ipl-logo

The Great Gatsby Research Paper

594 Words3 Pages

The American Dream

“The term "American Dream" first was used by the American historian James Truslow Adams in his book "The Epic of America" published in 1931. At that time the United States were suffering under the Great Depression. Adams used the term to describe the complex beliefs, religious promises and political and social expectations.” In The Great Gatsby, characters search for the American Dream of wealth, stature, and power, however, since then, the American Dream has become a term used to describe daily American life. However, is it realistic? The American Dream cannot truly be realistic, for there is no set definition for the “Dream”. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby searched for a dream that was never realistic. …show more content…

For example, Jay Gatsby worked very hard to achieve what he had, but he is still unsatisfied. This is because the “Dream” at that time was so unattainable, that even when Gatsby had wealth, he was searching for more. This shows that Gatsby’s idea of the American Dream was not realistic, even though others may have thought he had already achieved it. To add, many people may have thought that Gatsby had already achieved the American Dream, but his dream was not realistic. He wanted more wealth, and more power so that he could impress Daisy. This was fueled by his dream to return to the past, which is clearly

Show More
Related
1051 Words | 5 Pages

The notoriously known American Dream takes dedication and perseverance to accomplish. Gatsby shows determination throughout this novel; however, his circumstances play a toll on his ability to obtain his dream. In Gatsby’s case, he is trying to accomplish the impossible; he has a visionary outlook on the American Dream. Gatsby is unsuccessful in his effort to obtain his American Dream in the sense of love; however, he successfully obtains his American Dream in the sense of wealth. Gatsby’s partial failure does not mean the American Dream is impossible to accomplish.

Read More
1357 Words | 6 Pages

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald embodies the American Dream in a sense where it shows the way that the concept had been twisted by greed, self-satisfaction and near or full obsession. No one in The Great Gatsby ever truly obtains the “American Dream” as it is a fantasy- never having been a dream but more of a name for the failure of so many that try to better their lives but wind up making it worse. Dreams are unattainable and, though for a moment, it might seem one has grasped the dream, no one truly holds onto it. Jay Gatsby takes the American Dream as it is, a warped sense of self-improvement in one's life, and twists it further in a way that better exposes that the “American Dream” is just that – a dream. Greed is a seed of destruction

Read More
356 Words | 2 Pages

The famous poet mia Angelo once said "The American dream is only a dream". Firstly, Gatsby is a man of wonder and his fascination with his concept of the American dream. Throughout the story Gatsby show how his dream turns out to be artificial. In the great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates that the American dream is only a source of false reality reflecting on appearance.

Read More
1672 Words | 7 Pages

The American Dream comes and goes throughout everyone’s lives in America. But for some, it shows a spark of hope of a dream that will allow them to succeed in life. Whether it is something that people want to have in their lives or having a goal in their mind, it is what allows people to continue pushing through life and doing everything to get what they want. The American Dream creates a vision of what people want in their future but, if this “vision” fails, many people would either give up or find a new dream. There are many reasons why people give up on their dreams, but some, they believe that it is out of their control to accomplish their dreams such as the main characters in The Great Gatsby.

Read More
353 Words | 2 Pages

America has always lured people with an unfulfilling promise of more; people come to America with nothing to try and gain something that’s unobtainable; Unfortunately, what they find is far from what they wanted to gain. F. Scott Fitzgerald expressed just how much of a lie the American dream was in The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald lived as a captive of the dream 's unlawful grip that promised so much but gave so little. He was born middle class and tried his hardest to become more than what his father was, but as ambitious as he was he never gained the wealth and elite status that he desired. The Great Gatsby was his way of stating the way that things were at the time, and he writes about how the American dream is unobtainable through symbolism.

