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Use Of Idealism In The Great Gatsby

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Imagine living in a world in which the idea of wealth influenced the power that those were granted, leaving the rest of society to rot in a lower ranking. The American Dream fulfills this idea as it is the main drive of every citizen who thrives for this opportunity, the source of wealth and power if successful. The material world, in the document The Great Gatsby, is used to this higher class treatment view based on the extravagant houses of individuals and the demand at the time which is also expressed in the document(s) “Civilization going to pieces: Tom Buchanan”, “Ethics in Gatsby: An Examination of American Values”, and “Delusions of American Idealism” written by authors Richard Lehan, Tony McAdams, and Joyce A. Rowe. In the documents, …show more content…

The author Joyce Rowe supports this in the secondhand novel “Delusions of American Idealism” as money is used as a means for the success of the American Dream to achieve dreams that wouldn’t be achieved without the corrupting power of money. In the document, Rowe goes on about how “In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald illustrates the tension between idealism and reality in American history: the heroic spiritual quest to create oneself anew, as urged by Ralph Waldo Emerson, has been replaced by a materialistic quest for the grail of wealth and power”(Rowe 87). In this example, Rowe explains the influence of money and materialistic views and how they affect society to go from one world to another. Wealth connecting with the American Dream shows a corrupted image that is hidden from the public’s view. Rowe implies that the influence of vast amounts of money, which in this case has given the figment of the American Dream a corrupted reality, engulfs people in sins that the public can’t see because of the person's wealth. This is supported when Fitzgerald writes, “A breeze blew through the room, blew curtains in at one end and out the other like pale flags, twisting them up toward the frosted wedding cake of the ceiling—and then rippled over the wine-colored rug, making a shadow on it as wind does on the sea. The only completely stationary object in the room was an enormous couch on which two …show more content…

“Demons” are present in people with the most money, using that indication to blind other’s true judgement, changing the way they appear in order to protect themselves. Whether it be through characters like Tom and Gatsby who either gained there wealth through sinful acts, or use their wealth to distract others from the reality. Otherwise, through the American Dream being made into reality through the money of those achieving their deepest desires, the interpretation of those with money and power hide behind a mask to hide the demons that lie

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