African American Women In The Great Gatsby

Who is The American Dream? He is described as a man with grandiose reputation. He might provide inspiration for you to succeed in this world, or he might be the one who drags you to the bottom. In F. Scott’s 1924 novel, The Great Gatsby, particularly centered around the roaring 20s, the American Dream gifts Jay Gatsby (new money) and the Buchanans (old money) with opulence, fueling an overtly superficial culture found within the core of America. However, Theodore’s 2017 film, Hidden Figures, recounts the dream’s significance in the lives of three African American women whose intellectual fuel powered the first flight to the moon. These narratives depict two distinct interpretations of the dream respectively: one driven by the materialistic

As head of the space task group says, “whoever gets there first makes the rules.”, and in this case, the American Dream sprinted beyond the finish line.

The Great Gatsby embodies the wants of the American Dream; best characterized by the rich discrimination of classism between old and new money. After the war, a sense of modernism and economic prosperity defined the 20s thundering spirit. Fitzgerald manipulates this spirit into the concept of old and new money, whilst simultaneously exposing the superficiality that the lifestyle mass produced. Because of the underlying classism of the 1920s, Gatsby's efforts to impress his aspired lover, Daisy, by holding parties and flashing materialistic accessories, never competed with her obsession with old money which made winning her love impossible. She proclaims, “Even alone I can’t say I never loved Tom... It wouldn’t be true.” (Pg 126). Juxtaposing her earlier romantic feelings for Gatsby, Daisy resolves to stay with Tom due to his position's ability to provide a comfortable lifestyle. This final decision employs the audience to believe how Gatsby’s want of acquiring Daisy could never

This begs the question: Why was the American Dream attainable in Hidden Figures, but not in The Great Gatsby? The women in Hidden Figures respected the needs of the American Dream not because they wanted to, but because they needed to. This is best described by Mary Jackson when she questions the judge, “which one (cases) is going to make you the first?”. The application of a rhetorical question issues the possibility of becoming the ‘first’ for a person like Mary Jackson, an African American woman who despite receiving incessant remarks that it was impossible, yearned to become an engineer. This concept of ‘first’ triumphs beyond all social conceptions behind race and gender, quoting the liberty that the civil rights movement fought for. The audience interprets the acceptance of Mary Jackson’s case as a metaphor for her acceptance as an American who, like the rest of America, longed to reach the stars, and not as a prejudiced African American clouded by uncomfortable stereotypes. She is held as an independent, educated, and integral woman who could be the ‘first’ to challenge the strict assumptions that make up the American Dream. Yet, Fitzgerald characterises Gatsby as a superficial man who confronts ‘successful’ happiness. He signifies this notion that money cannot buy happiness, which Gatsby ignores