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Why Is The American Dream Important In The Great Gatsby

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The achievement of a wealthy American Dream is a sugary treat pursued by many but achieved by few. The desire for the taste of money through success can corrupt even the most strong willed who choose to follow the path and soon the pursuer will find the spoiled core of identity rotting influence. With the desire for sweet money comes the desire for the bitter fake status inside. In The Great Gatsby by Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, this is described and the upper-class core is exposed as a disgusting old inedible influence. Jay Gatsby, formerly known as James Gatz, falls victim to this hunger and fails like all who pursues this treat. Jay is so consumed by his pursuit for fake status and tasteless importance he loses reality in his drive for indulgence. Fitzgerald writes Gatsby to describe the collapse of someone who has been rotted out from inside by money and the pursuit of status. Piece by Piece Gatsby loses his sense of self, his value in money, and his pursuit in life because of his addiction to the taste of drempt status. …show more content…

Fitzgerald describes James Gatz’s creation of the false wealthy Jay Gatsby persona as something a “boy would be likely to invent”(105) due to the unreal and fanciful nature twisting James’s real self into an imagined rich mold. The identity is adopted to replicate Jay’s idea of Dan Cody, a successful rich upper-class gentleman in Gatsby’s eyes but in reality a decaying up old man who is being consumed by his wife and manipulated for the sugared wealth he gained in his achievement of the American

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These sacrifices and their impact on the lives of those who chase it has been showcased in this social satirical novel The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald uses the character Jay Gatsby as a representation of people striving to accomplish the American Dream in his novel. Through his character, he reveals that despite the American Dream's promise of success and happiness, the pursuit of wealth and power often leads to corruption, alienation, and

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Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby served as a warning, illustrating the decay and moral corruption that seeps into American society. One example of this is the character Jay Gatsby who embodies the Reckless Chase for wealth and status. As Nick Carraway notes Gatsby's Mansion is “ a copy of some fancy building in Normandy, with a tower on one side, brand new under a thin layer of green ivy” (Fitzgerald,5). Gatsby’s extravagant display of wealth is nothing but an illusion hiding his moral emptiness and the shallowness of his existence. This corruption extends beyond Gatsby himself to the privileged class that attends his parties, engaging in superficial interactions and pursuing selfish desires, unconcerned with the suffering around them.

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Let us dive into the world of Jay Gatsby, a man whose life is full of delusion, and see how his deceptions color the canvas of the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Jay Gatsby led Daisy to believe he was wealthy and from a good background to win her over. He threw the most epic party at his mansion, hoping she would show up. Gatsby’s life was a carefully

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In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald presents many obstacles that Jay Gatsby has to overcome to achieve what he desires. Gatsby accomplishes some of these goals with his wealth and all the luxuries that it provides. The other characters views’ towards wealth along with Gatsby’s change the complexity of the book in many ways both positively and negatively. In my opinion, Gatsby’s wealth and luxuries propel him to what he desires but, also turn out to be his “Achilles-heel” in the end.

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Gatsby giving up his identity is self-destructive because the American Dream is unrealistic and nearly impossible to achieve. Jay Gatsby’s foolish, immoral behavior reflects the fact that he is unaware of the impossibility of the Dream. Gatsby finds himself showing off his glamour and riches, but in the process, he struggles with differentiating between reality and idealism. Similarly, Tunc describes in his literary analysis the loss of identity many people of the 1920s experienced as a result of chasing the American Dream: “Gatsby, just like the brand new monstrosity he inhabits, is ‘flashy’: he wears pink suits, gaudy shirts, and drives an extravagant Rolls Royce. Despite all of their obvious wealth, the nouveau riche are imposters--cheap materialistic imitations of the American Dream” (Fitzgerald 69).

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F. Scott Fitzgerald, purposefully displays Jay Gatsby’s wealth to reveal his emptiness. He initiates by explaining that after thousands of people, only “servants” stayed with him which shows that no one really cares for him, and that no one would help him when he needs it. Furthemore, Gatsby uses his “bearing parties,” to fill his loneliness and see happiness in other as he watches them enjoy the party. Besides, Jay has hundreds of real “books,” yet none of them have been read which symbolize his lack of education and his need to fill that gap. Moreover, Gatsby represents the perfect man; he is athletic, young and rich.

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In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel "The Great Gatsby," the characters exhibit a spectrum of traits that evoke admiration and disdain among readers. Through their actions and motivations, certain characters stand out as the most admirable and despicable. By examining and delving into the intricacy of these characters, readers gain insight into the society and moral normality that was present during the time of the novel. Jay Gatsby shows the societal ambition of the American Dream through his pursuit of wealth and status. Regardless of his questionable methods, Gatsby's unwavering dedication to his glamorized vision of love and success is worthy of admiration.

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Valentina Vlachos Ms. Casey English 3H Period 5 28 March 2024 Illusions of Fulfilled Desires Beneath the man who seems to have it all, Jay Gatsby from F. Scott Fitzgerald's tragedy The Great Gatsby is someone who longs for more. His extravagant parties and lavish lifestyle paint a picture of success, but hidden within the depths of his persona lies a complex man. He walks through life with a sense of superiority, believing himself above the crowd. However, this self-assured man of wealth is also one hindered by a touching blindness: his inability to see the failure of trying to recapture the past. Jay Gatsby is the most complex character in the novel because, despite how hard he tries to portray himself as an extraordinary man who has it all,

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As one of the most distinguished American novels, “The Great Gatsby” provides insight into culture during the roaring twenties. American society in the era advertised a hyper-fixation of money, and as a result, wealth and ambition were conflated. “The Great Gatsby” reveals to what degree a facade of luxury transpired through the upper class’ search for meaning. Specifically, F. Scott Fitzgerald highlighted the story of James Gatz — under the alias of Jay Gatsby — from the perspective of Nick Carraway. Nick, a veteran, and Yale graduate, was fascinated by the culture of wealth in the twenties and began adapting his life to mirror Gatsby’s.

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The American dream stands as a symbol for hope, prosperity, and happiness. But F. Scott Fitzgerald 's The Great Gatsby, examines the American dream from a different perspective, one that sheds light on those who contort these principles to their own selfish fantasies. Fitzgerald renders Jay Gatsby as a man who takes the Dream too far, and becomes unable to distinguish his false life of riches from reality. This 'unique ' American novel describes how humanity 's insatiable desires for wealth and power subvert the idyllic principles of the American vision. Jay Gatsby is the personification of limitless wealth and prestige, a shining beacon for the aspiring rich.

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While on the surface, Gatsby does have a ‘rags-to-riches’ story, it is not a virtuous one; he amasses his wealth through illegal channels by working with Meyer Wolfsheim, and never fulfills his dream, Daisy. Also, He changes his name from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby when he first encounters Dan Cody. Because Gatsby has to take on an entirely different persona to achieve success, disguising his poor upbringing and suggesting that James Gatz could never achieve the American dream. Gatsby first attempts to earn his financial success by performing menial labor for Cody, but when Cody’s ex-wife swindles Gatsby out of his inheritance, he turns to illegal means of getting rich. Not only does Gatsby illegally gain his wealth my selling grain liquor over the counter, but he also does so under the direction of Meyer Wolfsheim, breaking two essential qualities of the self-made man, virtue, and independence.

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