The American Dream and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby go hand in hand with each other correlating one thing to another and depicting it for an audience. Having a dream and actually pursuing it is something that people have a hard understanding. For years, people worldwide have built up the American Dream as the ultimate lifestyle and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s display of his character Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby, contradicts this belief. The American dream is believed to be obtainable by anyone. In the past, groups of people have come to America in search of building better lives for themselves and their family. Overtime a belief came about that if a person were to be well off and wealthy that they had achieved the “American dream”
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Jay Gatsby, otherwise known as ‘James Gatz’ was raised in a awfully poor home environment. From when He was little he knew he wanted to make something of himself. In order to do that though he figured he must lose his true identity and create a new person. Gatsby’s person he creates is built on lies upon lies and eventually has multiple backgrounds. Even with all of Gatsby’s untruthfulness is that “it holds equal interpretive value whether it is true or not” (source 10) which goes to show that Gatsby is believed when he tells people about himself and he is remembered as a great American hero. Realizing that “Gatsby is all about self-transformation” (source 9), Fitzgerald creates him as a character who wants nothing more than to be a completely different person than his past life. Gatsby’s objective with his different identity is to create a person that everyone will love, will be known for money, and the elaborate parties. “Gatsby is the dissatisfied, disenfranchised American boy-man trying to claw his way to social acceptance and self-regard” (source 9), meaning Gatsby does put his full heart into everything he does but sadly, but he is constantly not pleased with how things turn out. Gatsby has self-taught himself how to make a living for himself and does things that he thinks will make him happy but in return only disappoint. The most ironic thing about what Gatsby becomes known for though is that he …show more content…
If Gatsby represents the Americans, then he represents them as a “criminal, bootlegger, and an adulterer” (source 6). The bootlegging is how he makes all his money he has which leads to him being a criminal and having finance connections. He believes that if he is wealthy like Tom, Daisy’s current husband, she will fall in love with him all over again. Gatsby is continuously on the verge of importance or something that is important but “being ‘not quite’ is perhaps his most troubling aspect” (source 6). Quite evidently, when Gatsby is alarmingly close to attaining Daisy, “it is not so much social ambition” (source 6). He finally sees that if he does not have her in the end he would have been a criminal and a bootlegger for nothing. All of his efforts would go to waste. At this point, Fitzgerald’s writing becomes overwhelmingly marked with negativity which foreshadows death. Gatsby’s reality check hits him hard and he nevertheless does not attempt to change or fix what he has done. “Despite Gatsby’s underworld past and association, …. He bears a noble sensibility” (source 9) and this shows that he will not let people see his failure. He will push on and stay positive like he does throughout the whole novel. The saddest part of him doing what he thinks is good is that people refuse to give him the respect he deserves. That’s
Jay Gatsby, otherwise known as ‘James Gatz’ was raised in a awfully poor home environment. From when He was little he knew he wanted to make something of himself. In order to do that though he figured he must lose his true identity and create a new person. Gatsby’s person he creates is built on lies upon lies and eventually has multiple backgrounds. Even with all of Gatsby’s untruthfulness is that “it holds equal interpretive value whether it is true or not” (source 10) which goes to show that Gatsby is believed when he tells people about himself and he is remembered as a great American hero. Realizing that “Gatsby is all about self-transformation” (source 9), Fitzgerald creates him as a character who wants nothing more than to be a completely different person than his past life. Gatsby’s objective with his different identity is to create a person that everyone will love, will be known for money, and the elaborate parties. “Gatsby is the dissatisfied, disenfranchised American boy-man trying to claw his way to social acceptance and self-regard” (source 9), meaning Gatsby does put his full heart into everything he does but sadly, but he is constantly not pleased with how things turn out. Gatsby has self-taught himself how to make a living for himself and does things that he thinks will make him happy but in return only disappoint. The most ironic thing about what Gatsby becomes known for though is that he …show more content…
If Gatsby represents the Americans, then he represents them as a “criminal, bootlegger, and an adulterer” (source 6). The bootlegging is how he makes all his money he has which leads to him being a criminal and having finance connections. He believes that if he is wealthy like Tom, Daisy’s current husband, she will fall in love with him all over again. Gatsby is continuously on the verge of importance or something that is important but “being ‘not quite’ is perhaps his most troubling aspect” (source 6). Quite evidently, when Gatsby is alarmingly close to attaining Daisy, “it is not so much social ambition” (source 6). He finally sees that if he does not have her in the end he would have been a criminal and a bootlegger for nothing. All of his efforts would go to waste. At this point, Fitzgerald’s writing becomes overwhelmingly marked with negativity which foreshadows death. Gatsby’s reality check hits him hard and he nevertheless does not attempt to change or fix what he has done. “Despite Gatsby’s underworld past and association, …. He bears a noble sensibility” (source 9) and this shows that he will not let people see his failure. He will push on and stay positive like he does throughout the whole novel. The saddest part of him doing what he thinks is good is that people refuse to give him the respect he deserves. That’s