ipl-logo

Great Gatsby And The Unachievable Truth Of The American Dream

1579 Words7 Pages

17 July 2023
The Great Gatsby and the Unachievable Truth of the American Dream Imagine, every day someone works hard to try to achieve wealth and status for themselves but they never reach this goal. This is the truth of the unattainable American Dream, which defines itself as the fact that anyone can obtain wealth and status through hard work. The Great Gatsby displays this throughout the novel, through Gatsby’s version of the American Dream, people’s view of George, people’s view of Gatsby, and the imagery of the Valley of Ashes. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald’s ultimate opinion on the American Dream is that, although the American Dream advertises that hard work will create wealth, status, and success for anyone, …show more content…

The imagery Fitzgerald uses to describe the Valley of Ashes conveys the hopelessness and harmfulness of the American Dream, which Nick describes as The ashes and people in the Valley symbolise the hopelessness that the American Dream inherently has, since ashes can not be brought back into anything usable, showing the flaws and unrealistic nature of the American Dream. Additionally, the societal pressure of people in lower classes to follow the American Dream also exists. When Nick walks through the Valley, he comments on (Fitzgerald, Ch. 2). The stare of Doctor Eckleburg symbolises the societal pressure to follow the American Dream, which like the stare, society also judges those with less money, status, and success into believing that honest, hard work will allow them to achieve this goal, even though society does not allow those without privileges already to reach it, which leads to harm against those who try to reach the American Dream because they do not know that it is not possible for them, leading them to overwork and being miserable. Furthermore, the Valley of Ashes also demonstrates that along with trying to reach the unattainable goal of the American Dream, the people trying to do so are miserable trying to reach that impossible objective. While visiting the Valley of Ashes, Nick comments that (Fitzgerald, Ch. 2). The bad living conditions that Nick sees that the working class lives in adds to their misery and confirms that without the privilege that is necessary to be able to reach the American Dream, which most people who try typically do not have, they are not able to. This is because while not only harming the working class’ physical and mental health, it also places them at a disadvantage when trying to work

Show More
Related
892 Words | 4 Pages

There is three representations of the American dream the first on being America is the new Eden, if you work hard you succeed, and the triumph of the individual, but no matter how hard you work it doesn’t mean you’ll succeed. Fitzgerald believes that the American dream is disillusioned. He illustrates the hard-working people working towards their dreams and hopes, but they are overlooked because of the corrupt people cheating to achieve what they want. Fitzgerald wants the reader to interpret this message through the usage of the vegetation myth, and the various colors representing seasons in the cycle.

Read More
620 Words | 3 Pages

So, due to the fact that he cannot reach the green light, the author exemplifies the idea that the American Dream is impossible to achieve. A second example comes from chapter two, “This is a valley of ashes – a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery

Read More
369 Words | 2 Pages

There is this idea that a person who comes from humble origins could achieve the Dream if they are willing to work hard and take advantage of opportunities. This is seen in Gatsby and Myrtle where they bootleg and commit adultery respectively. Though, the frowning eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg look down on the Valley of the Ashes as if to say that the American Dream is one big lie. The American Dream produced wealth for some, but for the majority of people their hopes for gold is just like the ashes. The reality is that not everyone can have as much money as the Buchanan’s have.

Read More
1756 Words | 8 Pages

The Constant Pursuit of The American Dream: The Truth of Gatsby's American Dream The American dream is and always will be the ultimate goal for many Americans. It is this mythological accomplishment that many people pursue, but it can never be truly achieved. Problems that hinder the achievement of the American dream will always be present. In the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby is the protagonist that was always seen as a man that had the most luxurious lifestyle, yet his far-fetched dream is across the bay and will never be reached.

Read More
539 Words | 3 Pages

The American Dream is a vision held by the working class of America: a dream in which one can achieve all that he desires through hard work and perseverance. The reader sees Gatsby as a self-made man: a man with everything you could possible want in life, a man who has achieved the American Dream to its fullest, and yet, this image is marred by his unhappiness. A barrier between the inherently wealthy and ‘new money’ blocks his ability to win back the girl he loves, placed there by by the embodiment of the upper class in America - Tom Buchanan. Tom never saw Gatsby as his equal because Gatsby was not born with money, calling him a “Mr. Nobody from Nowhere” (130). The working class sees this statement as an example of why the American Dream is not worth the effort.

