The Great Gatsby American Dream Failure

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The “american dream” is the idea that everyone has the opportunity to pursue happiness, wealth, and success.The idea of what the american dream is, is apparent in The Great Gatsby in places like The East Egg, because it represents being the highest social status. But this idea of a euphoric utopia, where the American dream lives, is quickly diminished by the visions of places like: The valley of ashes, the green light, Gatsby crashing his car, and Daisy’s failing marriage. Even with glamorous parties and expensive cars nothing can hide the outside implications of the novel that ruin the american dream.
The 1920’s was a time for drinking and outstanding parties. In the novel Fitzgerald creates characters from each class with all of them failing …show more content…
It’s a very strange way to introduce Gatsby into the story, “-he stretched his arms towards the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward- and distinguished nothing except a single green light.” (pg.21) The novel already foreshadows the failure of Gatsby trying to achieve his dreams and ideas of success. Above him Gatsby has the whole universe in eyes view, but reaching outwards everything across the water is impossible to reach and this includes Daisy. Gatsby has spent so much time trying to become a high class socialite by throwing elaborate parties, but no matter what he does he will never be as well respected as someone who was born with old money on East …show more content…
The Valley of Ashes is described, “ This is a valley of ashes—a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air.” (pg.23) The Valley of Ashes is the vision of the failed american dream and the effect the rich have on keeping the poor away from the american dream. The rich selfishly indulge in the american dream without any regard for the lives they are effecting. The Valley of Ashes represents moral decay and it forces lower classes people to be demeaned even further down the line. The Great Gatsby is full of metaphors and representations of what a metaphorical american dream would look like. Dissecting the novel you find that not everything is what it seems. Gatsby only ever gets a sliver of his dream, before he loses it. Gatsby’s story is representation of the failure of the american
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