The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

Stock markets minted millionaires by the thousands because of the booming economy. Young Americans in the 1920’s living in the cities rejected traditional social norms by embracing a modern urban culture of freedom. People in the 1920’s drank illegally against prohibition and attended huge parties hosted by the richest of society. The novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, takes place in West Egg, Long Island, New York in the 1920’s. The narrator, Nick Carraway, moves east from the Mid-West to the exciting New York City to be involved in stocks. Nick moves into a home next to Jay Gatsby, a rich man who fought in World War I and who likes to host parties almost every weekend. One day Nick is formally invited to Gatsby’s party unlike

When Nick first gets the invitation he notices that it has been “signed Jay Gatsby in a majestic hand.”(41). Already, Nick knows that he is attending a party hosted by someone so wealthy and luxurious. When Nick first meets Gatsby, Gatsby first gives Nick “one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it.”(41). Gatsby is now portrayed as enchanting with a smile that conveys confidence and friendliness towards Nick. The guests arrive “gaudy with primary colors, and hair shown in strange ways, and shawls beyond the dreams of Castile” (40). The arriving guest’s appearance convey the amount of wealth each man or woman has making the party seem even more glamourous. As the party continues, the guest’s “laughter is easier by the minute,” and every conversation is “tipped out of a cheerful word” (46). The party is seen as lively with people mingling and having an entertaining time inside the towering mansion. Gatsby’s mansion also contains many captivating scenes and settings such as when Nick “ a high Gothic library, paneled with carved English Oak, and probably transferred complete from some ruin overseas” (45). The library is only one insignificant part of the mansion and yet is glamorous and classy, mirroring the grandeur/extravagance of the mansion. Both the people and settings of the mansion are

At first people look like they are talking and getting to know each other yet in reality most “casual innuendos and introductions [are] forgotten on the spot” (40). Even though they are strangers, they neglect courteous mannerisms and except for Nick, has arrived at without invitation and did not care for each other, the casual conversations are meaningless and empty. Furthermore, When the party reaches an end there are even some disputes that “most of the remaining women were now having fights with men said to be their husbands,”(51). Opposite of how the people in the party were initially portrayed, marriages are supposed to be seemingly perfect but most husbands and wives hide secrets from each other; leading to fights that would “[end] in a short struggle, and both wives lifted, kicking into the night” (53). Distrust between husband and wife leads to chaos and destructive behavior as husbands cheat while their wives watch in anger. The people in the party were originally seen as friendly and optimistic but now they act hostile and do pointless things as they continue to cheat and