Examples Of Fallacy In The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald about the tragic story of self-made millionaire Jay Gatsby and his pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, a wealthy young woman who he loved in his youth. It is narrated by Nick Carraway, a Yale University graduate and cousin of Daisy Buchanan. He recounts the events of the summer he spent in the East when writing about Gatsby two years later. The story is tragic because Gatsby chases the American Dream, but he doesn’t achieve it. Even though Gatsby, as well as other characters might have worked hard or achieved success in other fields, they all still showed the fallacy of the American Dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald shows the theme of the fallacy of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby through the characters

Gatsby is the perfect embodiment of the American Dream, having worked his way up from a poor farmer background in North Dakota to becoming wealthy and successful and living in the East. However, his obsession with the past, particularly his love for Daisy, indicates that his success and wealth have not made him happy, and he feels that something is missing. He tries to buy his way into the society of the East Eggers or the socialites, but he does not succeed. He tries and tries but his “idea of the American Dream is doomed because he tries to buy his way into a society that will never accept him” (Taylor 23). This shows that he still feels that there is something missing in his life, so he wants to be with Daisy and the socialites of the Long Island society in the 1920’s. Even though it was perceived that Gatsby attained the American Dream, it is still unattainable and

Tom is the total opposite of Gatsby in many ways. He was born into a wealthy, privileged family that had old money. He has always experienced the high life whether living with his family or going to Yale university to receive his education and play college football. However, despite having everything he could possibly want, Tom is unhappy and unfulfilled. He has had affairs with other women, he is abusive towards his wife, and is generally dissatisfied with his life. Even when Nick first stops over their house after coming to the East, Tom exhibits his dissatisfaction with the emotions he showed during the visit. Just like the West Eggers, “East Eggers have not obtained the American Dream either. Tom is rich and has a beautiful wife and on the outside, it looks like he has the perfect life. The only problem is that he cheats on his wife with Myrtle” (Taylor 23). This exemplifies even though he might seem perfect in actuality it is not, and it shows that the American Dream is unattainable. It is also a dangerous concept because it creates a false sense of promise of a great life; it creates entitlement for anyone trying to achieve