Gatsby: The Superficiality Of The American Dream

Eric Hoffer, an American moral and social philosopher, once said, “The superficiality of the American dream is the result of his hustling. It needs leisure to think things out; it needs leisure to mature. People in a hurry cannot think, cannot grow, nor can they decay. They are preserved in a state of perpetual puerility.” Hoffer believes that this dream has become a rushed thing, so many people are trying to reach it as soon as possible that they settle for a shell of what they had originally wanted. Hoffer states that people in a hurry can not decay, their memory lingers afterwards, and then the dream is passed on to future dreamers. When someone’s main goal is to finish a task as soon as possible they do not think of the consequences, they …show more content…
The American people have been pushing the envelope and improving their standard of living as much as they can for decades. It may be insulting to describe the American dream and the people that pursue it as childish, but that doesn 't mean there isn 't truth in that statement. The American dream, although so widely pursued, has remained an untouchable, intangible thing because it is a dream, something to continuously be expanded upon and altered. Gatsby exemplified this idea, achieving the wealth and success he had dreamed for through illicit practices to amass a fortune sooner. His hustling made the dream a hollow thing, in the end he died with three people at his funeral and his dream was never truly achieved. He was in such a rush that he did not think through the possible outcomes, he attempted to stay in the pocket of time he had been happy with Daisy. Gatsby had taken 5 years before meeting her again, but he did not evaluate his options and mature over time. Overall when reaching for the American dream many people wish to take shortcuts so they may achieve it quickly, but this will only lead them to an empty, artificial copy of what they wanted, and this will result in no one moving forward and progressing for the good of the …show more content…
Although many will not become disgustingly wealthy, they are still capable of improving their social and economic stature. Henry Ford, who has often been described as the embodiment of the American dream of “rags to riches”, due to the success he has achieved through hard work. He held the belief that future generations had refined the process of identifying problems then finding a suitable solution in a world so abundant in opportunities. He has said that the youth has the great benefit that “it can live in the future” - young men and women can start shaping the future before it has even started. The progress they made yesterday will aid the people of tomorrow in living in a more prosperous world, and these well won accomplishments are what leads America on the road to success. If society did not work together for the welfare of the country, then selfish shortcuts would harm them in the end. Although it may never be truly possible for everyone to achieve the rags to riches dream that Henry Ford did, that does not mean people cannot better their position in life through diligent work and dedication. In todays society it can be near impossible for people to work their way up from hardship, but with the help of government programs or loans they are able to begin again and take control of their life once more. Author of Jobs in America, David Ramm, states that “Since the beginning of the 1990’s, thousands of aspiring