Delusion And Despair In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Dream of Delusion and Despair
America was the land of the free, where everyone had equal chances at becoming successful. Emigrants from all over the world flooded America’s cities in search for a better life. However, the dream was almost never reality; most emigrants ended up being factory workers and never found immense fortunes. Only the wealthy became more wealthy, and others had lost hope for great opulences. Although F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays a romantic story in The Great Gatsby, it embraces a more extensive theme: the decline of the American dream. Fitzgerald illustrates a world in which the poor stays poor, and where nobody tries to alleviate their problems. Nick Carraway, the narrator, states, “...a sense of the fundamental

The idea to become successful and finding happiness had replaced the idea to make more money and find more pleasures. Nick comments, “In his [Gatsby’s] blue gardens men and women came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars,” (Fitzgerald 39). Jay Gatsby has huge parties at his home, and impresses his guest with his use of money: excessive amounts of food and alcohol, music, entertainment. All of this use of his wealth can be interpreted as Gatsby showing off, and wasting his wealth on unnecessary and lavish behavior. The corruption of the wealthy can also be seen when Nick comments about Tom and Daisy after they disappear from New York. “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy--they smashed up things...and let other people cleanup the mess...,” points out Nick (Fitzgerald 179). After Daisy killed Myrtle and Wilson killed Gatsby, Nick evaluates Tom and Daisy as individuals in society. He realizes that both only cared about their wealth, how to use it for themselves, and how to keep their statuses as rich and special. After two people got killed, Tom thought that he suffered tremendously, since he had to move from their flat. Tom only has interest in himself and his possessions, thus not caring for those like Gatsby who died in part due to Tom. Those who are “old money” are born wealthy, but those who

Tom reveals Gatsby’s true source of wealth during their heated conversation, “...bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores...sold grain alcohol,” (Fitzgerald 133). Gatsby admits that he got involved in this business; he did not inherit the money from his parents nor Dan Cody, but made his fortune through a form of bootlegging. The only way to make money quickly was through illegal means, and Gatsby did not mind that in order to achieve his goal. Jay Gatsby got involved in illegal activities, and through his corrupt activities, he became lost in what he believed to be true and what was moral, which led to his demise. Nick mentions, “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us,” (Fitzgerald 180). Gatsby’s only goal was to become equal with Daisy, albeit he had chances to do other activities and get involved in other tasks. He desired to recreate the past and his affair with Daisy, forgetting that his money could not help him achieve his goal to change his dream into reality. The American dream now became just an idea unachievable without becoming corrupt or