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Why Is The American Dream Important In The Great Gatsby

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Great American Dreams The American dream can be viewed many different ways, it’s truly dependent on what in life one seeks to attain. For most it is a sense of financial security, perhaps happiness, and social importance through wealth. Throughout F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, many ideas are cast with the dominance of absolute wealth. Especially for Nick Carraway who is from the quiet Midwest with goals of fortune and prominence. However later into the story, Nick is delivered many valuable lessons. One of the more prominent lessons being that social status and wealth, truly can't buy everything. Nick caraway is more than a character, in my opinion he embellishes the dream of what many aspire to pursue in life. In the beginning, Nick leaves the quiet Midwest to seek a grand dream of wealth and social importance. However Nick was not brought up in need, he acknowledges his family is ‘prominent well-to-do people’ (ch:1). Nick expressed a longing for a location and career more relevant than the family business. Later giving depth to wanting …show more content…

Beginning when Daisy and Tom said to Nick “we heard you were engaged” (ch1). The response Nicks gives “its libel, im to poor” (ch:1) almost implies without wealth, he is not desired. Ties between wealth and relationships is something later viewed by Nick firsthand while with Tom as he meets Myrtle. The story casts George Wilson as the faithful loving husband to Myrtle, yet Myrtle seeks wealth and social importance over love, despite the abuse by Tom. During the party in the apartment Mrs.Mckee states to Nick “I almost made a mistake too” (ch:2), referring to almost marrying a man who was below her standard of wealth. Followed by the most prominent example, J.Gatsby, wealth brought people flocking to be in Gatsby's presence. This reinforces the idea to Nick that with wealth you are relevant in

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Myrtle uses her position as Tom’s mistress to fund her expensive desires. Myrtle even takes on the persona of the wealthy when referring to a hotel maid, “These people! You have to keep after them all the time” (Fitzgerald 32). Myrtle sees herself as above her own class structure when around Tom Buchanan, do to his money. This view of the wealthy is completely upside down in Nickel and

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Just like Daisy, Myrtle chooses money over love. She cheats on her husband George with Tom. Myrtle was a woman from the lower class who desired to be a part of the higher class. Tom spoiled Myrtle and gave her the lifestyle she always wanted. She belittles her husband and talk bad about him because he is not at the top of the social ladder where Tom is.

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F.Scott Fitzgerald is an American novelist and a short story writer. He is the author of the famous novel “ The Great Gatsby”, which is written in the 1920’s. The period of the 1920’s is well known as the roaring twenties due to lack of morales and the lowering of standards and expectations, people intended just to have a good time not caring about the outcomes of their and how they will effect their lives. Fitzgerald wants to prove in his novel the death of “The American Dream” it’s just a myth. The author of this novel shows the death of the american dream through the events surrounding Gatsby, and Daisy.

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Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich once stated that "The faith that anyone could move from rags to riches – with enough guts and gumption, hard work and nose to the grindstone – was once at the core of the American Dream. " Reich defined the American Dream as the ability for anyone, no matter the background, to achieve wealth with hard work. However, his use of the word "once" suggests that this definition may not be entirely true, or that the American Dream itself no longer holds true to this definition. Similarly, author F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the definition of the American Dream in his novel "The Great Gatsby." In his book, he employs the contrast between the East and West Eggs to warn that despite any sacrifices made in its pursuit,

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