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American Dream In The Great Gatsby And The Valley Of Ashes

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The American Dream. The dream of equal opportunity to all. The dream of riches and success. The dream of happiness in a new land. At least, that’s what it is supposed to be. America has aged and changed, and so has it’s “dream”. Society has a hold on America’s dream and as it changes, and moves from one trend to a next, so does the American Dream. The Dream as a whole no longer represents hope for America, but the hope for societal riches. Arthur Miller, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Cormac McCarthy all exploit the downfalls of society’s standards and representations of the American Dream.
In his novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald, is pushing through the seams to reveal that in order to obtain the new “American Dream” standards, one must …show more content…

The Valley of Ashes is, “a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air” (Fitzgerald; 23). The Valley of Ashes is a depiction of the consequences in which self-absorbed individuals have left their wastes to remain. Without a care in the world, industrial factory owners send their wastes there, waste that is product to the new growing want of luxury items. The valley shows the men who work for the rich and self-absorbed and how they are “already crumbling” through the smoke and ash-filled land. These men work in terribly conditions and get close to nothing for their work, while the rich in New York send them their trash and watch it all waste …show more content…

The wheel popped off and the two gentlemen tumbled out of the car drunk and determined to still drive on, not caring that it would be impossible without the wheel. The man couldn’t care at all when everyone proclaimed that the wheel was off and he replied, “No harm in trying” (Fitzgerald; 55). This man could have caused serious damage, he could have possibly killed himself or someone else with his careless drunk driving in his expensive vehicle. Yet, he still seems to have no care in the world because he can pay it off. He has money and has nothing better to do with

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