Effects Of Valley Of Ashes In The Great Gatsby

The American Dream is the idea that every citizen in the United States has an equal opportunity to succeed if the person has initiative and determination. The movement sought to exemplify the idea of equality among all races and economic statuses. However, the American Dream can create an illusion for people who fail to recognize reality. People become obsessed with materialistic values and excessive consumption, which leads to negative effects such as debt. This was one of the main speculations of Francis Scott Fitzgerald, who wrote The Great Gatsby to portray how the American Dream is unachievable. On the contrary, twentieth-century authors used the movement to highlight the development of their characters and their financial status. In particular,

The Valley of Ashes is an industrial wasteland that sits between West Egg and New York City. The Valley of Ashes is a desolate place filled with pollution and smoke. There is little notable activity in the marshland because of the lack of hope and motivation. The novel states, “...ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendence effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air” (23). This reveals the reality that many lower classes faced with the sudden surge in the pursuit of the American Dream. The 1920s are often remembered for significant social and political changes such as the creation of the bob cut, flappers, and the Prohibition movement. The Valley of Ashes represents the wealth inequalities that the middle classes faced. The uninhibited pursuit of wealth led to a disruption in the balance of power. Those who escaped the lower classes left everything and everyone behind to rot. The rich continued to enjoy their luxuries without thinking about the consequences. The difficulties of the poor were disregarded as a byproduct of industrialization, which was predominantly seen on the East Coast. Myrtle Wilson shows a type of personality that emerges from the American Dream, desperate for riches. Myrtle is desperate to escape the lower classes, and Tom acts as the perfect opportunity. Myrtle wears various

Black people and other people of different ethnicities are often denied the same opportunities as white people because of their skin color. Black protest is a movement within the United States that seeks to create a better image of African Americans and their conditions. Black protest goes against the standards set by white society and the threat that the white population poses to the opportunities of the Black community. The Youngers in A Raisin in the Sun want economic prosperity for their family and future generations. However, each member of the Younger family wants to achieve the American Dream in different ways. The Youngers’ pursuit of the American Dream is different from other American citizens because of the discrimination Black people face. A Raisin in the Sun portrays the characters’ journeys toward the American Dream, while The Great Gatsby has already established Jay Gatsby’s economic success and wealth. The protagonist, Walter Lee Younger, wants to be a part of an investment in the establishment of a liquor store. The liquor store is an idea that Walter Lee shares with his friends Bobo and Willy Harris. The liquor store represents Walter’s chance to escape his job as a chauffeur and move up the social ladder. Walter is sick of the routine in his life and the old conditions of the family’s apartment. Although the