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Examples Of Wealth In The Great Gatsby

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What exactly is the “American Dream?” Allow me to enlighten you. The American Dream is the underlying idea that anyone in America can fulfill through the requirement of hard work and can attain the accomplishment of contentment and success. It has been developed throughout the years and now embodies the objective of acquiring wealth and power. However, during the 1920s the American Dream became more and more about materialism within the possession and how it would be used to show one's social status and level of wealth. In order to demonstrate to society how successful they truly were in life. Whereas in the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts the theme of the how the “American Dream” is truly corrupted by the desire for wealth. …show more content…

There is a variety of examples of symbolism that could be discussed. However, there is one for instance that is very significant. Which happens to be the green light that Nick mentions at the beginning of the story when he sees Gatsby down at the dock. Nick sees Gatsby staring at the light at the end of Daisy’s dock as if he so dramatically desperate for something, in this case, more like a someone. He wants nothing but to reunite with his true love and as he’s staring, Nick informs us how Gatsby has his arms out reaching for the light. This notifies the audience the symbolic portrayal of Gatsby’s wanting to be with Daisy and how this perfect vision he has in mind is out of his reach. Yet eventually, it becomes evident that this green light is not Daisy, but a symbol representing Gatsby’s dream of having Daisy. The fact that Daisy falls short of Gatsby’s expectations is quite remarkably obvious due to their differences in social status and the role possessing wealth. Knowing this, we can see that no matter the hard work and effort that Gatsby has put in, such as being capable of committing a crime to be rich, in order to achieve his dreams, we are well aware, that he will never meet to that

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1147 Words | 5 Pages

The green light on Daisy's dock symbolize Daisy and Gatsby reaches out to “Daisy” to try and be close to her, yet she is still across the waters of Long Island Sound. Gatsby’s dream is only a small boat ride away. Another example of Gatsby being a dreamer would be when he said, “Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can!”(110). Gatsby claims he can change the past, but in reality he can’t.

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At the end of Daisy’s dock is a green light, that of which is yearned for, across the bay by Gatsby. At Gatsby’s house, Nick watches Gatsby as he stares at the light. “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” (21). The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock represents Gatsby’s hope and his growing desire for Daisy, his wanting to become a better man and renew himself. The green light is a symbol of Gatsby’s desire for a life with Daisy, and his ambition to better himself and achieve his American dream, thus exhibiting a sense of growth, vitality, and renewal, as conveyed in the Spring Equinox.

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The american dream is an ideal of everyone to achieve the hope of having a better life and making great amounts of money but in that sense they aren’t realizing what things they are leaving back and how much they’ll have to sacrifice or loose to gain that thought of American dream. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and “ Harlem” by Langston Hughes both shows how the american dream gives hope but the pursuit of hope demolishes. Which is illustrated by the characters showing the corruption of wealth and their moral values. Gatsby the most wealthiest and meticulous person from West Egg which represents new money a society parades its cash through obvious utilization and luxurious drinking and partying but his american dream was only Daisy

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610 Words | 3 Pages

At the end of The Great Gatsby, Nick reflects upon Gatsby’s life and pursuit on the beach where “the green light” at the end of Daisy’s dock can be seen. As a significant metaphor, “the green light” represents Gatsby’s dream which guides him to keep pursuing wealth and social status, while the position of the light, the distant and inaccessible Daisy’s dock, indicates the close connection between Gatsby’s unreal dream and Daisy, and as well the disillusionment of the dream. In the last three paragraphs, Nick explains the disillusionment of Gatsby’s dream, “He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it” (162). Gatsby has always strived for his ambition and dream.

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803 Words | 4 Pages

“And as I sat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby’s wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it” (180). This quote is about Gatsby’s dream to be with the woman he loves, Daisy. The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock symbolizes that dream. The dream he’s been grasping after for so many years.

