Great Gatsby Essay: The American Dream is an Illusion By: Nyashaateh Tut
The American Dream. It is a Utopia ideal that has been absorbed by the minds of Americans. It is a dream that states that anyone can achieve great success through hard work and perseverance. However, in time the ideal has become distorted. People have now guided the American Dream to more of a materialistic and selfish pursuit of pleasure. In continuation, not everyone has been able to achieve the vision, even with hard work. Since the Dream is available to “anyone who chooses to pursuit it”, how are those who have failed different from those who have succeeded? This proves that the American …show more content…
Near the ending of the novel, readers are put at awe when narrator Nick explains the tale of which Jay Gatsby really is when he says, “James Gatz- that was really or at least legally his name. He had changed it at the age of seventeen and at that specific moment that witnessed the beginning of his career...His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people – his imagination had never really accepted them as parents at all” (Fitzgerald 94, 95). Clearly, from this synopsis Gatsby was a person who was ashamed of his roots and put that all behind him to start anew and very successfully reached his financial desire. Furthermore, in the novel we get the idea that Gatsby is a white male, through the way his appearance is described. How do we know he would have had the same outcome of achievements if he was a woman or a Black, Hispanic or Asian individual? An example that shows how gender contributes to how successful you become, is through the character Myrtle, Wilson’s wife. There seems to be a rich difference between how Gatsby‘s life turned out compared to that of Myrtle’s. Evidence of that is seen when Wilson anxiously says, “I’ve been here too long. I want to get away. My wife and I want to go west...She’s been talking about it for ten years” (Fitzgerald 118). Within this quote, it shows the longing for what Myrtle has always wanted, when Wilson emphasizes that it has …show more content…
It seems that he accomplished his goal of wealth, however lacks true happiness. Throughout the book, Jay Gatsby goes on a pursuit to reclaim his long-lost love, Daisy and we get a sense that love was his primary motivation to the American Dream. He believed if he was able to complete the dream he would win back the girl he loved. Evidence of Gatsby’s intentions is revealed when Jordan says “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay... He says he’s read a Chicago paper for years on chance of catching a glimpse of Daisy’s name” ( Fitzgerald 63,64) This explanation is a lucid indication that even after accumulating riches Gatsby was still looking for something or should one say someone. This means the American Dream may have satisfied his money issues but it did not fill the void of happiness. So, even after completing the vision life was not complete for him. To add on, although Gatsby threw amazing parties, the factual reason was revealed when Jordan goes on, “ He half expected her to wander into one of his parties , some night” (Fitzgerald 63). This emphasizes that even after spending millions on these parties what he really wanted was Daisy to be there. Lastly, it’s evident that Gatsby did not have any friends. Even after having so many parties with so many people, no one really knew who he was. An example of his identity being unknown is when
The American Dream. It is a Utopia ideal that has been absorbed by the minds of Americans. It is a dream that states that anyone can achieve great success through hard work and perseverance. However, in time the ideal has become distorted. People have now guided the American Dream to more of a materialistic and selfish pursuit of pleasure. In continuation, not everyone has been able to achieve the vision, even with hard work. Since the Dream is available to “anyone who chooses to pursuit it”, how are those who have failed different from those who have succeeded? This proves that the American …show more content…
Near the ending of the novel, readers are put at awe when narrator Nick explains the tale of which Jay Gatsby really is when he says, “James Gatz- that was really or at least legally his name. He had changed it at the age of seventeen and at that specific moment that witnessed the beginning of his career...His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people – his imagination had never really accepted them as parents at all” (Fitzgerald 94, 95). Clearly, from this synopsis Gatsby was a person who was ashamed of his roots and put that all behind him to start anew and very successfully reached his financial desire. Furthermore, in the novel we get the idea that Gatsby is a white male, through the way his appearance is described. How do we know he would have had the same outcome of achievements if he was a woman or a Black, Hispanic or Asian individual? An example that shows how gender contributes to how successful you become, is through the character Myrtle, Wilson’s wife. There seems to be a rich difference between how Gatsby‘s life turned out compared to that of Myrtle’s. Evidence of that is seen when Wilson anxiously says, “I’ve been here too long. I want to get away. My wife and I want to go west...She’s been talking about it for ten years” (Fitzgerald 118). Within this quote, it shows the longing for what Myrtle has always wanted, when Wilson emphasizes that it has …show more content…
It seems that he accomplished his goal of wealth, however lacks true happiness. Throughout the book, Jay Gatsby goes on a pursuit to reclaim his long-lost love, Daisy and we get a sense that love was his primary motivation to the American Dream. He believed if he was able to complete the dream he would win back the girl he loved. Evidence of Gatsby’s intentions is revealed when Jordan says “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay... He says he’s read a Chicago paper for years on chance of catching a glimpse of Daisy’s name” ( Fitzgerald 63,64) This explanation is a lucid indication that even after accumulating riches Gatsby was still looking for something or should one say someone. This means the American Dream may have satisfied his money issues but it did not fill the void of happiness. So, even after completing the vision life was not complete for him. To add on, although Gatsby threw amazing parties, the factual reason was revealed when Jordan goes on, “ He half expected her to wander into one of his parties , some night” (Fitzgerald 63). This emphasizes that even after spending millions on these parties what he really wanted was Daisy to be there. Lastly, it’s evident that Gatsby did not have any friends. Even after having so many parties with so many people, no one really knew who he was. An example of his identity being unknown is when