The United States of America have been a symbol of prosperity and hope for much of the world’s impoverished and middle-class population since the first days of its colonization. The success of the ‘new world’ grew as European immigrants poured into it, making new lives for themselves, and marking America as the land of opportunity. These ideals of freedom, hope and an equal chance for anyone to succeed have been labeled as the ‘American Dream’. Born and bred Americans, as well as the immigrants and refugees to this country, have been chasing after the idea of the American dream for generations. However, the dream never remains the same for long enough, it is constantly changing. A prime time for this change was during the 1920s, previous to
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This American dream was a severely inflated version of its previous self; it went beyond searching for happiness and, instead, searched for constant pleasure, indulgence and a life of gross extravagance. The roaring twenties were more than worthy of their name, making them subject to social criticism in all forms. One of the more popular forms of criticism was through literature, with books like F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. These social criticism novels were often just embodiments of an author’s disgust with his/her own era, and The Great Gatsby is one of the most famous American social criticisms of all time. Fitzgerald portrays the 1920s American dream as a corrupted version of its previously moral self that would often lead to doom for those who pursued …show more content…
For the entire novel he displays the socially valueless behavior of Americans at this time, he even shows the complete lack of moral values in the pursuit of the 1920s American dream. However, it is not until the very end of The Great Gatsby that Fitzgerald shows any repercussions for the actions of the people of America at this time. The only two characters in the novel that are not born into wealth and have to work to achieve the American dream are Myrtle and Gatsby. Myrtle, while her individual actions do not cause much effect on the plot, portrays a perfect picture of Americans in the 1920s, all greedily searching for instant pleasure. She, like many people of this era, was willing to give up pieces of her morality for just a few moments in the light and extravagance of the American dream. Myrtle’s actions of adultery result in her husband, George, taking full control over her. He sees her actions as unacceptable and betrayal to himself and to God. When Myrtle escapes from the grasp of her husband, nearly fully free of the life she hates, she is instantly killed “[…] before he could move from his door the business was over. […] Myrtle Wilson, her life violently extinguished”. (pg138) Fitzgerald displays it as a final attempt to dream, hope and fight for a dream, which is immediately ripped
This American dream was a severely inflated version of its previous self; it went beyond searching for happiness and, instead, searched for constant pleasure, indulgence and a life of gross extravagance. The roaring twenties were more than worthy of their name, making them subject to social criticism in all forms. One of the more popular forms of criticism was through literature, with books like F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. These social criticism novels were often just embodiments of an author’s disgust with his/her own era, and The Great Gatsby is one of the most famous American social criticisms of all time. Fitzgerald portrays the 1920s American dream as a corrupted version of its previously moral self that would often lead to doom for those who pursued …show more content…
For the entire novel he displays the socially valueless behavior of Americans at this time, he even shows the complete lack of moral values in the pursuit of the 1920s American dream. However, it is not until the very end of The Great Gatsby that Fitzgerald shows any repercussions for the actions of the people of America at this time. The only two characters in the novel that are not born into wealth and have to work to achieve the American dream are Myrtle and Gatsby. Myrtle, while her individual actions do not cause much effect on the plot, portrays a perfect picture of Americans in the 1920s, all greedily searching for instant pleasure. She, like many people of this era, was willing to give up pieces of her morality for just a few moments in the light and extravagance of the American dream. Myrtle’s actions of adultery result in her husband, George, taking full control over her. He sees her actions as unacceptable and betrayal to himself and to God. When Myrtle escapes from the grasp of her husband, nearly fully free of the life she hates, she is instantly killed “[…] before he could move from his door the business was over. […] Myrtle Wilson, her life violently extinguished”. (pg138) Fitzgerald displays it as a final attempt to dream, hope and fight for a dream, which is immediately ripped