ipl-logo

What Is The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

924 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Analysis of gatsby

Francis Scott Fitzgerald used The Great Gatsby to show his belief in the American Dream: “He warned that a pursuit of happiness driven by greed was not attainable. That is because someone else always had more” (Amadeo). Jay Gatsby tried all his life to fulfill his dream but he always faced failure because he yearned beyond what could be given to him. The definition of the American Dream is a farce that leads to discouragement and disappointments (Arnade). No matter how hard one works, the American Dream will bring people to discontent because of society’s obsession with unattainable desires. The American Dream is a power-hungry idea that directs people to their sadness and destruction.
Some argue the American Dream is achievable. Forty-five percent of Americans believe in the dream, and of those, twenty-three percent of those Americans believe they are actually living their idea of the American Dream …show more content…

In the novel, Jay Gatsby’s American Dream is to do anything and everything possible to win over Daisy Buchanan. But, once Gatsby finally has her, he still is not satisfied. Nick Carraway states that Jay Gatsby paid a high life for one single dream that he eventually no longer cared about (Fitzgerald 161). He then wants Daisy to admit she has only ever loved him. Daisy is incapable of giving him the new dream he really wants. This is when he loses Daisy. When Gatsby is not satisfied with his original goal, “He gave that up, and only the dead dream fought on as the afternoon slipped away, trying to touch what was no longer tangible, struggling unhappily, undespairingly, toward that lost voice across the room” (Fitzgerald 134). His asking for too much leaves him longing for Daisy’s affection. Fitzgerald makes Daisy’s love for Gatsby a sparkling jewel beyond the reach of Gatsby’s fingertips (Kuehl). Unfortunately, Gatsby cannot carry out his American Dream because he will always want

Show More
Related
1169 Words | 5 Pages

It was one of the most sought after things in America for the longest time; it included wealth, family, and happiness. It is more commonly known as the American Dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald tackles this subject in The Great Gatsby while telling the story of Jay Gatsby’s last summer. This novel represents the struggles he faced while chasing his American Dream. Jay’s fictional story reaches a deeper level and shows how little Fitzgerald believes in the American Dream.

Read More
372 Words | 2 Pages

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the characters Gatsby and Daisy on pages 95-96 to prove that the American Dream is ultimately unattainable though diction, tone and figurative language. The final goal that Gatsby had left to do was to obtain Daisy and the passage that was selected was one of the pinnacle moments of Gatsby and Daisy’s relationship rekindling. It is important to note that Fitzgerald creates a tone that is not exactly too hopeful. The descriptions include words such as “ghostly heart, illusion, and doubt” which is placed to foreshadow that Gatsby will not obtain Daisy despite having moments such as this with her.

Read More
531 Words | 3 Pages

Gatsby’s Dream In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of the main characters, Jay Gatsby, spends his life trying to win over, “his love”, Daisy Buchanan’s status. Gatsby and Daisy had fallen in love before the War and before she was married to Tom Buchanan. Throughout the novel, Gatsby bases his life around impressing Daisy to, supposably, win her “love” back.

Read More
805 Words | 4 Pages

The temptation of wealth and love drives him to chase unrealistic and misguided dreams: “He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night” (Fitzgerald 180). The more Gatsby tries to recapture his past, the further he is taken away from what is real. Throughout The Great Gatsby he moves further into this dreamland he has created of his perfect life with Daisy, trying to escape the social class he was born to that once separated them. There is also irony in that Gatsby continuously tries to distance himself from his past and the lower class lifestyle, yet he spends the entirety of his life trying to rewrite his past with Daisy until he sees that she isn’t someone truly worth his love.

Read More
146 Words | 1 Pages

Meanwhile, Daisy and Tom are caught up in their own illusions of what they want to be. As Nick recalls the memory of Gatsby reaching out over the water toward the Buchanan’s green dock light, he comments that Gatsby’s dream was “already behind him” (Fitzgerald 180). In other words, it was impossible to attain. In pursuit of the American Dream, Gatsby and Daisy’s shallow obsessions make them both lose sight of who they are

Read More
246 Words | 1 Pages

Gatsby was someone who was considered to have actually accomplished the “American Dream.” However, even though he earned his fortune (through illicit ways) he was still unsatisfied because he wanted Daisy. In the end, he briefly had her and then proceeded to lose her and his life. Fitzgerald writes the tragic story of someone who ultimately achieved the “American Dream” to express his opinion that it was unrealistic and unfulfilling. In his search for money, Gatsby lost the one person he loved and did not see her again for almost five years.

