ipl-logo

Great Gatsby Essay

1676 Words7 Pages

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, is a novel of triumph and tragedy that sheds light on a new insight regarding the American Dream. Narrated from the perspective of Nick Carraway and set in the glamorous Long Island during the 1920s, the novel follows the mysterious and wealthy Jay Gatsby as he attempts to win back the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan. Nick’s examination of Gatsby’s lavish parties and lifestyle reveals not only his true motives but also uncovers details about who Gatsby truly is, his past, and the origins of his wealth. Throughout Nick’s experiences in both East and West Egg—the two class disparities of Long Island—he exposes the complex role that deceit and false promises play in determining an individual’s …show more content…

These themes can be further understood by examining greed and ambition, wealth and status, and the true meaning of success. Each character’s unique decisions and relationships reveal defining principles about the origins of their success and their emotions regarding that success. Due to his relatively new presence in Long Island, conversations with Nick tend to expose the most about a character’s current state of happiness. They will therefore be heavily analyzed to better understand their individuality’s complexity. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby portrays the American dream as a false promise of success, achieved through deceit and corruption, which may have devastating consequences and leave individuals with nothing but a hollow …show more content…

Throughout The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald presents the harsh consequences of pursuing success solely for material gain and social status. These realities—embodied by the variety of characters in the novel—illustrate how the climb to unparalleled wealth and power can corrupt individuals and their morals. Instead, true success is achieved through personal growth and the development of meaningful relationships rather than the limitless rush for wealth or status. Obsessively chasing after a dream—such as the renowned American Dream—without considering all potential consequences and adverse effects of one’s actions, will only ever end in a depressing sense of disillusionment. Cultivating authentic relationships and recognizing that true success is far more than financial gain will ensure benefits for not only an individual, but the world as a whole. In the modern world, setting attainable goals and dreams is crucial in molding lasting happiness. This feeling of fulfillment, more valuable than material “success,” makes life worth

Show More
Related

The Great Gatsby Dbq Essay

671 Words | 3 Pages

During the 1920’s, many people were power-hungry. They all wanted to be at the top and be the richest of the rich and be able to buy whatever they want. The 1920’s was a time where people were able to go from rags to riches, industries were growing and making money, and it was also the era of the Prohibition, a law that banned alcohol. “The Great Gatsby” was able to reflect on noticeable and non-noticeable aspects of the 1920’s. It reflects on the postwar disillusionment, the rise of the nouveau riche, and how business became the new religion for the United States.

Read More

Examples Of Diction In The Great Gatsby

716 Words | 3 Pages

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, he captures the alluring niche of the American Dream. Fitzgerald delves into the Roaring Twenties, exploring the era’s instability and immersion in greed and pleasure. In his novel, he reflects personal events and experiences being lower class along with his desire to attain wealth for the means of happiness. Presented through his cast of characters and the realities they face, Fitzgerald criticizes the American Dream. Pairing symbolism and diction, he demonstrates the tragic tales following the glamorized American Dream as a result of the extent individuals resort to in order to achieve this ideal.

Read More

The Great Gatsby Dbq Essay

1672 Words | 7 Pages

The American Dream comes and goes throughout everyone’s lives in America. But for some, it shows a spark of hope of a dream that will allow them to succeed in life. Whether it is something that people want to have in their lives or having a goal in their mind, it is what allows people to continue pushing through life and doing everything to get what they want. The American Dream creates a vision of what people want in their future but, if this “vision” fails, many people would either give up or find a new dream. There are many reasons why people give up on their dreams, but some, they believe that it is out of their control to accomplish their dreams such as the main characters in The Great Gatsby.

Read More

Similarities Between Fences And The Great Gatsby

824 Words | 4 Pages

Reflecting, Fitzgerald’s character Gatsby being unhappy shows the nature of chasing wealth in the American Dream, and Wilson’s Troy reveals the nature of the pursuit of success and wealth in the shoes of an African American in the 1950s. Fitzgerald’s message around the opportunity to pursue the American dream is slightly more difficult to understand, though. The Great Gatsby takes place during one of the greatest economic decades of the twentieth century, and by looking at each of the characters during this time, we can begin to understand Fitzgerald’s message about

Read More

Great Gatsby Dbq

1327 Words | 6 Pages

There are numerous differences between today’s society and society from 100 years ago; nevertheless, Fitzgerald’s vision of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby is similar to today’s ideals of the famous fantasy. While the dream can come from inherited wealth, the reality is it generally comes from working hard to become successful. Based on the analysis of The Great

Read More

Corruption In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

811 Words | 4 Pages

In ‘The Great Gatsby”, Scott Fitzgerald’s novel embodies the concept of the American dream and the corruption that may pollute it. While corruption may come from outside influences, others occur from within the individual as they face moral confusion. In ‘The Great Gatsby”, Fitzgerald displays both influences as they waver the protagonist. The moral aura of the Roaring Twenties, Daisy Buchanan, and Jay Gatsby's own ambition to fulfill his hopes of The American Dream contribute to his demise. First, Gatsby’s very wealthy mentor, Dan Cody, and the uninvited guests to Gatsby's parties contribute to his downfall, as they are exemplifying Gatsby's interpretation of The American Dream which, in the Roaring Twenties, is his mislead belief that

Read More

Greed In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

1251 Words | 6 Pages

Gatsby’s life was never simple, he came from a poor farm family and had to work his way in the shadows of the rich, and failed many times before becoming the person he is. Sadly his goal of wealth is all he will ever be remembered for, even in death his father, like others, only recognizes Gastby’s hard work after seeing the house as proof of his son’s accomplishments. “...he looked around him now for the first time and saw the height and splendor of the hall and the great rooms opening out from it into other rooms, his grief began to be mixed with an awed pride” (Fitzgerald 168). The book parallels how American society may offer more opportunities for upward mobility, gaining wealth through hard work, and also the unrealistic parts that come with such dreams. Gatsby is a prime example of how he is only as great as his possession and grand lifestyle, and the parties he hosted.

