Stop And Smell The Roses In The Great Gatsby

Improved Essays
Stop and Smell the Roses
The 1920’s were a time for America to “return to normalcy”, soldiers were welcomed home, industry was stronger than ever and women began to become more predominate leading into the new decade (Harding). America was thriving. One can only dream of the luxury and valor that affiliates with succeeding in America, the dreams and ambitions of the American Dream. Americans were too focused on becoming rich and were not in touch with the world around them. Through F. Scott Fitzgerald’s vision and voice in The Great Gatsby, a period classic novel, Fitzgerald is quick to give his stance on the struggles and desires of the American Dream. He does so by romanticizing the ideas of the life of the wealthy, comparing social structures between the wealthy and the poor and by exploiting the tragic fall of Gatsby.
Fitzgerald is quick to romanticize the luxe and wealth associated with both West and East Egg. The way he romanticizes the areas brings attention to the desires of even the wealthy to be wealthy
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One drawn out flaw is the overwhelming power of ambitions and its ability to hurt a person, in the novel’s case, Jay Gatsby. Gatsby is blinded by his own ambitions for Daisy and at a point reaches a position where he cannot mount any higher, and as a result fails with the greatest lost (Machiavelli). Gatsby’s wealth was because of Daisy and because of Daisy; he was drawn to become wealthy to prove himself worthy for Daisy (Fitzgerald 96). Gatsby’s wealth, mansion, appearance, demeanor and presence were all controlled by his own American Dream- Daisy. Gatsby is seen at his pinnacle of his “American Dream” where he is interacting with Daisy just like before the war. Gatsby’s downfall ultimately comes after the death of Myrtle and when Tom finds out about their secret affair (Fitzgerald

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