what age they are. It is the dream that everyone has an equal opportunity, to use hard work and integrity to achieve success. The American Dream is an integral aspect of Jay Gatsby’s life in the novel, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The novel follows Jay Gatsby, as told by Nick Carraway, through the trials and tribulations that correspond with newfound wealth and the quest to find true happiness in a cynical and testing environment. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald suggests that the American Dream has the power to corrupt individuals, through his depictions of wealth, materialism, and the consequences they inflict in the character’s lives.