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The American Dream Has Changed Over Time Analysis

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Additionally, the death of the Original American Dream is shown through the increasing desire for materialism and excess. Myrtle’s love of materialism is what ruins her marriage with her husband and drives her toward death. When she first marries George, Myrtle believes that she is crazy about him, but she reveals, “The only crazy I was was when I married him. I knew right away I made a mistake. He borrowed somebody’s best suit to get married in, and never even told me about it…” (Fitzgerald 37). The article “How the American Dream Has Changed Over Time” explains:
“Many people speculate that the American Dream has become something that few can obtain: excessive material and wealth…Owning land is no longer the dream. Owning a home is no longer …show more content…

In order to achieve her materialistic American Dream, she cheats on her husband to work her way up to the upper class, disregarding her morals in the process. Her love for materialism urges her to commit adultery and leads to her death when a car hits her after running away from her husband. The Original American Dream is dead due to the increasing desire of materialism, causing many to resort to distasteful behaviour to have a remote chance of achieving the American Dream. Similarly, Daisy and Tom Buchanan’s vast fortune and love for materialism show how the Original American Dream is dead. After Gatsby dies, which is a result of Tom’s lies, Nick Carraway explains, “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made…” (Fitzgerald 190). In this novel, Tom and Daisy represent the Modern American Dream, as they are part of the Old Money class who have a vast fortune and live in excess. Although Tom and Daisy’s lives may seem desirable and perfect due to all the wonderful …show more content…

Many must resort to competition in order to achieve the Dream, including Gatsby who is involved in bootlegging and is competing with Tom for Daisy’s love. Myrtle and the Buchanans show that the increasing desire of materialism makes the Dream almost impossible to obtain and demoralizes those who try to reach it. Fitzgerald mocks the American Dream by showing how the 1920s was the beginning of the Dream’s destruction; a dream that was once hopeful became completely damaging and impossible. In his book, The Epic of America, James Truslow Adams explains the American Dream to be "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” (Adams xvi). The narrator of this novel, Nick Carraway, shows that the original intention of the American Dream as explained by Adams is no longer in existence, thus displaying the death of the Original American Dream and all that it stood

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In his novel, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald explores the reality of the American Dream. Throughout the novel, he uses Daisy to represent the American Dream. In chapter eight, after Daisy crashes the car, “she vanish[es] into her rich house… leaving Gatsby nothing” (149). Daisy is depicted as soulless; she is willing to let Gatsby take the fall for her faults. In order to remain the American Dream, Daisy must appear blameless to society; therefore, the common man must always take responsibility for her mistakes.

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An Un-Complete American Dream The novel, The Great Gatsby, by F Scott Fitzgerald, states that "There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired"(79). Gatsby tried with all his money, effort, and parties to complete his version of the American Dream. Gatsby tried to pursue his American Dream of getting the "Golden Girl" and becoming rich and powerful, and he accomplished his dream of riches and power, even though failed at getting Daisy, which shows us that the American Dream is not a good thing if there is no one in one 's life to share the dream with. There are many reasons why he failed in not getting his dream, like only flaunting his wealth for Daisy and not show his true feelings, chasing someone that did not love him back and by selling

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Throughout The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses allusions to portray Gatsby as a representative of the “American Dream” and to foreshadow the eventual collapse of the relationship between Daisy and Tom, which, in turn, presents Gatsby’s desire

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Still hopeful, Gatsby continues to pursue her and though she seems willing at first, she soon proves unable to grant him his wishes. She does not even attend Gatsby’s funeral. Like the American Dream, Daisy promises Gatsby of her love, but then betrays him and leaves him to be ruined. Both Daisy and the American Dream proved unattainable, and thus they leave their victims lost and ruined.

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The American Dream is the opportunity to become successful with hard work and initiative. Gatsby himself achieves the American dream of success just to impress the love of his life, Daisy

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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.

