The American Dream defined as the belief that “life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone,” regardless of social class (The Epic of America, Adams). Everyone seems to have a different idea of what the American Dream actually is, whether it is great wealth and success or settling down and having a family. But no one can deny the idea of the American Dream has changed over time. The beginnings of this dream can be traced back to the Founding Fathers, wanting to have a country free of persecution. Later, it was the belief that the American Dream meant becoming unnecessarily wealthy. Many believe that the dream died when it became a competition for who had the greatest fortune. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the author utilizes many symbols to convey his beliefs that the American Dream is not attainable.
Mrs. Phelps
Gatsby Symbolism
The American Dream defined as the belief that “life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone,” regardless of social class (The Epic of America, Adams). Everyone seems to have a …show more content…
Scott Fitzgerald uses many symbols in his novel, The Great Gatsby, to show to the world his belief that the American Dream is not attainable. The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock symbolizes the American Dream, although wanted is just out of reach and not what truly matters in the end of ones life. Gatsby’s books are real, to the readers surprise, but he has never read them, further implicating Fitzgerald’s idea that when others do achieve their American Dream, it is often phony and just a facade for the life they actually live. The valley of ashes, one of the most obvious symbols of Fitzgerald’s distaste for the idea of the dream, is where the American Dream goes to die. It is the resting place for those who will never be rich and successful, and enforces again that the hope of achieving the American Dream is not practical. Thus, the reader is shown, through symbols, Fitzgerald’s belief that the American Dream is
Mrs. Phelps
Gatsby Symbolism
The American Dream defined as the belief that “life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone,” regardless of social class (The Epic of America, Adams). Everyone seems to have a …show more content…
Scott Fitzgerald uses many symbols in his novel, The Great Gatsby, to show to the world his belief that the American Dream is not attainable. The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock symbolizes the American Dream, although wanted is just out of reach and not what truly matters in the end of ones life. Gatsby’s books are real, to the readers surprise, but he has never read them, further implicating Fitzgerald’s idea that when others do achieve their American Dream, it is often phony and just a facade for the life they actually live. The valley of ashes, one of the most obvious symbols of Fitzgerald’s distaste for the idea of the dream, is where the American Dream goes to die. It is the resting place for those who will never be rich and successful, and enforces again that the hope of achieving the American Dream is not practical. Thus, the reader is shown, through symbols, Fitzgerald’s belief that the American Dream is