The American Dream False News Essay

Matthew Stucke

Mr. Arthurs

Honors English 10

24 March 2023

Paperrater-

The American Dream is Fake News

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald goes in depth in the gilded age of the

1920s. Going through the struggles of the lower class along with the carelessness of the upper class. From the haughty elegance of the Upper Crust right along with their dreadful faults, the story spun by Fitzgerald develops into a telling representation of the age known as the “Roaring 20s”. The struggles of the lower class alluded to lead the reader to infer that the American Dream is unattainable due to its lack of consideration of one’s mental health, the strength of the social class barriers, and its over reliance upon achieving wealth and power which may

During the rising action, the introduction of these barriers is facilitated through the character of Jay Gatsby. When a group of old monied friends drop by his house just to get a drink, he greets them by saying, "‘I’m delighted to see you,’ said Gatsby standing on his porch. ‘I’m delighted that you dropped in.’ As though they cared”(Fitzgerald 64). Despite Gatsby's wealth and lavish lifestyle, his non-acceptance by the upper class due to his lower-class background seems explicit, even though he strived for recognition as an equal. Moreover, the upper-class guests who visit him do not truly care about him, and Gatsby's attempts for acceptance by them are futile. Similarly, later in the same unplanned meetup, after the staunch, quiet old lady has a couple of drinks. She ends up inviting Gatsby to a dinner party that he would know no one at, saying, "‘You come to supper with me,’ said the lady enthusiastically. ‘Both of you.’"(Fitzgerald 65). The enthusiasm of the upper class to have Gatsby and Nick attend their party seemed to have undercurrents of malicious intent, supported by the fact that they do not consider Gatsby one of them. Despite his wealth and hard work, Gatsby is not accepted by the upper class, and his attempt to attain the American Dream is thwarted by the unyielding class barriers. Thus, the

Towards the exposition of the novel the Gatsby manor is described as a light. “[H]is blue gardens” drawing in “men and girls … like moths” to the light “among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars”(Fitzgerald 28) illustrates, the opulence and extravagance that come with wealth and power can intoxicate and bring in people as well as increase social standing. However, later on when Jay Gatsby is exposed as a fraudulent bootlegger who obtained his wealth through illegal means it becomes evident that wealth isn’t permanent. When Tom Buchanan, in a fit of rage, shouts out that, “‘He and this Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That's one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn't far wrong’”(Fitzgerald 83). Revealing the dark underbelly of the pursuit of wealth and power, along its potential consequences, like the loss of integrity begins the split in his personal relationship with Daisy, causing him to lose all he’s ever desired. Therefore, the American Dream, as it pertains to the acquisition of wealth and power, is not a real or sustainable concept, as it ultimately leads to the destruction of both individuals and those around