What American Dream? Essay

Submitted By cmf5508
Words: 1125
Pages: 5
Open Document
What American Dream? “The idea that we are the greatest people in the world because we have the most money in the world is ridiculous. Wait until this wave of prosperity is over! Wait ten or fifteen years! Wait until the next war on the Pacific, or against some European combination! ... The next fifteen years will show how much resistance there is in the American race. There has never been an American tragedy. There have only been great failures.” Fitzgerald uttered these words to an interviewer, sent to talk with one of the great writers of the 20th century, two years after The Great Gatsby was published. Two more years passed, Wall Street crashed, another great American failure. While some in Fitzgerald’s own time thought this outlook gloomy, as well as impossible, sitting in the relative comfort of the 21st century we know better. Fitzgerald noticed the greed of the people and the common practice of living outside their means; he also noticed how this could ruin America and all that we used to be. The Great Gatsby is known by many as a poignant insight into the ruin of the American dream, but these same people may be surprised to learn that when writing The Great Gatsby, the term ‘the American dream’ did not exist. That was not to become commonplace until 1931 in James Truslow’s The Epic of America (Churchwell). One fact remains as true today as the day Fitzgerald put his finishing touches on The Great Gatsby; money is the true corrupter. Fitzgerald saw this truth before the stock market crashed and before we put a name on the American dream. Using symbolism, F. Scott Fitzgerald warned America of what was to come if we didn’t turn away from greed and the all encompassing corruption of money. Perhaps the first character to analyze should be Daisy Buchanan, Gatsby’s one, but ultimately heartless, love. To me, Daisy represents money, the dream that the 99% strived for. She does not really care about anyone, she does whatever suits her. Like money, she is heartless, yet the object of many men’s desires. Fitzgerald physically describes her like money as well; “…full of money—that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song in it” (Fitzgerald 127). No one in Daisy’s life treats her as a person or sees her as she truly is; like money, she is just an object. To Tom, she is the wife he can always go back to, a trophy and the person society expects him to be with. To Gatsby, she is the young girl he met and fell in love with before the war. Just like money, people are blinded to Daisy and what having her truly does to you. Both men go to great lengths to keep her; in a sense, Tom kills to have her. It isn’t Daisy they really love or want, but the idea of her; as with money, it’s everything she can bring you. While reading The Great Gatsby, the audience is well aware of the class differences in this 1920’s society, even if Gatsby is not. Gatsby symbolizes the 99%, those who don’t have money but wish they did, who want the lavish lifestyle of the upperclass. Typical of someone driven by greed, he does immoral things to get his dream. Gatsby’s business dealings show how far he is willing to go to secure Daisy, and by extension, money. That is not to say that Gatsby is an immoral man, he is human, and like most of the 99% does whatever necessary to secure his wealth. Tom Buchanan is the character who I think represents something very interesting; both the corruption of wealth and the idea that those who strive for this ‘American dream’ will never reach true satisfaction. That idea works very well for the relationship between Tom and Daisy; “I love Daisy too. Once in a while I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, in my heart I love her all the time” (Fitzgerald 138). In the end, people will always choose money, they will always go back to that corrupt seductress. Myrtle was something on the side, a distraction, but she could
Show More

Related Documents: What American Dream? Essay

What is the American Dream? Essay

The American Dream What is the “American Dream?” Is it a big lawn, a white picket fence, and 2 kids? Or is it what our ancestors came here for? They came here for a chance at a better life. They came here for a freedom that could not be found anywhere else. They came here for life, love, and the pursuit of happiness. Some 200 years after our country was founded, we are still striving for the “American Dream.” The question is, are our ideals of the American Dream still attainable for everyone in…

Words 669 - Pages 3

What The American Dream Mean To Me

“The American Dream belongs to all of us.” Kamala Harris, a California Attorney General stated her opinion about what the American dream means to her. My definition of the American Dream would be that everyone has the equal opportunity to be able to have everything they want and be able to live out their dreams. The American Dream is different for everyone since everyone has different views, dreams, and goals for their lives. People are able to create their own American Dream. My version of the American…

Words 556 - Pages 3

What Is The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

The American Reality The Great Gatsby has easily become one of the most analyzed pieces of literature since its publication in 1925. Set in the early 1920’s, The Great Gatsby captures a time where anything seemed possible and obtainable, a time where reform and progression were constant and steady. This idea is something that Fitzgerald definitely carried over into The Great Gatsby, since the majority of the characters spend all of their time and effort to achieve their interpretation…

Words 1168 - Pages 5

What Is The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

The American dream is considered, by most, the rise from nothing to creating yourself, the rags-to-riches story. Is the American Dream achievable? Can someone actually start with nothing and become wonderfully rich? In the book The Great Gatsby, the author F. Scott Fitzgerald makes his opinion apparent that he does not believe in the Dream. You are who you are born, and attempting to change class only leads to tragedy. Jay Gatsby was a very rich character in the novel. The mystery of his taunted…

Words 439 - Pages 2

What Is The Role Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

The American Dream plays a powerful and very significant role in “The Great Gatsby”. To many people, like Fitzgerald, the American Dream is starting with nothing and from there, working towards happiness and prosperity. Fitzgerald exemplifies and goes into more depth on that idea when Gatsby himself is brought into the story. In chapter 4, Fitzgerald informs the reader on Gatsby's past. He tells reader that though Gatsby is rich now, that was not always the case and that he did in fact work his way…

Words 576 - Pages 3

What Is The Destruction Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

Seeking wealth and freedom can lead to achieving the American Dream but result in destruction. The American Dream is the belief that any human being, no matter their class, gender, nationality, race, can achieve being rich and successful in America due to great motivation and work. To most, the American Dream means having a big house, a nice car, expensive clothing, and other aspects associated to wealth and prosperity. Although, The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald represents a wide spectrum of…

Words 1620 - Pages 7

What Does The American Dream Mean In The Great Gatsby

obtain money and social status so that he could reach a certain point in life. In a sense Fitzgerald uses Gatsby as the definition for the “American Dream”. Which during the time was that any man or woman would be able to reach and be recognized from whichever social status, they were capable upon reaching, regardless of the circumstances of their birth. The dream was for anyone to be able to acquire anything that they wanted as long as they worked hard enough during their life. In many cases this was…

Words 556 - Pages 3

What Is The American Dream In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

Everyone has their own type of dream and these help a person know who they really want to be in life. Dreams can go from just having happiness in your everyday life to having all the money you could ever want. People's dream are what motivate them to be better and work to accomplish them. During the late 1940’s a lot of people came to America, if not already here, wanting to live the American Dream. The people of the American Dream wanted to have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity…

Words 799 - Pages 4

Analysis Of Chasing The American Dream: Understanding What Shapes Our Fortunes

In Chasing the American Dream: Understanding What Shapes Our Fortunes, authors Mark Robert Rank, Thomas A. Hirschl, and Kirk A. Foster examine what constitutes the American Dream in modern world. They begin with a chapter discussing what lies at the core of the American dream, and conclude that the answer is not found in the form of a property deed. The American Dream is all about having the freedom to do things your own way. This new definition agrees with the argument presented by Quindlen: the…

Words 199 - Pages 1

How Do Americans Interpret The American Dream?

How do Americans interpret the “American Dream”? From the outside, Americans have unlimited freedom and endless equality. They have houses, money, and respect, but is that what everyone coming to America for their “dream” is looking for? The American Dream can change for every person, though it has become something far from what it was meant to be. In the Article “The American Dream” it says “Several critics contend that the American dream has morphed into a concept that differs significantly from…

Words 568 - Pages 3