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The Great Gatsby Research Paper

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Kevin Alfred Nesa Jos Benny Mr. Emanuele ENG3U1-03 12 July 2024 The bitter illusion of the American Dream The American dream is characterised by the marathon for wealth, succeeding, and happiness. Although everything sounds very nice, the American dream will lead to destruction and struggle rather than inspiration. This understatement is exhibited by the characters and events in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby”. This essay will delve into the themes of the hunt for worldly success, the corruption of an individual’s identity, the decadence in people’s lives, and everything that leads to undeniable disillusionment. The chase of the American Dream led to the corruption of individual identity, this emphasises that people are losing their own identity to become someone else. Towards the end of the novel, the change of Gatsby from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby proves the loss of his true self. "The truth was that Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God—a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that" (Fitzgerald, pg.183). In this quote, it is obvious that Gatsby’s entire identity is based on an illusion he created, a “platonic conception” of an ego that never was true. This shows how the chase for the American Dream can lead a person into abandoning their true self. …show more content…

Throughout the novel, characters such as Tom Buchanan are involved in unethical actions. “Tom's got some woman in New York''(Fitzgerald, 18). The phrase choice of “some woman” gives away Tom’s ignorance of his marriage and his repulsiveness for morals.Tom’s actions highlights how the American Dream is associated with material success which can lead to the decline of moral values. This behaviour stresses how the chase for the American Dream and personal desire can lead individuals into participating in unethical

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