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Death Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby Analysis

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While reading The Great Gatsby it became apparent that the death of The American Dream was a constant theme throughout the entire book. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a story that took place in the early 1920’s and follows the life of main character Nick Carraway. We see the life of east and west eggers and the extravagant parties that come along with them. As the story progresses the use of symbolism as well as twist and turns make the book unpredictable and interesting. Throughout the book the truth is revealed regarding the “perfect lives” these characters live. Which is why in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, death of The American Dream is a consistent theme through the relationships, wealth of the characters, and …show more content…

Two characters who automatically come to mind when discussing privilege are Tom and Daisy Buchanan. Tom and Daisy were both born into East egg families, meaning, they inherited their wealth and did not have to work for it. Again, Tom and Daisy can be associated with The American Dream in that they are married, have a child together and also live a carefree lifestyle with a surplus of money. The Buchanans also spend most of their time partying, getting drunk, or just hanging out with friends. In some people’s eyes though, it is obvious that Tom and Daisy live the opposite life of someone achieving The American Dream. There relationship is doomed and full of cheating. Nick once went as far as saying, “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy, they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made (Fitzgerald 179). It’s ironic to think that Tom and Daisy were literally born into this “perfect world” and still couldn’t accomplish The American Dream. Tom and Daisy were very privileged and took everything for granted. They never worked hard at anything and because of that, privilege played a big part in killing their American

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