Decline Of American Dream In The Great Gatsby

The Decline of the American Dream in the 1920s James Gatz, a poor man from North Dakota, is unhappy with his poverty and social status. He decides he wants to change all of that. So, at the age of seventeen he changes his name to Jay Gatsby and begins to reinvent himself (Fitzgerald 54). In the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a major theme is the decline of the American Dream in the 1920s. The original American Dream was about being loved, having wealth, and the pursuit of happiness (Flappers 3). In the novel, money that comes easy and laid back social value begin to corrupt this dream and this cause the decline of the American dream. This is portrayed by many parts of the story. Some are Jay Gatsby 's dream, the emptiness …show more content…
In the novel, Nick says "The truth was that Jay Gatsby, of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself (Fitzgerald 98)." Gatsby created the best version of himself. He had nothing. He was not happy with his poverty. He wants to be wealthy and successful. He creates this character to try and get Daisy to admit she loves him. This is somewhat like what happened with Fitzgerald and his wife. Zelda would not marry him until he was successful. When he worked hard and created his masterpiece that sold very quickly, she agreed to marry him (The Fitzgerald 's). Gatsby 's dream represents the decline of the American dream because he is imagining wealth and finally getting what he wants. His dream is not what the American dream is all about. He wants material objects and Daisy. Yes, this would make him happy but only temporarily (Crane 3). His want for material objects has corrupted the real American dream. He wants all these objects to attract Daisy to him. She would not love him, she would love his house and his riches. This is what he does not understand. He thinks Daisy never loved Tom so when Tom comes around she will run right to him. Unfortunately, this is not …show more content…
In chapter two it says "This is a valley of ashes--a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens (Fitzgerald 23)." The Valley of Ashes represents poverty, loss of hope and the situation the poor people are in. The rich do not have a care in the world and do whatever they please, but the poor can barely afford to feed themselves. Also, it shows what man has done to the earth. God gave us a beautiful green planet and we have turned it into a wasteland. A dark, dusty place where nothing grows, and God sees this. This is represented by the eyes of T.J Eckleburg. When George is talking about how God knows what Myrtle has done and how she cannot fool him, George is looking out the window at the billboard. This shows how God is represented by the eyes on that billboard (Fitzgerald 56). It also represents corruption because of the color. The glasses are yellow which means He is seeing the corrupt world that it has become. The fact that the billboard has no facial features to it, this shows the hollowness of the people (Marchand).The Valley of Ashes represents the decline if the American dream by the way Fitzgerald describes it. The Valley if Ashes is a place of lifelessness and poverty. He is saying that the American dream is not easy to capture, and those who fail to capture it end up lifeless and poor (Marchand