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Comparing The American Dream In The Great Gatsby And The Big Short

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The purported American Dream filled with prosperity and prestige built upon dedication and ambition is unmasked as a mere illusion as both The Great Gatsby and The Big Short veneer nature erodes the ideology of unlimited wealth and happiness. The reckless pursuit of wealth depicted in both “The Great Gatsby” and “The Big Short” showcases how the desire for unrestrained wealth and status leads to moral decay and societal damage. Similarly, the illusory promises comprised within the American Dream in both texts stay evident, uncovering how happiness cannot be sustained solely through wealth but instead through the morals and ethics of the American ideal. Effectively, both texts embellish the reckless pursuit of wealth, undermining the American …show more content…

In Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” set in the Jazz Age in the 1920s, protagonist Gatsby epitomizes the limitations of his time, challenging the reckless pursuit of wealth for love and happiness. “will store up in his ghostly heart.” This metaphor effectively conveys the obsessive nature Gatsby has for Daisy. After being away in the war, Gatsby’s allusions to being with Daisy have stored up and after re-inviting himself into her life these ideas start haunting him. Gatsby’s allusions highlight the reckless interpretation of the American Dream, disregarding the morals it should possess. Additionally, in the quote “Truth about myself—What was my shortest way home?”, the ellipsis used indicates a moment of self-reflection hinting at the fact Gatsby is about to reveal his criminal past. His fortune, built upon bootlegging, illegal drug trafficking, and other criminal acts reinforces how the American Dream is undermined by the reckless pursuit of wealth ignoring the ethics and morals of the American ideal. Similarly, in Adam McKay’s “The Big Short” the 2008 housing bubble crisis exemplifies the egregious avarice of modern society. “Institutionalized criminality to be their ethical benchmark.” The close shot in this dialogue reflects the emotion of Mark Baum after discovering the banks giving subprime loans to families who couldn’t afford it. Effectively, McKay provides insight into the selfish acts financial institutions partook in the 2008 Housing Bubble Crisis, where the reckless pursuit of wealth caused innocent families across America to suffer drastically. Additionally, another example McKay uses is in the “Florida Trip”. The Steadicam shot represents the predatory nature of major financial institutions and their reckless pursuit of wealth as they ignore the well-being and current financial

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