Ideal American Dream In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

Through love, loss, and lust, Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, twists the intentions of the ideal American dream. The marriages of the characters and Gatsby's forbidden love for Daisy are centered around materialistic values. The majority of the residents of East Egg have come from family money, giving them a sense of superiority over others. This becomes evident to the narrator Nick and influences his expectations and personal judgment. The battle for fulfillment comes face to face with the reality of emptiness. To begin their journey, Gatsby and Daisy first met during World War One. Gatsby is dressed in uniform as the other soldiers are. Daisy could not tell which men had money and which did not, so to Gatsby's advantage he used this

Their marriage is dead and “they must cover their dissatisfaction with the distractions of the ideal rich.” Tom and Daisy present themselves as the average happy married couple, but they both are unfaithful physically and emotionally. They do not share the bond or trust marriage is supposed to have, making their relationship empty. Both put up a front as the happy rich couple in order to keep their good image. Tom wants a young, beautiful wife, while Daisy wants to live comfortably. Both are willing to sacrifice their own happiness to appear superior to others. This characteristic in both Tom and Daisy is the prime factor of their emptiness. Tom gifted Daisy very expensive pearls when they became engaged. This serves as a symbol of Tom's wealth that he was born into. This can also be seen as a threat to Gatsby because he had to fight for his wealth, creating him less superior to Tom, hence Daisy's attachment to Tom. Tom is a very aggressive character, physically and

This intention behind Daisy's parents' decision with how comfortable she would be with Tom establishes the root of corruption and inability of honesty noted in Daisy's characteristics. The firsthand influence from her parents trapped her into a mindset of status and wealth that she created to be her entire persona. Neither Tom nor Daisy allow themselves to embrace or process their true feelings, leaving them with the inability to love correctly The main characters of the story struggle with emptiness and fulfillment regarding their feelings, which is also incorporated into the expoliment the residents of the East Egg use as a way to find fulfillment. It is noted that Jay Gatsby, Daisy and Tom Buchanan, as well as the people who attend his parties (except Nick Carraway), are all driven by a powerful desire to climb the social ladder no matter what it takes. The residents of the East Egg are obsessed with materialistic ideals so much that they center their social events and homes around their personal possessions. Everyone is trying to one up another in order to gain the most attention. This is a prime example of how the “American dream” has been