The Great Gatsby An American Nightmare - 1226 Words

Alex Joo Mr. Shaffer ENG4U1 January 8th, 2015 The Great Gatsby: an American Nightmare At the end of the day everyone ends up in the same place—six feet under. By then, many end up having lived fulfilling lives and die with no regrets. Far too many do not. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, presents the issue in pursuing the impossible: the American Dream. A dream in which all are â€Å"able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable† (Adams 215). Unfortunately, the latter does not hold true. In Fitzgerald’s own endeavour to lead a successful life, his professional advances conflicted with his ability to maintain a healthy relationship with his wife. Regardless of his abilities, Fitzgerald would not have ever been able to realise his American Dream due to investing all his time in forcing a lifestyle that was seen as ideal. In the novel, Fitzgerald’s characters follow suit. Despite his tireless effort and sacrifice to maintain a life for which his wife could enjoy, Georg e Wilson loses her due to a lack of wealth and status. Similarly, Jay Gatsby’s dishonest attempt to create an ideal image to win over his former lover’s heart is in vain as he proceeded to do so by nefarious means—only to fail. Both Fitzgerald and his characters attempt to fulfill unrealistic dreams that society has subconsciously imposed on them, ultimately setting them up for failure. The American Dream is purely a facade utilised to justify the pursuit of endless desires by anyShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Great Gatsby: American Dream or American Nightmare?1739 Words   |  7 Pagesstare blankly.† ― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby The American Dream, a long standing ideal embodies the hope that one can achieve financial success, political power, and everlasting love through dedication and hard work. During the Roaring 20s, people in America put up facades to mask who they truly were. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald conveys that the American Dream is simply an illusion, that is idealist and unreal. In the novel, Gatsby, a wealthy socialite pursues his dream, DaisyRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1690 Words   |  7 Pages The original conception of the American dream is that there is equal opportunity in being able to achieve upward mobility. However, in the 1920’s that dream had deviated from its initial idea, and transformed to the achievement and flaunting of affluence and engrossing oneself in debauchery. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is not only a story about the death of the original American dream, but also sheds light on the American nightmare: the idea that on e caves into the corruptionRead MoreHistory of America Mirrored in American Literature751 Words   |  3 PagesThe history of America is mirrored in American Literature. The American dream, the idea of equality and being able to achieve anything you wanted, meant that millions of immigrants moved to America. America claims to be a country which enables everyone to have equality and freedom however in the texts we can see it is rather a Capitalist and individualist country. The paradox of America can be seen through the fact that the Statue called freedom was built by slaves. The inequality can also be seenRead MoreA False Image Of Freedom : The American Dream1515 Words   |  7 PagesA False Image of Freedom: The American Dream The American Dream has been a beacon of hope for people in the US for decades now, and has inspired them to seek a lifestyle that excels their current one. However, this idealistic belief possesses a biased and dishonest nature that is undetectable to those blinded by this idea . F. Scott Fitzgerald, through his novel The Great Gatsby, lifts the veil on this American Nightmare, and shows readers it’s true nature. Rooted directly to the Declaration ofRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1068 Words   |  5 PagesThe American dream is the idea that all people have the chance to prosper and succeeded in life. This idea inspires people to fight for something or someone. The American dream can be determined by love, wealth, power, success, etc. During the 1920’s, the idea of the American dream became corrupted and replaced with the idea of wealth and power describing America’s failures rather than America’s success. The main theme The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald is the American dream. In this novel, Frances ScottRead MoreConsequences Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby845 Words   |  4 PagesGatsby and The American Dream: Gatsby’s Downfall In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates, through the downfall of Jay Gatsby, that the American Dream can be a false promise. When first introduced to Jay Gatsby, he is immediately portrayed as having a very specific goal in life-- to be with Daisy. At the start of the novel, Gatsby â€Å"stretched his arms toward the dark water in a curious way† as he was reaching towards â€Å"a single green light, minute and far away† (Fitzgerald 21)Read MoreGatsby’s Unrealistic American Dream in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald960 Words   |  4 PagesThe term â€Å"American Dream† is defined as an idea which believes that all people have the possibility of prosperity and success. The idea first came from James Adams, a noted American writer and historian. He claimed, â€Å"Life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability and achievement.† Therefore, the core concepts of the American Dream were closely linked to hard work and opportunity. However, this idea began to lose its value when people startedRead MoreThe Great Gatsby - Demise Of The American Dream883 Words   |  4 PagesThe Great Gatsby - Demise of the American Dream The Great Gatsby (1925) is a highly symbolic novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald on 1920 s America, an era of great prosperity and material excess. Its theme mainly deals with the disintegration of the American Dream due to decayed social and moral values. The American Dream is a set of ideals in which freedom includes the right for prosperity, success, and social upward mobility for all Americans which can be achieved through hard work and dedicationRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1239 Words   |  5 PagesCoco Bai Ms. Dettmar English III 15 October 2015 Luhramann’s Film – A Great Adaptation of The Great Gatsby Through Nick’s narration in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Gatsby’s possessive personality and his blind love for Daisy eventually lead to the failure of his American dream. When casting the movie of The Great Gatsby, Baz Luhramann may have changed some of the dialogue, but he does stay unflinchingly true to the spirit of the book and its morals, which I think is vastly more importantRead MoreThe Great Gatsby and the American Dream1401 Words   |  6 PagesThe Real American Dream Since its institution, the United States has been revered as the ultimate land of ceaseless opportunity. People all around the world immigrated to America to seek quick wealth, which was predominately seen in the new Modern era. Beginning in the late 1800s to the early 1900s, the period introduced progressive ideas into society and the arts. Accompanying these ideas was a loss of faith in the American Dream and the promise America once guaranteed, especially after World