The American Fallacy
Making his way down the boardwalk, Angelo steps away from the boat, away from his past. The 1920’s are here, this is the future and this is the land of opportunity. Angelo works hard for his future, for his child’s future. He works in a factory, slumming it in tenements with three generations of his family. But he waits patiently and works hard so that his children can have a better life, a safer life. A life that won’t be illustrated by muckrakers like Jacob Riis, but a life that will be illustrated in their own happy eyes. Money is not instrumental in living the American dream; living happily and comfortably for the future, owning a house, these are all images painted in place of the American dream. But what does it …show more content…
By the end of the first world war, America was well known throughout the world as a land of opportunity; a land of liberty. It was for this reason that people began seeking economic opportunity in this land refounded. Most immigrants found employment in factories, working in unsafe conditions for menial wages. But, for the most part, it didn’t bother them; they could save money and provide for their children, for their parents; for their families. Thus the American dream was not one founded on instant success or leading a comfortable life, it was about preparing one’s children for success so that they may live out of poverty through hard work. As the generation of workers began to shift from poor immigrants, so did the social paradigm surrounding the American dream. This occurred in the middle of the 20th century. The American dream was no longer about a great future or focused work. The nation wanted to work enough to maintain a happy life, own a home, and spend time with their family. People wanted to have a perfect family, a stereotypical two-story house and a dog. It was an admittedly simple life, however it was a life worth living nonetheless. Leading into the latter years of the century however, the nation was replaced by a movement of counter-culture, a generation of Americans that wanted more out of life. They wanted to be more than their parents, to own a …show more content…
Scott Fitzgerald’s timeless literary sensation, The Great Gatsby, there are a plethora of characters living the apparent American Dream; in that they have more than enough money to live happily and then some more, however they do not have what they need to be truly happy. For example, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, are considered to be “old money” types, they have money enough to buy anything they want, however they cannot buy one another. They are not willing to put the time and effort into relationships with one another, or with their daughter, as such they can never be happy as they are. They are both awful people and their self-destruction will leave them unhappy, for a life of debauchery is a life that can only be lived for so long. Furthermore, Gatsby himself is “new money,” he spends lavishly, but is more down to earth, and his ultimate reckoning will be found in his inability to live a life of such luxuries; a life so different from that which he was born into; a life acquired all too quickly. As a child Gatsby was willing and ready to work hard, a fact made clear by the note that is introduced by his father, he was meticulous and wanted to live the American dream (Fitzgerald 173). However, Gatsby ultimately turns to a life of crime in bootlegging, choosing a facile method for achieving such success. It’s this decision that is his undoing as it leads to a life that he didn’t earn, a life lead by illegal monetary ventures and scams; he is therefore incapable of living
Making his way down the boardwalk, Angelo steps away from the boat, away from his past. The 1920’s are here, this is the future and this is the land of opportunity. Angelo works hard for his future, for his child’s future. He works in a factory, slumming it in tenements with three generations of his family. But he waits patiently and works hard so that his children can have a better life, a safer life. A life that won’t be illustrated by muckrakers like Jacob Riis, but a life that will be illustrated in their own happy eyes. Money is not instrumental in living the American dream; living happily and comfortably for the future, owning a house, these are all images painted in place of the American dream. But what does it …show more content…
By the end of the first world war, America was well known throughout the world as a land of opportunity; a land of liberty. It was for this reason that people began seeking economic opportunity in this land refounded. Most immigrants found employment in factories, working in unsafe conditions for menial wages. But, for the most part, it didn’t bother them; they could save money and provide for their children, for their parents; for their families. Thus the American dream was not one founded on instant success or leading a comfortable life, it was about preparing one’s children for success so that they may live out of poverty through hard work. As the generation of workers began to shift from poor immigrants, so did the social paradigm surrounding the American dream. This occurred in the middle of the 20th century. The American dream was no longer about a great future or focused work. The nation wanted to work enough to maintain a happy life, own a home, and spend time with their family. People wanted to have a perfect family, a stereotypical two-story house and a dog. It was an admittedly simple life, however it was a life worth living nonetheless. Leading into the latter years of the century however, the nation was replaced by a movement of counter-culture, a generation of Americans that wanted more out of life. They wanted to be more than their parents, to own a …show more content…
Scott Fitzgerald’s timeless literary sensation, The Great Gatsby, there are a plethora of characters living the apparent American Dream; in that they have more than enough money to live happily and then some more, however they do not have what they need to be truly happy. For example, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, are considered to be “old money” types, they have money enough to buy anything they want, however they cannot buy one another. They are not willing to put the time and effort into relationships with one another, or with their daughter, as such they can never be happy as they are. They are both awful people and their self-destruction will leave them unhappy, for a life of debauchery is a life that can only be lived for so long. Furthermore, Gatsby himself is “new money,” he spends lavishly, but is more down to earth, and his ultimate reckoning will be found in his inability to live a life of such luxuries; a life so different from that which he was born into; a life acquired all too quickly. As a child Gatsby was willing and ready to work hard, a fact made clear by the note that is introduced by his father, he was meticulous and wanted to live the American dream (Fitzgerald 173). However, Gatsby ultimately turns to a life of crime in bootlegging, choosing a facile method for achieving such success. It’s this decision that is his undoing as it leads to a life that he didn’t earn, a life lead by illegal monetary ventures and scams; he is therefore incapable of living