As a young, careless girl I desired to be a princess. I hoped for a life of wealth and a life where I was famous, a life where I was the star of my own movie, and a life where everyone longed to walk in my shoes and be who I was. Unreachable dreams are common amongst those in society today. Dreams give one hope and a sense of purpose, because no matter how far-fetched ones dream may seem, they will still try to acquire the luxuries obtained by the outcome of this inaccessible fantasy. In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald shows how important the American dream was to those who focused on acquiring happiness through wealth and material things.
The American dream is “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and …show more content…
The Great Gatsby significantly takes place in the 1920s. Particularly in this time period the American Dream became corrupt and destructive. Through the intuition of Fitzgerald we absorb how Gatsby, Daisy, and Myrtle were demolished by their hope and their longing to prove to be more than who they truly demonstrated to be.
In the novel, Nick’s first glimpse of Gatsby occurs after a gathering with the Buchanan’s. Gatsby has “stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way” (Fitzgerald 25). From Nick’s observation we learn Gatsby’s arms were outstretched toward a green light. Fitzgerald uses symbolism to illustrate the connection between the green light and Gatsby’s vision of having Daisy. The green light is used as a symbol of hope. Gatsby’s yearning for Daisy is his view of the American dream. His love for Daisy has taken over his whole life. He does everything in his power to get wealth and money …show more content…
This decision later leads to a problematic marriage, no happiness, and an untimely death. Myrtle hopes for a rich and famous life style which is why she wants to be with Tom, who lives rich and famously. She first marries George Wilson, and later cries, “The only crazy I was was when I married him. I knew right away I made a mistake. He borrowed somebody’s best suit to get married in and never told me about it, and the man came after it one day when he was out” (Fitzgerald 39). Myrtle believes Tom is the ideal man. She is not only attracted to him, but also attracted to his money. Myrtle lives a low class life, but desires to have money, a big house, and fancy cars. By having an affair with Tom she feels like she will someday reach her goal. In her relationship with Wilson she feels threatened by the low class life. She lives in the valley of ashes which represents the dim underbelly of poverty. When describing the valley of ashes, Fitzgerald, uses the word grey. Throughout The Great Gatsby the color grey symbolizes the long suffering of those surrounded by the rich. That includes Myrtle. She desires to be one of the people with wealth. When her husband finds out about her affair, he plans to leave so she cannot continue with it. This makes her angry and she runs out mad, hoping to be rescued by Tom. Unfortunately, the car Tom was in earlier was being driven by
The American dream is “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and …show more content…
The Great Gatsby significantly takes place in the 1920s. Particularly in this time period the American Dream became corrupt and destructive. Through the intuition of Fitzgerald we absorb how Gatsby, Daisy, and Myrtle were demolished by their hope and their longing to prove to be more than who they truly demonstrated to be.
In the novel, Nick’s first glimpse of Gatsby occurs after a gathering with the Buchanan’s. Gatsby has “stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way” (Fitzgerald 25). From Nick’s observation we learn Gatsby’s arms were outstretched toward a green light. Fitzgerald uses symbolism to illustrate the connection between the green light and Gatsby’s vision of having Daisy. The green light is used as a symbol of hope. Gatsby’s yearning for Daisy is his view of the American dream. His love for Daisy has taken over his whole life. He does everything in his power to get wealth and money …show more content…
This decision later leads to a problematic marriage, no happiness, and an untimely death. Myrtle hopes for a rich and famous life style which is why she wants to be with Tom, who lives rich and famously. She first marries George Wilson, and later cries, “The only crazy I was was when I married him. I knew right away I made a mistake. He borrowed somebody’s best suit to get married in and never told me about it, and the man came after it one day when he was out” (Fitzgerald 39). Myrtle believes Tom is the ideal man. She is not only attracted to him, but also attracted to his money. Myrtle lives a low class life, but desires to have money, a big house, and fancy cars. By having an affair with Tom she feels like she will someday reach her goal. In her relationship with Wilson she feels threatened by the low class life. She lives in the valley of ashes which represents the dim underbelly of poverty. When describing the valley of ashes, Fitzgerald, uses the word grey. Throughout The Great Gatsby the color grey symbolizes the long suffering of those surrounded by the rich. That includes Myrtle. She desires to be one of the people with wealth. When her husband finds out about her affair, he plans to leave so she cannot continue with it. This makes her angry and she runs out mad, hoping to be rescued by Tom. Unfortunately, the car Tom was in earlier was being driven by