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The view of the American Dream is different for everyone. The Epic Journey, by James Truslow Adams, views the American Dream as a dream of attaining one’s fullest stature regardless of one’s social status. Similarly, in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book, The Great Gatsby, Gatsby’s American Dream relates to Adam’s dream but limited to materialistic wealth- a dream that seeks for motor cars, higher wages, and to impress the people of high status. Both Adams and Gatsby believe that everyone has an equal chance of achieving their dream. Adams says “The dream is that dream of land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement”.

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The Corruption of The American Dream in The Great Gatsby In the novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald illustrates society in the 1920’s and the desire for the people with in it to achieve the American Dream, which embodies the hope that one can achieve power, love and a higher economic/social status through one’s commitment and effort. The novel develops the story of a man named Jay Gatsby and his dream of marrying what he describes as his “golden girl”, also known as, Daisy Buchanan, his former lover. Fitzgerald explores the corruption of the American dream through the Characters; Myrtle, Gatsby and Daisy.

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517 Words | 3 Pages

Annotated Bibliography Cohen, M. (2014, April 26). The American Dream is now just that for its middle classes – a dream. The Guardian, p. 00. “The American Dream is now just that for its middle classes – a dream” by Michael Cohen explains the perception of Americans towards the decline of the middle class. The article details how the middle class was viewed before the elections of President Obama, and how it’s viewed after the creation of the Affordable Care Act.

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No matter who you are or where you have come from, you have undoubtedly heard of the American Dream. The idea that no matter who you are or where you have come from, you can do whatever it is you desire in America. What was once one the main driving forces for immigrants to flock to the new world, has slowly changed over the years, but still holds its value in the eyes of those who are looking for a promising new place to live. The American dream might not hold the same awe inspiring sound that it once did, but for many generations before ours it was a beacon of hope that helped build the foundation that the United States was built on. And, still, today the American dream might not be as achievable as it once was, but it is still an important

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"The negative side of the American Dream comes when people pursue success at any cost, which in turn destroys the vision and the dream." In this quote, by Azar Nafisi, it explains how dreaming can be tainted by reality, and that if a person doesn’t compromise they may suffer. In the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the American Dream is one the many themes present. The American Dream that most people in this book hope to have involves wealth, status, a fun social life, and someone to lust after. It is the life they all strive to have until they obtain it and see its meaningless composure.

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975 Words | 4 Pages

Over the years, a dream that changed the way the world saw the U.S. was created and it is the American Dream. As the years passed and the U.S. was developing the American Dream as well developed or as many say changed. The American Dream is a term that was introduced in 1931 by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America (Kamp 2). The term “American Dream” started with a meaning that was reachable: “a better, richer and happier life for all citizens of every rank”(3). Throughout the years the term`s meaning changed dramatically.

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637 Words | 3 Pages

The Disillusionment of the American Dream is evident in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. The main characters that exhibit this through their lives are; Daisy Buchanan, Myrtle Wilson and Mr. Jay Gatsby. All of these characters hold on to their dream, but all of these characters are somehow let down. The first character, Daisy Buchanan, has the dream of love. She grew up in a very wealthy home.

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950 Words | 4 Pages

The Great Gatsby is not simply a story of Jay Gatsby’s undying and misguided love for a Daisy Buchanan. The novel, The Great Gatsby, encompasses a number of themes, the most significant one is the disillusionment and corruption of the American dream. The ability to obtain prosperity such as happiness, or a car is what comprises of the American dream. It is a belief that anyone who is self-sufficient, or who is a hard worker can obtain this dream regardless of their social standing. In the book, the facade of a dream appears to be at the tips of Gatsby and Myrtle’s fingers but this “pursuit of happiness” sentiment is in actuality impossible.

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884 Words | 4 Pages

Gatsby has the American Dream of being successful and wanting to marry the girl of his dreams. However, Fitzgerald argues that The American Dream is a paradox because dreams aren’t supposed to be achieved, and are better off to remain in one’s imagination. For example, Gatsby wants to marry the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan. Sadly Gatsby sets such a high standard for her that she will never be able to live up to. Gatsby envisions Daisy as the golden girl, and once he put his plan into action, he realizes

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