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

The desire to be wealthy instills in all individuals. The extent of that desire, however, can vary from one being to another. The consensus of the American dream originates from the concept that, in a free society, anyone willing to persevere can be prosperous. F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays how an individual in the name of Jay Gatsby, in theory, achieves the American Dream, in his novel, ‘The Great Gatsby.’ By accomplishing the American Dream, Gatsby’s desire to truly be a part of the class of the rich and wealthy should be adequate. However, as Philip Cross mentions in his article ‘Great Gatsby strains the rich-poor gap,’ “Gatsby vaults from the lower to upper class, but the rich girl still won’t marry him,” which questions the value of the

James Gatz had an appetite for wealth and a distaste for poverty. Despite his humble beginnings, his sheer ambition and determination fueled a passion for him to achieve ‘The American Dream.’ Ashamed of his rather poor upbringing, James Gatz changed his name to Jay Gatsby in an attempt to forget his personally shameful upbringing. This enabled Gatsby to erase his past and start anew. Gatsby was fixated on becoming affluent. As Philip Cross mentions in his article, “morality’s “fundamental decencies” are parcelled out at birth as unequally as ability, and are just as important to acquiring wealth,” which clearly shows the thirst for acquiring wealth replaces the integrity you were born

“We're all different from you. You see, we were born different. It's in our blood,” says Tom during a conversation with Gatsby. A gap between the rich and the poor is evident throughout the novel. What the American Dream is fixated on is wealth, but as Philip Cross mentions in his article, “No group occupies the moral high ground. The careless indulgence of inherited wealth by the old money rich reveals an inner corruption. The nouveau riche dabble in questionable activities such as bootlegging and shady securities-trading,” which illustrates how both the groups are devoid of guilt but are exceptionally cautious about how they are seen through the eyes of other individuals. The eyes of T.J Eckleburg can symbolise how the individuals from all ends of the wealth spectrum are conscious about how they are looked at. Gatsby's fantasy was unattainable on the grounds that it didn't generally exist. He is stuck not being able to go back to the past and recreate that life he longed for as a boy, and cemented not being able to move forward either and that is where his great tragedy comes in. Gatsby's tenacious quest for Daisy which represented the American Dream is the what ends