Read More
747 Words | 3 Pages

In the Great Gatsby, the American Dream is posed as “withering away” (Eble 36). Eble describes the American Dream of withering away and that all people striving for their American Dream are coming up short. People that desire to be one of the upper class, or the American Dream, will now struggle more than they already do. Likewise, Eble portrays critics as the cause of the “portrayal of the naive American Dream in a corrupt society”(Eble 35). Kenneth Eble initially says that people cannot go any further with the American Dream because we live in such a corrupt society.

Read More
1026 Words | 5 Pages

Fitzgerald's interpretation of the American Dream in the fictional novel The Great Gatsby is different from today's ideals due to people struggling financially, lack of acceptance, people losing hope, gender inequalities, and the cost of living increasing. People worry about their financial state because of their yearly

Read More
1476 Words | 6 Pages

Megan Fisher Labs AMST 1/11/16 The Deception of the American Dream “The Roaring 20s” was a time of incredible promise with Prohibition in full swing and the stock market booming. Thousands chased after the American Dream of getting rich quick or having every new product that was advertised, but it was merely “fool’s gold,” and the pursuit of wealth often resulted in debt and misfortune. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald criticizes the foolishness of those who chase the false promises of the American Dream and those who have corrupted the significance of that dream.

Read More
341 Words | 2 Pages

The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, showcases to us the power of the American Dream and the ugly truth on how not everyone benefits from it. Throughout the novel we follow the narrator Nick through his story in New York and we learn that his family is wealthy because his grandfather, “started the wholesale hardware business that my father carries on to-day.” Nick’s family moved to America and did what they could to support themselves by starting their own business to gain wealth, respect, and reputation. Some people believe the novel tells us that the American Dream is a myth however this is one example of a statement that proves the American Dream to exist at least for some people. At the end of the novel Nick talks about Gatsby and

Read More
994 Words | 4 Pages

Many people describe the American Dream as, “a vortex of hopelessness that leads to poor choices and becomes self-fulfilling.” (Kristof). This is true because many of the jobs in the 1920’s that could get people wealthy easily are not around anymore. Born a poor farmer, Gatsby was not happy with the conditions and disadvantages he faced in a small town in North Dakota. In attempt to change his status, Gatsby bootlegged, lied about his past, and got himself killed in the process of achieving the American Dream.

Read More
660 Words | 3 Pages

The novel The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitz Gerald embodies many themes. A major in the story is the pursuit of can be labelled the American Dream. The American Dream is defined as someone starting low on the economic or social level, and working hard towards prosperity and or wealth and fame. By having money, a car, a big house, nice clothes and a happy family symbolizes the American dream. The Great Gatsby shows what happened to the American Dream in the 1920’s, which is a time period when the dreams became corrupted for many reasons.

Read More
1013 Words | 5 Pages

Through the final chapter of The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald presents the idea that the disillusionment of attaining the american dream can lead to imminent failure. In the Novel, Gatsby goes from being “dirt poor” to being an incredibly wealthy millionaire. He is described to have been led “by an instinct towards his future glory” (6.106) This is demonstrating that Gatsby is pursuing Meritocracy, the idea that achieving a higher status comes from your actions and hard work, but in reality it is a birthright. The American dream stems from Meritocracy as it also creates disillusionment and misguidance. The idea the American dream is also present in the final chapter of the novel.

Read More
1201 Words | 5 Pages

Think about what the phrase, "The American Dream" means. (Do some research if you need to.) What subtle criticism of "The American Dream" might the opening paragraphs of the story suggest? The criticism of “The American Dream” in the opening paragraphs is its tendency to cause discontentment amongst even the most gifted and prosperous of individuals.

Read More
1133 Words | 5 Pages

Fitzgerald focused on the shift in the American Dream - from being the idea of self-fulfillment, dignity and comfort that is achieved through hard work, to being equated with the pursuit of wealth and power, and identifying happiness with having money. The novel depicts the rise and fall of the concept and describes the causes of its decay. The downfall of the American Dream is most accurately shown through the main protagonist of the story – Jay Gatsby. To reiterate, the American Dream is the concept that anyone can achieve a better life and become self-fulfilled, if they put enough effort to it and make the most of their abilities.

Read More
264 Words | 2 Pages

Having started at the bottom, with no distinctive social status, he emerges from the masses with huge ambitions and remarkable tenacity. He works his way up to the top, never giving up on his desire to be successful. One step at a time, he fulfills his desire and right now he may be sitting in the backyard of his immense residence, sipping tea from a shamefully expensive set of porcelain cups with his lovely wife, watching his kids play in the freshly mown lawn and having no worries in the world. This is the man living the American dream. Or more possibly this is what a man haunted by the latter would imagine being in the future.

Read More

More about Great Gatsby And The Unachievable Truth Of The American Dream

Related Topics

Open Document