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Theme Of Perfection In The Great Gatsby

768 Words4 Pages

Purchase of Perfection

The American dream - conceived by the American man to solidify materialistic achievements as the basis of success and the path to Heavenly earth - incessantly remains as the societal expectation for each individual. Often derived from aspirations to rise from “rags to riches,” this impractical ideology proves contrary to reality. Prominent during the 1920s, this economic and social facade of prosperity enhanced the importance of materialistic gain and disregarded naturally accumulated bliss. The “Roaring Twenties” became a superfluous era of recklessness, as the short-lived inflation led to excessive spending and a disregard for one’s moral compass. Despite the decade’s reputation as an era of extravagance and luxury, a hidden inner despair flourished amongst the majority of individuals striving for the elusive perfection their culture promoted; and this same anguish …show more content…

Inspired by his own materialistic, self-destructive life, author F. Scott Fitzgerald, in his influential novel The Great Gatsby, accurately criticizes the delusion of the American psychology of success in 1920s America - as well as the present day - revealing the demoralizing atmosphere of inadequacy and failure in pursuing an unreachable objective, while illuminating the hidden pandemic of misery this caused among the American people - preventing their

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