Tears of sorrow run down the aged face of Uncle Sam as he yet again mourns the death of the American Dream. It has been dead for many years and some people claim it never even existed. Those people held onto the belief that the American Dream was nothing but a thin veil that covered the endless problems that America is plagued with. F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of those people and he portrayed his thoughts in his book "The Great Gatsby". His message about the American Dream aligns with the harsh reality of today 's American Dream.
Before I discuss the imperfections of the modern American Dream, I will analyze how the American Dream was portrayed in the book. Jay Gatsby is a man who holds the illusion that he has achieved the American Dream. …show more content…
Many people have a strong ambition for the American Dream. The urge becomes so great, some people began to tremble because they fear that the urge may overtake them.
He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way and far as I was from him I could’ve sworn he was trembling. Involuntary I gazed seaward - and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away. (Fitzgerald page 19)
The green light represents two things at once; Daisy and the American Dream. When it’s a symbol for Daisy, Gatsby is trying to reach out to her over the long physical and emotional distance. When the light is a symbol for the American Dream, Gatsby becomes a symbol as well. He portrays the middle class reaching out for the American Dream that seems so far away.
When Gatsby finally gets Daisy, the once significant light loses its meaning. In modern terms, when someone reaches the so called American Dream, their life will lose purpose because now that they have what they wanted, what else is there left to …show more content…
That goes to show that even when you think you have achieved the American Dream, there will always be problems.
In the second article I came across, it brought up interesting points about homes in America. After reading the article, I understood how the places where people live in “The Great Gatsby” played a big role in the symbolism for the American Dream in the book. Owning a home, and possibly land, has always been a major part of the American Dream for much of the country’s history (Eliassen) Gatsby owns a huge mansion. Its part of the false American Dream he holds. Just like I said before, the house means nothing to him. It may be big and fancy like Gatsby’s ego but the truth is, it 's just a house. This is exactly how the middle class feels. They feel that houses are no longer a good investment. Nearly half of Americans no longer believe that buying a home was a sound investment (Eliassen) In today’s society, owning the very thing that supposedly was a big part of the
American Dream caused many problems and set people financially backwards. They became more broke than they were when they started. Isn’t that the opposite of the American
Before I discuss the imperfections of the modern American Dream, I will analyze how the American Dream was portrayed in the book. Jay Gatsby is a man who holds the illusion that he has achieved the American Dream. …show more content…
Many people have a strong ambition for the American Dream. The urge becomes so great, some people began to tremble because they fear that the urge may overtake them.
He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way and far as I was from him I could’ve sworn he was trembling. Involuntary I gazed seaward - and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away. (Fitzgerald page 19)
The green light represents two things at once; Daisy and the American Dream. When it’s a symbol for Daisy, Gatsby is trying to reach out to her over the long physical and emotional distance. When the light is a symbol for the American Dream, Gatsby becomes a symbol as well. He portrays the middle class reaching out for the American Dream that seems so far away.
When Gatsby finally gets Daisy, the once significant light loses its meaning. In modern terms, when someone reaches the so called American Dream, their life will lose purpose because now that they have what they wanted, what else is there left to …show more content…
That goes to show that even when you think you have achieved the American Dream, there will always be problems.
In the second article I came across, it brought up interesting points about homes in America. After reading the article, I understood how the places where people live in “The Great Gatsby” played a big role in the symbolism for the American Dream in the book. Owning a home, and possibly land, has always been a major part of the American Dream for much of the country’s history (Eliassen) Gatsby owns a huge mansion. Its part of the false American Dream he holds. Just like I said before, the house means nothing to him. It may be big and fancy like Gatsby’s ego but the truth is, it 's just a house. This is exactly how the middle class feels. They feel that houses are no longer a good investment. Nearly half of Americans no longer believe that buying a home was a sound investment (Eliassen) In today’s society, owning the very thing that supposedly was a big part of the
American Dream caused many problems and set people financially backwards. They became more broke than they were when they started. Isn’t that the opposite of the American