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747 Words | 3 Pages

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby describes the life of Jay Gatsby in the 1920’s. The novel shares his love story and his loneliness. A major question the author raises is how does wealth impact class structure and society? Fitzgerald answers this question through the distinction between “New rich” and “Old rich” and the significance of East and West Egg.

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The Destruction of the American Dream The American Dream for many individuals, is a goal. Some achieve it, others result in failure. So what is the American Dream and why does it seem so appealing to the average person? The American Dream is the idea that anyone can work hard and achieve wealth and success in America.

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The Connection of Wealth and Personality in Fitzgerald’s Works In our society, money is seen as the most important factor in decision making and in our overall lives. This is shown throughout all of Fitzgerald’s works and in many of his characters. His stories continually mention the effect that money has on the community. In one of her criticisms, Mary Jo Tate explains that “[Fitzgerald] was not a simple worshiper of wealth or the wealthy, but rather he valued wealth for the freedom and possibilities it provided, and he criticized the rich primarily for wasting those opportunities.

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The Declaration of Independence states: “that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness." The Declaration of Independence is a written version of our rights as humans in America. It is saying that every person is equal, with equal opportunities. The people are given rights at birth that can not be taken away. The document gives all the “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as basic human rights.

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The view of the American Dream is different for everyone. The Epic Journey, by James Truslow Adams, views the American Dream as a dream of attaining one’s fullest stature regardless of one’s social status. Similarly, in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby, Gatsby’s American Dream relates to Adam’s dream but limited to materialistic wealth- a dream that seeks for motor cars, higher wages, and to impress the people of high status. Both Adams and Gatsby believe that everyone has an equal chance of achieving their dream. Adams says “The dream is that dream of land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement”.

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371 Words | 2 Pages

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an savant novelist, “…whose works are the paradigmatic writings of the jazz age…”. The Great Gatsby, a 1925 novel explores a group of compelling characters living in the affluent fictional town of West Egg. Despite Fitzgerald’s fairly short life, his legacy continues to live through his literary works of art. Prosperous, affluent characters fill Long Islands fictional town of West Egg. The characters moderately exhibit their life stories and secrets as the stories plot proceeds.

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419 Words | 2 Pages

The American dream is to start your life with little to no money and work your way into making a liveable salary. The American dream is often thought of by immigrants, many immigrants move to the U.S. thinking they follow the American dream. In the book The Great Gatsby, James Gatsby the mysterious wealthy character who dropped out of college and started his life as a young man. Gatsby could be compared to the immigrants in the thought of the American dream.

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The Facade of the American Dream The American Dream is the opportunity for all Americans to live a life of personal happiness and material comfort, but is it actually achievable? F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, is a story of characters working hard to achieve the American Dream, but ultimately they are unable to ever realize their perfect life. The novel makes a strong naturalism argument about the rigid class system in society and the disillusionment of the American Dream.

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868 Words | 4 Pages

What really is the American Dream? It seems to be a very simple concept, everyone in America has an equal opportunity and that opportunity is to work hard and become wealthy. But is the American Dream actually possible for everybody and is wealth the only factor? In The Great Gatsby and Tender is the Night both male protagonists become very wealthy individuals seemingly because of the idea of the American Dream however they still encounter many issues. Through the aspirations and subsequent failures of the protagonists in The Great Gatsby and Tender is the Night, F. Scott Fitzgerald makes a commentary on the American Dream, conveying to the reader that the American Dream is just an unattainable and fictitious idea, focusing on material wealth rather than happiness.

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1016 Words | 5 Pages

It’s too late,”(85). Daisy shows up to tea two minutes late and Gatsby is automatically inclined to think she isn't coming, which makes him even more anxious. Gatsby's whole goal of his life is to be with Daisy, he changes himself just so they could be together. The light at the end of her dock is a representation of their future, “He stretched out his arms toward the dark water, in a curious way,”(20). Gatsby was stretching his hand out across to touch the green light he could see from Daisy’s dock.

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