History, rather than one’s financial status, is the deciding factor in determining one’s acceptance into the highest social classes. This idea is expressed in the song “All Falls Down” by Kanye West, “Even if you in a Benz, you still a n----- in a coupe” (“All Falls Down”). If a wealthy man has no impressive or notable background and is not considered “old money,” his achievement of the American dream, an ideal that every American has an equal opportunity to achieve prosperity, would be limited. Throughout American history, the “American dream” has been critiqued. While some authors support this idea by following the paths leading up to impressive successes of impoverished characters, others, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald, negate it. In his novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald argues against the concept of the American dream by contrasting the financial successes of Jay Gatsby with the lack of achievement of Gatsby’s own aspirations of acceptance into the upper class. Despite being extremely wealthy, Gatsby lives in the shadow of his insignificant youth. Although throughout The Great Gatsby, wealth appears to be a mechanism in elevating Jay Gatsby’s social status, Gatsby’s unimpressive past disables him from fully achieving the American dream. The concept of the American dream originated from the “rags-to-riches” success story of founding father, Benjamin Franklin. Franklin, although coming from a modest background, successfully jump-started the American printing business when he invented all-purpose paper out of old, cheap rags, becoming the first and leading distributor of printed goods. The founding father spent the majority of his life in the printing business, and thus was pretty well known throughout the colonies. In his autobiography, Franklin described that through hard work and determination, anyone could progress through the social classes. However, according to Raj Chetty’s research as presented in the podcast “Busted: America's Poverty Myths,” there is quite a large gap between those who can and cannot progress. For example, the neighborhood in which one grows up is responsible for 25% of the wage gap between workers of different socioeconomic statuses. If someone did not have the monetary capability
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.
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.
The pursuit of any success in life is an arduous journey, one that can only be accomplished by the few dedicated individuals willing to push their ambition and capabilities as far as possible. The challenge is even more difficult because the amount of people trying to achieve the same goal when only a select few can. Corruption and deceit are inevitable in a dream driven by money. The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a classic twentieth-century story that examines and analyzes the vision of the American dream. The Great Gatsby presents several of its characters as having this illusion of living the “American dream”, contrary to what they believe their behaviors and decisions they make only leave them with a false perception of this lifestyle. The novel shows the tide turning east, as hordes flock to New York City seeking stock market fortunes. It portrays this shift as a symbol of the American Dream's corruption. It is no longer a vision of building a life; it is just about getting rich. The story is able to illustrate the corruption money leads to by placing materialistic values in the lives of American’s in the pursuit or the ‘American Dream’.
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.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, is a one of the best stories written during the early 20th century. The novel takes place during the economic boom in the 1920s, which was a time of prosperity, self-indulgence, and the growth of cities. The most elaborate and symbolic character Fitzgerald presents to his readers is Jay Gatsby. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby as a vehicle to explore the idea of The American Dream, which played a major role in shaping American society. Fitzgerald does not sugar-coat his definition of the…Thesis
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, showed the rise of Modern Era and the demise of the American Dream. Fitzgerald without knowing the Depression was coming, showed us the demise of the American Dream with his main characters Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway, Tom Buchanan, and Daisy Buchanan. He also shows us the divide in society between the traditional and the modern during that time period. Gatsby is the most successful character in The Great Gatsby because of his love for Daisy, rise to wealth, and friendship with Nick.
What was the American Dream? Each character has their own idea of what the American dream is and each one tries to pursue it. The Great Gatsby is a novel with the too different types of people. Nick Caraway and Jay Gatsby live in the West Egg where most of the people work for their riches. While the Buchanan’s live in East Egg where everyone has inherited their money and come from high class families. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, everyone is pursuing the American Dream. Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, Tom Buchanan, and Myrtle Wilson are four key characters whose lives are forever changed by each other’s actions as they try to achieve their own versions of the American Dream.
A land of countless opportunities to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, courage, and determination is the American Dream. In addition to the American Dream, society has been separated to distinguish citizens from each other to categorize individuals according to the job, salaries, and economic resources. The socioeconomic latter is divided into three branches: the upper class, the middle class, and the lower class. The novel, The Great Gatsby, used the American Dream and the socioeconomic latter to capture a cross-section of the American society.
The Great Gatsby by Francis Scott Fitzgerald cover a variety of topics, but none are more prevalent in the book than that of the idea of The American Dream. The American dream Is the idea that americans can achieve financial prosperity and happiness by mean of working hard to achieve one’s goals.Fitzgerald criticizes the American Dream of its fundamental flaws in different ways with the use of his characters. This is more prevalent when looking at Gatsby’s desire for fulfillment, Tom social standing, and Wilson's inability to achieve financial prosperity despite his hard work.
In his sarcastic novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald frequently shows how racism and classism influence the viability of achieving the American dreams through obscure methods. The novel details Gatsby’s achievements and his dream, including Daisy, and makes a comparison with other people of different races and classes indirectly, but visibly. The fact that even though Gatsby was much wealthier than those in East Egg, he has never realized his American dream. He never owned Daisy truly and never acquired respect from others but rumours, due he isn’t born in upper class and only makes money through bootleg. Gatsby’s mansion draws attentions and fakely reminds people of the feasibility of making the American dream. However, his unexpected death, killed by Wilson, a mid-class white man, that is not resolved by the police proves that the American dream is just like a phantom and is not truly available for everyone. Fitzgerald takes us into the suffering of Gatsby showing that the American dream is like a shell company which makes everyone look forward to their future with great expectations, but only certain minimum individuals can truly reach it because people are not standing on the same starting line.
The Great Gatsby is about the pursuit of the American Dream. Throughout the novel, the reader sees Gatsby in situations that are impossible to overcome. F. Scott Fitzgerald believed the American Dream was unattainable and demonstrated this through his story development. By creating an existing character in the 1920s, who is in love with a married woman and acquired his money illegally, Fitzgerald was able to develop a man pursuing an unattainable dream.
Everyone in America has a set goal, this goal is the American dream. Many different people see this American dream in a different way. The American dream is something that any American, it doesn't matter what your race is, or nationality, etc, thinks that they have to achieve to be able to live a happy life and always be satisfied. In the 1920s a story written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby is focused on the American dream. The dream is expressed through who you love, how much money a person has, and where you fit into the social status.
The American Dream was an idea that there is opportunity for everyone according to ability or achievement regardless of social class or circumstances of birth. This means that when you come to America you had every opportunity open to you. There are many obstacles that you must pass to achieve this large of a goal although many could not forge ahead through these barriers. The self reliant individual does not have complete control over his or her own success because of the people involved in their life.
The whole story of “The Great Gatsby” is showing the stigmatized version of the American dream. That it is so perfect and fun to be rich and if one is rich one is happy. F. Scott Fitzgerald tries to show the consequences of pursuing the american dream. He shows this through many different characters, most importantly being Jay Gatsby. Living the American Dream may seem like the life wanted from afar, but if one gets to close it just might eat him/her up.