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What Is The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

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Flashy cars were obtained. Cash busted open wallets. Fame was formed. Opportunity was the only goal. The taste of success blinded souls. This is know as the American Dream. Reaching the peak has had Americans mesmerized since the beginning of time. The expedition to the top is reached, but soon becomes reality. The Great Gatsby portrays the journey to Gatsby’s dream. Gatsby would go to the ends of the earth to reach his dream. Hard work, currency, and illegal tasks would lead him there. Receiving loads of money from bootlegging brought him closer to the green light. Once he got the mansion with his new money, his plan was set. Jordan said to Nick, “Anyhow, he gives large parties” (49). What she did not know was the large parties were thrown for a special intention. The parties, people, murmurs, and fame would soon draw Daisy’s attention. …show more content…

Every thought in his mind was about her. He was hypnotized by the thought of having her in his arms. He never once thought about what would happen after he succeeded. Gatsby said, “Here’s a lot of clippings—about you” (93). This statement was thought to be deranged by anyone except Gatsby. On another note, Gatsby calls himself an Oxford man. Jordan said, “I just don’t think he went there” (49). Jordan was right all along. Gatsby did not lie but he only went there for a short period of time. He referred to himself as an Oxford man to get Daisy’s attention. The thought process of getting that prize was enough to drive a person mad. The journey to the dream is a splendid ride. The down side is when one has it. One is consumed and overjoyed by having it. After that joy has been fulfilled, what is next? This is the prime reason for an abundance of disappointments in life. The dream is not all it is cracked up to be. When a person gets the fame, immoral acts come

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Gatsby was among the smartest men I had the pleasure of knowing, he was strong, brave, intelligent, and never failed to make a statement whether it be through his business or his grand parties. He had an aura of secrecy and nervousness around him at all times, he liked to keep to himself and many didn’t know him beyond the idea that he hosted grand parties. Gatsby was born into a family where he felt like he didn’t belong, he felt as if he was underappreciated and didn’t need to be there. For as long as I’ve known him, he has kept to himself about his family and his past life. One time Mr. Gatsby and I were a few drinks too deep after a successful business

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The American dream is a phantom of an idea created by the aspiring dream of Amercans. In The Great Gatsby, this idea is portrayed by Fitzgerald uncovering the flaws of what his characters most desire. Throughout the novel, it is shown through the success and faults of each character and how they see the American dream. Although the American dream, seen from an outsider's point-of-view, is a way of life that consists of making one’s way to a more wealthy and successful lifestyle – it can be deceiving.

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Gatsby’s obsession for Daisy Buchanan compels him to commit various actions and have different beliefs that a great man would not have. Gatsby dedicated his life to attaining a status that of a man that Daisy would respect and admire. He threw great parties only for the small chance that Daisy would one day attend. Gatsby seeks reassurance from Nick that Daisy will attend one of his parties, probingly saying that “‘I suppose Daisy’ll call too.’ [Gatsby looks] at [Nick] anxiously, as if he hopes [Nick would] corroborate this.

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He is not who he appears to be, and his past is a mystery. This mystery is emphasized when nick, the narrator, says, “He hurried the phrase “educated at Oxford,” or swallowed it, or choked on it, as though it had bothered him now. And with this doubt, his whole statement fell to pieces, and I wondered if there wasn’t something a little sinister about him, after all”(Fitzgerald 65). This fact is also highlighted by the fact that Gatsby is not even his real name. He was born James Gatz, and changed his name to reinvent himself.

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Despite not seeing Daisy for over five years, he never forgets about her, but instead counts down the days to see her again. In this time he reinvents himself, while still holding onto the hope that he and Daisy will be together at the end of it all. Gatsby becomes known for throwing his parties due to his newly profound wealth, but his purpose behind them all is so Daisy will show up. This hope never leaves Gatsby, but instead possesses him with a trait that is admirable. Everything he does is filled with hope and a positive spirit that he will achieve his goal of rekindling his love with Daisy as “he half expected her to wander into one of his parties” (Fitzgerald 79).

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He rightly identified that money - both its presence and its absence - does something to people” (1). These ideals reflect what can be seen in all of his literary

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Daisy’s opulent lifestyle is clearly portrayed throughout

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Gatsby doesn’t really show what he really is to the public, and that makes him a different person from what the others think of

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I’ll bet he's killed a man.” Gatsby’s life revolves around trying to be accepted and get what he wants in any way possible, so much so that he completely hides his authentic self. Gatsby lied about many things, including attending Oxford and his family's wealth. Not only did he lie about his past, he completely changed his name. These acts together are known as a personality mask, Gatsby wore this mask to gain status but hiding your true self also has its negatives.

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He is a very wealthy man who likes to let others know about his money. Gatsby is pursuing his true love Daisy throughout the novel, but experiences many hardships on the way. He comes across these obstacles when following his dream

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The American dream of rags to riches is a dream for a reason - it is hard to achieve; were everyone to do it, it wouldn't be a dream but would rather be reality. ”(Robert Fulton) The Great Gatsby is a book written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It tells the story of Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire who is obsessed with trying to get his former love Daisy Buchanan so he can pursue the American Dream. Following Jay Gatsby’s love story, the American Dream is a hoax, proved by his obsession with wealth, the inability to rekindle his love for Daisy, and Gatsby living in the past.

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Most people know Gatsby as Jay Gatsby, this name that everyone knows him by is a lie. In order to change his old life he had to change his name and basically start a new family tree. Gatsby tells people that he is from San Francisco and his name is Jay Gatsby, both not being true. He tells us that his actual name is James Gatz saying, “...James Gatz of North Dakota...”(Fitzgerald 105). He lied about both his name and where he was from, so that he could look like he wasn’t from a poor family; or make him look better.

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This quote from the book helps you get an idea of when Gatsby puts other people before himself. "You must remember, old sport, she was very excited this afternoon. He told her those things in a way that frightened her – that made it look as if I was some kind of cheap sharper. And the result was she hardly knew what she was saying." (8.22)

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In the sense of going up the social ladder at such a rapid pace and obtaining financial success, Mr. Jay Gatsby actually achieved “The American dream”. “Most of them [meaning the people that

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I was brought up in America but educated at Oxford, because all my ancestors have been educated there for many years,” (Fitzgerald). Although Gatsby says he comes from wealthy parents and creates a false backstory about his life, he does this to win Nick Carroways trust. He began to reveal his true identity to Nick, however he still feels the need to lie about his story by claiming that he and Nick have similar backgrounds because they come from a similarity of a wealthy background. Gatsby not only lies about his background he sticks with it till the end.¨So he invented just the sort of the Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end,¨(Fitzgerald). This reveals that Gatsby's lies about his identity began as a little kid, when he first reinvented himself as a wealthy rich person in life.

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