A Dead Man’s Dream
Hard work, dedication and initiative are the fundamental values of the great pursuit of success, known as the “American Dream”. Equal to all US citizens, it represents the individual and collective desire to push beyond the boundaries of society and to strive for a better future. For generations, it has been the motivational ground for the progressive development of american civilization. In his critically-acclaimed novel “The Great Gatsby”, F. Scott Fitzgerald effectively uses characterization and metaphors to depict the eventual death of the american dream during the roaring twenties, as his story’s main theme.
During the years following the Great War, American mentality takes a drastic turn. The country, no …show more content…
Scott Fitzgerald possesses as a writer is providing deeper meaning to the words shown on paper. In order to communicate the most memorable messages from “The Great Gatsby”, he uses several metaphors to highlight the death of the American Dream. When Nick, Gatsby and the Buchanans gather together for a drink, the two West Egg gentlemen finally come to a sudden realisation about Daisy. One that they had never noticed before. “Her voice is full of money”, Nick says, “That was it. I’d never understood before. It was full of money - that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song for it…”(Fitzgerald, 120). It is only then that Gatsby realises within him that his love for Daisy and his desire for wealth were one and the same. The reason why he chased the dream was to impress her all along. Over time, the innocent feelings he felt for her turned into the necessity of material gain. Eventually this lead to him entirely changing himself through money for another, whereas following the american dream is about becoming the best one can be, not becoming someone else. However, it is only at that point that one realises how far they have strayed off their intended path. Near the last words of the classic novel, Nick thinks back to when he saw Gatsby reach for the green light, and says: “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter - tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther… And one fine morning…”(Fitzgerald, 180). With this passage, the author superbly illustrates that not only is the American Dream dead, but that many of its most avid followers eventually die with it. Once corrupted, it is nothing more than a false ideal people dedicate their very existences to, only to realise that they could have never truly obtained it. It is the product of the loss of morals of the new, modern world, in which
Hard work, dedication and initiative are the fundamental values of the great pursuit of success, known as the “American Dream”. Equal to all US citizens, it represents the individual and collective desire to push beyond the boundaries of society and to strive for a better future. For generations, it has been the motivational ground for the progressive development of american civilization. In his critically-acclaimed novel “The Great Gatsby”, F. Scott Fitzgerald effectively uses characterization and metaphors to depict the eventual death of the american dream during the roaring twenties, as his story’s main theme.
During the years following the Great War, American mentality takes a drastic turn. The country, no …show more content…
Scott Fitzgerald possesses as a writer is providing deeper meaning to the words shown on paper. In order to communicate the most memorable messages from “The Great Gatsby”, he uses several metaphors to highlight the death of the American Dream. When Nick, Gatsby and the Buchanans gather together for a drink, the two West Egg gentlemen finally come to a sudden realisation about Daisy. One that they had never noticed before. “Her voice is full of money”, Nick says, “That was it. I’d never understood before. It was full of money - that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song for it…”(Fitzgerald, 120). It is only then that Gatsby realises within him that his love for Daisy and his desire for wealth were one and the same. The reason why he chased the dream was to impress her all along. Over time, the innocent feelings he felt for her turned into the necessity of material gain. Eventually this lead to him entirely changing himself through money for another, whereas following the american dream is about becoming the best one can be, not becoming someone else. However, it is only at that point that one realises how far they have strayed off their intended path. Near the last words of the classic novel, Nick thinks back to when he saw Gatsby reach for the green light, and says: “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter - tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther… And one fine morning…”(Fitzgerald, 180). With this passage, the author superbly illustrates that not only is the American Dream dead, but that many of its most avid followers eventually die with it. Once corrupted, it is nothing more than a false ideal people dedicate their very existences to, only to realise that they could have never truly obtained it. It is the product of the loss of morals of the new, modern world, in which