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Comparing The American Dream In The Great Gatsby And Revolutionary Road

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The American Dream is portrayed as a symbol of hope and opportunity, and has captivated the imagination of countless individuals aspiring for success and happiness. It represents the belief that anyone, regardless of their background, can achieve prosperity and fulfillment through hard work and determination. However, beneath its happy and peaceful appearance, the American Dream possesses a destructive power that can unravel lives and communities.

In "The Great Gatsby," characters such as Jay Gatsby and Myrtle Wilson are driven by their relentless pursuit of the American Dream. They believe that acquiring wealth and status will bring them happiness and fulfillment. However, their dreams are shattered when they realize that material possessions and social standing are not the key to happiness. "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther..." (Fitzgerald, 180). Gatsby, despite his many wealthy parties and grand mansion, remains lonely and unfulfilled, ultimately meeting a tragic end. Myrtle too pays a heavy price for her relentless pursuit, leading to her untimely demise. These characters' experiences illustrate how the American Dream …show more content…

In the novel “Revolutionary Road” written by Richard Yates, it states that the American Dream can result in the "betrayal of the true self" (Yates, 41). In this quote you can see the sacrifices individuals make, sacrificing their passions, relationships, and personal well-being in the pursuit of success. Focusing on materialistic items can lead to significant unhappiness, strained relationships, and a sense of emptiness. The sacrifices made to achieve the American Dream can ultimately lead to the destruction of personal happiness and

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This represents the American Dream decimated by the wealthy and figuratively lays out the fact that Myrtle, like the American workers, will always be beaten down and have

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Similarities Between The American Dream And The Great Gatsby

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The last few paragraphs of F. Scott Fitzgerald's legendary novel, "The Great Gatsby" connect the dream of Jay Gatsby and the "American Dream" through the comparison of Jay Gatsby's dream and the dreams of others. Nick Caraway first compares the dreams and motivations of Gatsby and New York's first settlers in a similar way, as something that both parties had been long seeking out and visually portrayed through the use of the color green, in the case of the settlers this was the land they found and in Gatsby's case it was the green light at the end of Daisy's dock. Nick also compares the dream of Gatsby to the dreams of others by saying that "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded

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Over the years public perception of the American Dream has deviated from its true meaning and has now come to be known as affluence, a lavish lifestyle, etc. The true meaning is self-fulfillment and the opportunity to make your dreams come true. In The Great Gatsby, author Scott F. Fitzgerald’s view on the nation’s understanding of the Dream is emphasized by his characters. This includes Myrtle and Jay Gatsby who both carry twisted perceptions the American Dream. Myrtle is a woman of the lower class who desperately desires to become accepted into the upper class, as such she emulates the typical snobbish behavior of a wealthy person in an attempt to “fit” in.

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The American Dream is a concept that is embedded into the fabric of American society. The American Dream promises prosperity, social mobility and encourages the pursuit of happiness for all Americans. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, calls the idea of the American Dream into question through Gatsby Gatsby and Myrtle Wilson. The Great Gatsby demonstrates that the American Dream is unachievable, as both Gatsby Gatsby and Myrtle Wilson attempt to achieve it, but due to being impoverished, failing to find true love, and their sudden untimely deaths, it is unreachable, despite their social status.

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The American Dream is the long held belief that everybody can succeed in life by merit of hard work and perseverance. A man’s origins were not to be an inhibitor of his success. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's work The Great Gatsby the American Dream is portrayed as being misunderstood by the people of the 1920s. The American Dream became corrupted by people searching not for happiness, success, and honorable ambitions in life, but instead for wealth, power, and excess.

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he American Dream is the ideal that every United States citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity, however they see fit. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the American Dream is portrayed through Jay Gatsby and Tom Buchanan. Even though Gatsby and Mr. Buchanan are exceedingly different for many reasons, they both are trying to achieve the American Dream. The American Dream does not have a single, universal definition, but is instead the interpretation of success and prosperity by the individual hoping to achieve it. Gatsby is trying to achieve the American Dream through becoming rich, throwing parties, and trying to win back his longtime love, Daisy; whereas Mr. Buchanan is trying to achieve the American

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The American Dream is supposedly achievable by anyone who works for it. In the Great Gatsby many symbols represent a theme of the American Dream but not all symbols show the ability to achieve this Dream. Throughout the novel there is representation of how the American Dream is not achieved by materialistic possessions but by achieving your overall goal in life and being happy with what you live with. For Gatsby, a man deeply in love with his ex Daisy, his own American Dream is to live in his mansion with Daisy as his partner. This Dream of his may never be achievable but he tries his hardest and does everything he can to get her back, yet Gatsby never succeeds in restoring his relationship with Daisy.

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