Examples Of Propaganda In The Great Gatsby

One of the greatest attributes Americans take for granted is the amount of opportunities and possibilities they are presented with living in this free nation. Compared to other countries, America has always been the most appealing to outsiders because of the perpetual American Dream. In America, the capitalistic environment minimizes the number of external sources influencing an individual's success. Therefore, a person has the power to control their own destiny and creates this idea of a dream where a person’s success is solely dependent on their work ethic and desire. This is the glorified American Dream; the propaganda that is used to make our country seem dignified above the rest. However, as many people have found out the hard way, the

However, Gatsby undeniably accomplished a great deal in his life. To the common reader, it may even seem as if he is living the American Dream in the book, but in reality he failed with his dream within seeing distance. One of the most significant moments in the book is during the first chapter when Nick witnesses Gatsby step outside of his house and peer across the bay. Nick explained, “ But I didn’t call to him for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone—he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and as far as I was from him I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily, I glanced seaward—and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock” (Fitzgerald 25). When Gatsby is stretching his arms outward, toward the green light, he is reaching for something of importance to him. Because Daisy lives across the bay in East Egg, that green light at the dock represents her in Gatsby’s mind. Understanding the authors imagery here, one can deduce that Gatsby’s illusive dream is out of reach, and always will be, no matter how close he

While people like Gatsby, who have an unparalleled work ethic, can achieve a relative amount of success, it is less likely for people of a certain socioeconomic classes to move up or down. This is an unnerving revelation considering the meritocracy based system that Americans believe they live in. In addition, this is more relevant today that it was during the time period of The Great Gatsby. An article in The New York Times touches on this subject, claimed, “A series in The Times called ‘Class Matters’ has found that there is far less mobility up and down the economic ladder than economists once thought or than most Americans believe” (IN TEXT CITATION SPECIFIC PAGE). This would lead one to deduce that, based off of the statistics of people's success, the promise of the American Dream is an absurdity. The article also mentioned, “But beneath this veneer of super-achievers, recent scholarship shows, many Americans find themselves mired in the same place as their parents, with profound implications for their health and education, as well as other aspects of their lives” (IN TEXT CITATION). All in all, the data suggests that the initiatives taken to become successful in life, such as receiving a good education and having a reliable health insurance, are