Read More

Daisy As A Tragic Hero

1109 Words | 5 Pages

The ever-hopeful end result of pursuing the American dream is the aspiration of achieving a substantial amount of money and successfully building the white picket fence. Many talk about the famous accounts of successful dream chasers, however, hidden under their feet are countless Americans anxiously waiting to climb up the ladder. In contrast, several get caught up on earthly desires believing it will lead them to eternal satisfaction, but often, it decides their own fate. In The Great Gatsby, American author F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the tragedy found within numerous characters. This novel reveals all social classes striving to achieve the American dream, showing how even the most wealthy struggle to live an authentic, happy life.

Read More

Myrtle Wilson In The Great Gatsby

951 Words | 4 Pages

Francis Scott Fitzgerald once stated, “The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart and all they can do is stare blankly.” Throughout his famous work, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald portrayed the American Dream. Contrary to the ideology of the “Roaring Twenties” society, he described the American Dream as a delusion. People of the era focused on materialism in order to boost their wealth and status and forgot the importance of their relationships. Several characters within the novel sought to gain a higher status in society.

Read More

Examples Of Ambition In The Great Gatsby

2225 Words | 9 Pages

As one of the most distinguished American novels, “The Great Gatsby” provides insight into culture during the roaring twenties. American society in the era advertised a hyper-fixation of money, and as a result, wealth and ambition were conflated. “The Great Gatsby” reveals to what degree a facade of luxury transpired through the upper class’ search for meaning. Specifically, F. Scott Fitzgerald highlighted the story of James Gatz — under the alias of Jay Gatsby — from the perspective of Nick Carraway. Nick, a veteran, and Yale graduate, was fascinated by the culture of wealth in the twenties and began adapting his life to mirror Gatsby’s.

Read More

Examples Of Corruption In The Great Gatsby

1261 Words | 6 Pages

The Great Gatsby presents its characters as having living the American Dream. However, it is only a belief; the behaviors they have and decisions they take only leave them with a false perception of life and lifestyle. The Great Gatsby relates to the corruption of the American Dream for those materialistic people who were after money. Fitzgerald reveals the idea of corruption in the American Dream through conditions such as wealth and materialism, power and social status, and relationships involving family and affairs. He uses examples of this corruption to show the reader that people are willing to lie, betray others, and commit crime to be able to live a ‘better and fuller’ life.

Read More

Examples Of Dreams In The Great Gatsby

903 Words | 4 Pages

You have affairs going on, all that juicy drama. Nonetheless, there's a sad story of people seeking things that don't bring them joy under all that enjoyment. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's “The Great Gatsby”, big parties and luxurious living set the mood for a deeper exploration of how people feel and act. Characters attempt to realize their aspirations in the story, but they are faced with the American Dream's good and bad aspects. In “The Great Gatsby”, Fitzgerald reveals how chasing the American

Read More

Great Gatsby Essay

963 Words | 4 Pages

A historical lens uses actual historical events that occurred during the time of the story to better understand why things in the story happen. In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, historical events play a role in the structure of the entire story. The relationships between characters along with the physical environment of the story are all reflected off different historical themes. Placing the story in this lens allows the reader to contextualize the story much better, as they are able to understand the reasoning for events that happen in the story. A historical approach to the Great Gatsby highlights the effects of prohibition, social class structure, and the flourishing 1920s economy.

Read More

The American Dream In The Great Gatsby Essay

1133 Words | 5 Pages

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is a reflection of the American Dream. Written in 1925, the book tells the story of a man named Jay Gatsby, whose main driving force in life is the pursuit of a woman called Daisy Buchanan. The narrator is Gatsby’s observant next-door neighbor, Nick Carraway, who offers a fresh, outsider’s perspective on the events; the action takes place in New York during the so-called Roaring Twenties. By 1922, when The Great Gatsby takes place, the American Dream had little to do with Providence divine and a great deal to do with feelings organized around style and personal changed – and above all, with the unexamined self .

Read More

Literary Analysis Of The Great Gatsby

1218 Words | 5 Pages

The Great Gatsby Literary Analysis “They were careless people…” says Nick Carraway, the narrator of The Great Gatsby. In a story depicting the 1920s during a time of prosperity, growth, and the emergence of the America as a major global power, this statement may seem to be contrary. But in reality, Nick Carraway’s description of his friends and the people he knew, was not only true, but is an indication of those who were striving for the American dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald suggests that the American Dream is foolish, the people who pursue it are immoral and reckless, and this pursuit is futile. First, F. Scott Fitzgerald proposes that the American dream is foolish.

Read More

More about Great Gatsby Essay

Related Topics

Open Document