The American Dream was originally about the discovery of happiness and equality. However, In the novel “The Great Gatsby”, Fitzgerald manages to illustrate how this dream became perverted into a desire for wealth and the belief that money is the key to happiness. For many, the prospect of achieving the “American Dream” became a moral vacuum and led to recklessness, selfishness and destruction. Fitzgerald uses symbols and motifs including decadent parties, the valley of the Ashes, the Eyes of T.J Eckleburg and the green light at the end of the dock to refer to the impossibility of achieving the American Dream.
In “The Great Gatsby”, Fitzgerald paints the1920s as a time where social and moral values began to decay. These values are depicted …show more content…
Nick describes how many men attending Gatsby’s party were flirting with young actresses and dancers even though their wives were present. This becomes evident through Nicks description: “I looked around. Most of the remaining women were now having fights with men said to be their husbands. One of the men was talking with curious intensity to a young actress, and his wife, attempting to laugh at the situation in a dignified and indifferent way, broke down entirely and resorted to flank attacks - at intervals she appeared suddenly at his side like an angry diamond, and hissed ‘You promised’ into his ear.” It is clear that these couples are bored and unhappy in their marriages even though they have what so many people wish for which shows that even though people believe that “American Dream” will lead to happiness, many times it does …show more content…
This party is a complete contrast to Gatsby’s as it is spontaneous, low key and there is barely any privacy for the guests. This contrast represents the different ways in which Gatsby and Tom use their money. Gatsby, who was a soldier in World War I and was quite poor, managed to make a lot of money in a short amount of time. Tom, however, came from a rich background and never knew what it was like to be poor. Gatsby’s believes that to impress Daisy, he constantly needs to flaunt his money by throwing momentous, elegant parties. Whereas Tom is already very comfortable in his wealth and doesn’t believe that he needs to show it off. Tom and Daisy have already built up their reputational image of being the ideal, happy couple living the American
In “The Great Gatsby”, Fitzgerald paints the1920s as a time where social and moral values began to decay. These values are depicted …show more content…
Nick describes how many men attending Gatsby’s party were flirting with young actresses and dancers even though their wives were present. This becomes evident through Nicks description: “I looked around. Most of the remaining women were now having fights with men said to be their husbands. One of the men was talking with curious intensity to a young actress, and his wife, attempting to laugh at the situation in a dignified and indifferent way, broke down entirely and resorted to flank attacks - at intervals she appeared suddenly at his side like an angry diamond, and hissed ‘You promised’ into his ear.” It is clear that these couples are bored and unhappy in their marriages even though they have what so many people wish for which shows that even though people believe that “American Dream” will lead to happiness, many times it does …show more content…
This party is a complete contrast to Gatsby’s as it is spontaneous, low key and there is barely any privacy for the guests. This contrast represents the different ways in which Gatsby and Tom use their money. Gatsby, who was a soldier in World War I and was quite poor, managed to make a lot of money in a short amount of time. Tom, however, came from a rich background and never knew what it was like to be poor. Gatsby’s believes that to impress Daisy, he constantly needs to flaunt his money by throwing momentous, elegant parties. Whereas Tom is already very comfortable in his wealth and doesn’t believe that he needs to show it off. Tom and Daisy have already built up their reputational image of being the ideal, happy couple living the American