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The Great Gatsby Research Paper

1100 Words5 Pages

Sawgoto Dey Mr. Ritchie English III 23 May 2024 Different Perspectives of the American Dream Dreams lure souls adrift to the endless trail of hope. The so-called American Dream throughout history has captivated people from all walks of life, embodying the belief that determination and hard work can lead to success. This theme is explored in both Gabriele Muccino’s 2006 film The Pursuit of Happyness and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic book The Great Gatsby. The movie depicts the real-life struggle of Chris Gardner and his rise from homelessness. The book portrays the life of Jay Gatsby and his obsessive pursuit of wealth and status. While both delve into the American dream and the desire for a better life, they do so from different perspectives …show more content…

From an early age he was after fancy things in life and moved from job to job “...despising the janitor’s work...he was still searching for something to do,” (Fitzgerald 99). Gatsby dreamed of a better life, but he scorned the reality of only getting menial jobs. He wanted a way to hop to the top, rather than climbing the stairs. He slipped up when he told Nick, “‘It took me just three years to earn the money that bought it.’...I was in the drug business and then I was in the oil business’” (Fitzgerald 90). Gatsby was proud of himself for achieving his goals almost instantly, even though he knew morally what he did to earn that money was illegal. He tried covering it up by saying he worked in different fields, but even that mentality shows his lack of consistency. Chris Gardner's journey shows his unyielding positive human spirit and the hard working nature of the American Dream. He throws himself into his unpaid internship at Dean Witter with unparalleled commitment, “‘So I'm gonna stand out in my program’”(The Pursuit of Happyness). He was painting his apartment as a form of payment for his rent and he was forced to stay the night in prison for all his parking

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