Prejudice In The Great Gatsby

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Throughout American history, people have been told that if they work hard enough, they can achieve anything and raise their place on the social ladder. How valid is this belief that with hard work comes success? Some argue that many people have achieved the American dream while others say that the American Dream is idealistic, unobtainable, and requires luck. Despite a few famous success stories, The American Dream is not attainable for everyone because of society’s preconceived perceptions and biases that prevent acceptance. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author writes about Jay Gatsby who theoretically achieves the American Dream by working hard. By making a great deal of money but does not gain the respect of those …show more content…
Esperanza, the thirteen-year-old protagonist faces oppression and prejudice because of her Hispanic background. When Esperanza wants to eat in the Canteen at school, she prepares everything that the school requires to gain permission to eat in the Canteen. When she gives the her note stating that she is allowed to eat in the Canteen, the nun responds, “You don’t live so far… That one? She said pointing to a row of ugly three-flats, the ones even the raggedy men are ashamed to go into”(Cisneros 45). ). The Nun’s perception of Hispanics and where they live leads the Nun to believe that Esperanza cannot eat in the Canteen. Esperanza is denied her dream because of the nun’s lack of acceptance. The nun’s prejudice creates an artificial image of Esperanza’s life. She believes that Esperanza lives in a shoddy apartment, so close to the school that she must go home for lunch. Even though Esperanza did all that she was supposed to do, she is still denied because of the nun’s preconceived ideas about Hispanic families. Some might argue that Esperanza should not be allowed to eat in the Cafeteria because she did live too close to the school, but that does not excuse the nun’s invalid assumption of where Esperanza lived, nor does it excuse the how the nun humiliated Esperanza. The nun’s prejudice did not allow Esperanza to achieve her goal …show more content…
While it is possible to achieve the American Dream, it is also not likely. Those who are lucky can only achieve the American dream; it is not attainable by any common citizen simply through hard work. Despite our deep-seated assumption that those who work hard will be successful, the truth is that hard work does not always result in success. Social biases and ethnic discrimination may be unconquerable obstacles and prevent the realization of the American
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