The Great American Dream
What is the “American Dream?” It is notoriously the United States of America’s claim to fame. It is truthfully how the country began - with thirteen British colonies full of dreamers with higher hopes and expectations for the future. In the 1700s, the dream consisted of three simple components: life, liberty, and, of course, the pursuit of happiness. However, as the young country got on it’s feet and began to peek through as a world power, the individuals who called the U.S. of A. home began to create a new, much more complex definition for this dream. Wealth and success were becoming easier for the average citizen to get their hands on, and the standards for achieving this dream were increasingly lifted to a higher …show more content…
However, the one that it is most frequently seen in is the narrator, Nick Carraway. Carraway comes to bustling city of New York, hoping to jump into booming trade of bonds like many others have. Coming from what he describes as “the bored, sprawling, swollen towns beyond the Ohio,” he hopes to pursue his passion of his own American Dream in the place where all of the people seem to have it made (Fitzgerald 176). As the novel goes though, he realizes that maybe these people do not have it as well off as he seemed to think they did, and you slowly see the drainage of hope from Mr. Carraway. His job and aspirations quickly get pushed farther and farther to the bottom of his priority list, and it becomes centered around the drama-filled lives of the people he encounters. Although, most of their hardships do not typically happen to the average person, Nick definitely gets his share plus some, even if they are not necessarily his problems. “Even when the East excited me most, . . . . . even then it had always for me a quality of distortion. West Egg, especially, still figures in my more fantastic dreams. . . . . . After Gatsby’s death the East was haunted for me like that, distorted beyond my eyes’ power of correction,” (Fitzgerald 176). After the three short months that Mr. Carraway lived in New …show more content…
Although, he started his life as the son of dirt-poor farmers, he immediately knew his dream. He wanted to rise above what his family was, and become something greater. As it played out, we know he stopped nothing short of this. As his story went on, his dream began to morph into something slightly different when he ran across Daisy. His dream did not necessarily change, but he now wanted to be great not only for himself, but for the love of his life. Gatsby never stopped chasing this dream until the day he died. Although whether he achieved his dream is a matter of opinion, it is undeniable that he “seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it,” (Fitzgerald 180). Gatsby beat on, despite the many hardships he faced. To the heart’s discontent though, he never quite reached what he wanted most. Between these two characters, Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby, the hardships along the way and the difficulty of achieving the American Dream are finely represented.
Even though the American Dream is an ever-changing idea among people and time periods, there are many things that have stayed the same. Whether it be religious freedom or the pursuit of happiness that is sought after, or even simply owning the car you always wanted parked in your very own garage, there has always been an American Dream. It comes with many obstacles, stupendous dedication, lots of patience, and many long nights,
What is the “American Dream?” It is notoriously the United States of America’s claim to fame. It is truthfully how the country began - with thirteen British colonies full of dreamers with higher hopes and expectations for the future. In the 1700s, the dream consisted of three simple components: life, liberty, and, of course, the pursuit of happiness. However, as the young country got on it’s feet and began to peek through as a world power, the individuals who called the U.S. of A. home began to create a new, much more complex definition for this dream. Wealth and success were becoming easier for the average citizen to get their hands on, and the standards for achieving this dream were increasingly lifted to a higher …show more content…
However, the one that it is most frequently seen in is the narrator, Nick Carraway. Carraway comes to bustling city of New York, hoping to jump into booming trade of bonds like many others have. Coming from what he describes as “the bored, sprawling, swollen towns beyond the Ohio,” he hopes to pursue his passion of his own American Dream in the place where all of the people seem to have it made (Fitzgerald 176). As the novel goes though, he realizes that maybe these people do not have it as well off as he seemed to think they did, and you slowly see the drainage of hope from Mr. Carraway. His job and aspirations quickly get pushed farther and farther to the bottom of his priority list, and it becomes centered around the drama-filled lives of the people he encounters. Although, most of their hardships do not typically happen to the average person, Nick definitely gets his share plus some, even if they are not necessarily his problems. “Even when the East excited me most, . . . . . even then it had always for me a quality of distortion. West Egg, especially, still figures in my more fantastic dreams. . . . . . After Gatsby’s death the East was haunted for me like that, distorted beyond my eyes’ power of correction,” (Fitzgerald 176). After the three short months that Mr. Carraway lived in New …show more content…
Although, he started his life as the son of dirt-poor farmers, he immediately knew his dream. He wanted to rise above what his family was, and become something greater. As it played out, we know he stopped nothing short of this. As his story went on, his dream began to morph into something slightly different when he ran across Daisy. His dream did not necessarily change, but he now wanted to be great not only for himself, but for the love of his life. Gatsby never stopped chasing this dream until the day he died. Although whether he achieved his dream is a matter of opinion, it is undeniable that he “seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it,” (Fitzgerald 180). Gatsby beat on, despite the many hardships he faced. To the heart’s discontent though, he never quite reached what he wanted most. Between these two characters, Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby, the hardships along the way and the difficulty of achieving the American Dream are finely represented.
Even though the American Dream is an ever-changing idea among people and time periods, there are many things that have stayed the same. Whether it be religious freedom or the pursuit of happiness that is sought after, or even simply owning the car you always wanted parked in your very own garage, there has always been an American Dream. It comes with many obstacles, stupendous dedication, lots of patience, and many long nights,