Read More
428 Words | 2 Pages

Coming back from the war and hearing that Daisy got married to a man who was wealthy and successful, Gatsby did his best to be as successful as him; Gatsby made his money mostly by selling liquor and also in other illegal ventures, these sorts of actions show how Gatsby was cheating his way through to make his successful all to impress Daisy. Gatsby later on the book did his best to win Daisy over by showing her his house, all the clothes he had and showing how wealthy he is, they met every now and then behind the back of Daisy’s husband. Gatsby did not get to be with Daisy due to the fight he had with her Tom when he figured out that his wife was having an affair with Gatsby. After this incident, Gatsby’s death occurs which is due to Daisy driving the car and killing Myrtle, later on Myrtle’s husband figures out who killed his wife and goes after Gatsby and kills him and in the process of shooting himself “The touch of a cluster of leaves revolved it slowly, tracing, like the leg of compass, a thin red circle in the water. It was after we started with Gatsby toward the house that the gardener saw Wilson's body a little way off in the grass, and the holocaust was complete” (Fitzgerald, pg.

Read More
1027 Words | 5 Pages

He has been living his life obsessing over Daisy in the hopes of impressing her and has done this all for her and not for himself. Fitzgerald use of figurative language in the novel presents the complications Gatsby ran into throughout his life. The implicit meanings in the passages and the novel as a whole can also relate to society as a whole because Gatsby, although wealthy, can still go through problems just like others can, and still does not achieve his ultimate dream in the end. Gatsby is not able to reach this dream because he had held onto the past for too long, and cannot pursue other elements of happiness. He has wrapped his life around one person, who did not made him feel complete.

Read More
753 Words | 4 Pages

The dream that Gatsby is chasing is his former flame, Daisy Buchannan as he didicates his entire existence trying to be with her. From the long nights of staring at the flashing green light at her house, to showing off his wealth whenever he can, it is clear what Gatsby really dreams about is being with Daisy. He is attempting to rekindle their previous love, even though Daisy has moved on and is in a new relationship. After Gatsby’s death, Tom narrates that Gatsby “paid a high price for living too long with a single dream” (Fitzgerald 161). Dedicating his entire life to chasing a former love, causes the downfall of Jay Gatsby.

Read More
731 Words | 3 Pages

The concept of the American Dream is widely known among Americans and has undoubtedly shaped society. However, was this for better or for worse? Although the American Dream ideology started harmless, it grew into an unhealthy mindset of judgment. F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby critiques the damage the American Dream can cause.

Read More
865 Words | 4 Pages

The American dream has been a fixture in American lives for decades. In The Great Gatsby, Jay pines after Daisy because she is his American dream. Obtaining her love and lifelong companionship will give him everything he could ever need. The American dream is the idea of financial success and happiness. Without

Read More
772 Words | 4 Pages

"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.

Read More
1133 Words | 5 Pages

Fitzgerald focused on the shift in the American Dream - from being the idea of self-fulfillment, dignity and comfort that is achieved through hard work, to being equated with the pursuit of wealth and power, and identifying happiness with having money. The novel depicts the rise and fall of the concept and describes the causes of its decay. The downfall of the American Dream is most accurately shown through the main protagonist of the story – Jay Gatsby. To reiterate, the American Dream is the concept that anyone can achieve a better life and become self-fulfilled, if they put enough effort to it and make the most of their abilities.

Read More
1391 Words | 6 Pages

James Truslow Adams defines the American Dream as the “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” (The American Dream). An idea sought after by millions of people is the American Dream; they believe there is a reward for hard work and that that reward is happiness and prosperity. The Great Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, and The Crucible are all works, which portray the pursuit and destruction of the American Dream. Jay Gatsby’s American dream was to marry the woman he loved. This is evident throughout the novel; Gatsby is determined to transform his life from dirt to diamonds all to be a suitable man for Daisy.

Read More
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.

Read More

More about What Is The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

Related Topics

Open Document