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The Role Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

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The American dream is perceived to be the ultimate goal that everyone wants to attain. When the original pioneers arrived to America or known as the new world, their dream was to create a better life in the means of being free. In the modern world, the American dream stems from the idea that the more wealth and power a person has the more successful they are. This idea leads people to believe that wealth is the only means of being successful creating a corrupted vision of the American dream. Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby is a story about a man named Jay Gatsby who is seen as a symbol of wealth by many characters throughout the novel. Then later is revealed the path he used to obtain wealth was through corruption and greed. …show more content…

Meaning that a quality of person’s life is more important than materialistic processions. I believe that the concept of the American dream does not mean living a rich life but rather living a life that is true to oneself. The American dream has a connotation to strive to be rich and wealthy. Through hard work to attain their goals, anyone can create a life that they want themselves to live. Jay Gatsby was determined to become rich from a young age. Growing up he never considered himself to be less than wealthy . His dreams become a reality when he meets Meyer Wolfsheim. A suspicious character who promises him a life he always wanted. Wolfshiem exclaims to Nick while referring to Gatsby that he, “Made him”. Wolfshiem handed over a life filled with what the typical American dream had to offer. The life everyone strives for with the money and the extravagant lifestyle. Although what seemed to be beautiful dream was a nightmare filled with corruption and

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The American Dream that Scott F. Fitzgerald stressed about in his novel The Great Gatsby is the notion of perfection; can never be acquired, but can always be reached for. Gatsby was not a man who came from wealth, as a young boy he always knew he would achieve to be something great in his life, even comparing himself to Christ. “The truth was that Jay Gatsby,

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The Great Gatsby is a wonderful novel that explains the drive and want to have the American Dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald and his life really show the true meaning of the American Dream and how hard and difficult it is to achieve it. He went through many hardships during his life and yet he still was able to come close to achieving the American Dream. The Idea behind the American Dream is that anyone can go from being poor to rich and live a healthy lifestyle and get the most out of life without being financially unstable.

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The American Dream by definition is “the ideal that every citizen of the United States should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.” In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author, shows readers the corruption of the American Dream in the 1920’s through the use of characterization, literary allusions, and symbolism. Fitzgerald uses the character Gatsby, to show the corruption of the American Dream. Gatsby was once a poor man, coming back from war with only the clothes he was wearing, but built his way to living in a huge mansion.

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While Gatsby and Nick drive to the city, Gatsby is stopped by an officer for recklessly driving, in response Gatsby shows the officer a card, notifying the officer of his wealth and status (74). Gatsby uses his wealth to get a privilege that would be otherwise inaccessible to anyone of lower class status. When using his wealth to get away with a crime, Gatsby showcases the puppeteering done by the rich within society to benefit themselves. Gatsby introduces Nick to a friend named Meyer Woldshiem who he claims was responsible for fixing the 1919 World Series(76). Wolfsheim, a wealthy businessman, utilizes his wealth to do an illegal deed likely to enhance his wealth.

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An American writer and historian, James Adams, claimed the American Dream is “ a life that should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability and achievement.” The American Dream is an ideal and belief that a person can achieve success and power if they work hard enough. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book The Great Gatsby, the author explores the American dream through the use of relationships and unrealistic expectations. He shows how the American Dream can become an illusion for many and can corrupt and destroy lives.

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What would you do to get to your American Dream? In the novel, The Great Gatsby it took many twist and turns. It showed the true emotions of people when money is goal in peoples lives. In The Great Gatsby the American dream is a motif shown throughout the story. It unleashed the true side of what people would really go through to get what they want.

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Everyone has dreams of their desired future, the only thing they dream of is the only thing they do not have. The American Dream is the hope for happiness, success, and money that someone has. For most people, the dream is based only upon living a greater and higher standard in life. In the catastrophic novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald created Gatsby as a character who became outstanding. He began his life as a lower-class, ordinary, citizen and had to work his way up to being wealthy without help from his family.

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Meyer Wolfsheim is a shady business associate of Gatsby who takes pride in his dubious deals. And whilst the book shares little else about Meyer Wolfsheim, it is obvious that his dream is to have a large fortune. The book states, “ ‘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” (Fitzgerald 143).

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The Great Gatsby is a book that has changed the lives of many through it's riveting and captivating storyline. The characters are full of life and adventure that make it a very memorable piece of literature. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby should be considered a great American novel because it shows what impact power and wealth can have on a person. People who are driven by money and power can do erratic things without reasoning behind them, especially when it comes to situations revolving around love.

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The American Dream is a consistent theme that is shown by Gatsby’s life. Fitzgerald described Jay Gatsby’s, formerly known as James Gatz, early life by saying, “His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people” (Fitzgerald 98). This proves that the multi-millionaire Gatsby, despite the rumors of how he was brought up, came from poverty. Along his path to success Gatsby met Dan Cody and traveled the world with him. Dan Cody perished and that's where it was said, “And it was from Cody that he inherited money-- a legacy of twenty-five thousand dollars.

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We love to believe that we live in the land of opportunity. We believe anyone can become content, and successful through hard work. In truth, the majority of us will never be satisfied in life; we wont achieve the American dream. In his novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts the reality of American satisfaction, and of the false hope that is the American dream.

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In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald the American dream is the major theme of the novel. In the novel The American Dream is portrayed as possessing love, money and happiness. F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays The American Dream as an corrupting force that turns anyone who has it power hungry; someone who can never be happy with what they have. Tom Buchanan is the best example of having someone who seems to have everything but never feels he has enough. By making Tom the antagonist, Fitzgerald conveyed that having it all isn't a good thing.

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The American Dream, something so profound, yet seemingly so shallow. All have thought about working towards it, but only some attempt. Risking it all, they will throw all on the line to find fame, happiness and wealth. But only a few succeed. In the novel The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway tells the tragic love story of Gatsby, a man driven to find and marry his love, Daisy.

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First, the American dream in these artistic productions differs from the Jeffersonian pursuit of happiness, meaning that in the novel and the film it was transformed into a pursuit of money. The ideal of money that characterized the culture of 1920s is well represented by the society of Long Island, separated into two: West and East Egg. West Egg, in the person of Jay Gatsby is the embodiment of newly rich, while East Egg stands for the old aristocracy. Without doubt, it was Gatsby who illustrates the pure form of the American dream. We could see his childhood’s aspiration for self improvement, in terms of achieving his dream of gaining material wealth and prosperity.

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The American dream deals with the ability of finding oneself, or the act of individuality, as well as the pursuit of finding happiness. Despite having these dreams, money and social values appeared to be more important. Regrettably, this decision corrupted the idea of the American dream. As the audience reads The Great Gatsby, they may also see the corruption for themselves, as well as how many people have the wrong idea of how they should live their lives, and latch onto their materials, and expectations of social values.

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