Read More
1328 Words | 6 Pages

The American Dream is similar to the ideals of The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, because today we do not have steady employment, it is unrealistic to those with different circumstances, the dream can be reachable through hard work, and the dream varies for people. People still struggle to find opportunities of employment and

Read More
841 Words | 4 Pages

The American dream is having a wife and kids with a nice big house and a nice car. Jay Gatsby has achieved the American Dream, but he was missing one crucial aspect which was Daisy. Jay Gatsby has achieved the American Dream by working hard to the point where he started his life all over from scratch. Everyone has stated that the American Dream is achievable if work is done. When F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the Great Gatsby, he showed that the American Dream isn’t always achievable when Gatsby did everything necessary and was close to achieve it.

Read More
567 Words | 3 Pages

His dream soon goes through an acceleration as he meets Daisy, who was everything he dreamed of being. Wealthy, of status, and had all the luxuries life could offer.

Read More
1232 Words | 5 Pages

For Gatsby, the American Dream is not merely a dream, but it is something he has longed for his

Read More
689 Words | 3 Pages

He became so confused with the idea of Daisy that “he had thrown himself into a creative passion” as he went to extreme measures to please Daisy (74). Daisy represents an extravagant lifestyle, something Gatsby always wanted with the “Love of his life”. Gatsby not only tries to earn Daisy back, he also tries to “repeat the past” as he truly believes he can bring back the past (85). Gatsby tries so hard to win back Daisy, all while showing off his fame and wealth to her. As Gatsby became consumed by his fame, he was fixated on the idea of love and misunderstood its true nature.

Read More
1059 Words | 5 Pages

Although many say that dreams are inspirational and easy to achieve, reality is real and life doesn’t always go the way you want or dream it to be. Best defined by Ari Shapiro as, “a crucial thread in this country’s tapestry, woven through politics, music, and culture.” (Shapiro, 1). This statement expands on the thought that the reality of the American Dream is now unachievable. Gatsby's goal was to become wealthy and have the status that he wasn’t exposed to as a child.

Read More
1304 Words | 6 Pages

“That’s why they call it the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it,” -George Carlin. In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays a theme known as the American Dream to develop the characters, specifically Gatsby. Gatsby grew up as an extremely poor man in North Dakota but believed he could be great; he believed he could achieve the American Dream. He left his old life behind him and chased his dream, not knowing the true reality of it. In short, Jay Gatsby demonstrates the corruption of the American Dream as evidenced by his need to acquire wealth, infatuation with Daisy, and obsession with his social status.

Read More
734 Words | 3 Pages

Scott Fitzgerald uses The Great Gatsby to depict the American Dream as materialistic, fallible, and otherwise unlikely to work out for the average man. He writes that, while one can pull themselves up by their bootstraps and work their way up to the upper echelon like Gatsby did, true happiness and success will always be out of reach because the American Dream is the constant drive to have and be better, proven in his writing when he says, “It eluded us then, but that’s no matter – to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther” (180). Gatsby’s character in and of itself proves the corruption of the dream. He sets out with pure intentions but is warped by the 1920’s era obsession with materialism and as such misinterprets the American Dream as an accumulation of wealth and status. No cost seemed too high for Gatsby if it meant getting what he wanted, whether it be in money or morals.

Read More
871 Words | 4 Pages

E. According to Roger Pearson’s literary criticism of The Great Gatsby: As a prophet of the American Dream, Gatsby fails – miserably – a victim of his own warped idealism and false set of values. The American Dream is not to be a reality, in that it no longer exists, except in the minds of mend like Gatsby, whom it destroys in their espousal and relentless pursuit of it. The American Dream is, in reality, a nightmare (Pearson 645).

Read More
1034 Words | 5 Pages

The Facade of the American Dream The American Dream is the opportunity for all Americans to live a life of personal happiness and material comfort, but is it actually achievable? F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, is a story of characters working hard to achieve the American Dream, but ultimately they are unable to ever realize their perfect life. The novel makes a strong naturalism argument about the rigid class system in society and the disillusionment of the American Dream.

Read More

More about The Great Gatsby Research Paper

Related Topics

Open Document