The Great Gatsby American Dream Essay

The Great Gatsby and the ‘Great’ American Dream The American Dream is an ideal that has been expressed throughout society in the past years, and is a somewhat relevant topic today. Essentially, it is conceived as every man having an equal chance to achieve prosperity and status through sole determination and grit. The truth is though, that there are many false understandings and unspoken truths about the idea. F. Scott Fitzgerald was observant of these fallacies, and capitalized on them in his novel, “The Great Gatsby” allowing for him to make the unseen clear. In “The Great Gatsby,” F. Scott Fitzgerald makes apparent the truth behind the ‘perfect’ American Dream, and its ultimate unattainability through the use of the character’s ambitions/dreams,

Gatsby embodies the qualities of resourcefulness, youth, and self-made wealth, which are key aspects of the American Dream. A key point to this is acknowledging that some of his ‘hard earned’ wealth was through heinous methods. “‘I found out what your ‘drug-stores’ were.’” He turned to us and spoke rapidly. “‘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.’” “‘What about it?’” said Gatsby politely (Fitzgerald 103). This dishonest method of attaining wealth helps depict the tainted truths behind greatness, which is even

Fitzgerald’s novel “gives us a vivid depiction of and insight into income inequality as it existed in the 1920s and, by extension, as it exists today, when the American Dream is even more limited to the fortunate few, not within reach of the many” (Cain). This can be taken into consideration when considering Gatsby’s attempts to impress Daisy. With him living a somewhat lavish businessman lifestyle, which is what was considered admirable during the time period of writing the novel. However, with the expansion of opportunities came the testing of societal boundaries, particularly by the youth of the time. What was once deemed inappropriate became a norm for many groups. This is evident in The Great Gatsby through various examples of marital norms, gender roles, and wealthy activities. Jay Gatsby, unlike many wealthy individuals, is depicted as a gentleman due to his humble upbringing and kind nature. As social reforms took place, the concept of the American Dream, which once held that anyone could attain aristocratic status regardless of their birth, became increasingly