The American Dream drives people to persevere and work hard in order to achieve their individual idea of success, however in the 1920’s the perception of success was quite warped. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald takes place in the “roaring 20s” and stays true to the era, the parties are loud and extravagant, and the people are careless, self centered and greedy. Through the eyes of Nick Carraway, the dynamic and complicated characters and their true feelings and intentions are brought to light. Jay Gatsby is a mysterious man that seems to be comprised of new money and is in love with Daisy Buchanan, a woman married to old money Tom. The characters live lavish lifestyles and are admired by outsiders, however their lives are far from
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She has a less than simple life, but she is able to hide from the public rather well. On the day that she was to be married to Tom she got drunk and started yelling and demanding to bring Tom’s engagement pearls back to him, but dismisses the idea once she is sobre “Take ‘em downstairs and give ‘em back to whoever they belong to. Tell ‘em all Daisy 's change’ her mine… Next day at five o’clock she married Tom Buchanan without so much as a shiver (76) To the public, Daisy is a happy newly wed but behind closed doors it is seen that she is miserable inside and does not want to marry Tom. Her drunkenness causes her to lose her filter and allows her subconscious to fully articulate her regretful feelings about her decision to marry Tom, but when she soberes up her self preservation takes over. Daisy marries Tom because he is stable and that is the only lifestyle she has ever known. Over the course of their marriage Daisy becomes accustomed to the monotony of their passionless and pompous marriage. “They weren’t happy...and yet they weren’t unhappy either” (140). Daisy and Tom’s American Dream has made them carry out a life that neither of them particularly like, and is void of any sort of emotion. Their success is inspired by all the wrong things, greed and narcissism. Carrying out a life revolved around people’s opinions is by no means a successful …show more content…
Tom and Daisy both live their lives according to how they are perceived causing them to live in stagnant numbness. Gatsby has always had the dream of rising up in the world and gaining money and making a name for himself, but in the process alienates himself from having any sort of social connections making him live a life of solitaire and sadness. The American Dream is not about how much money one has, or how much power they have over someone else, it is about hard work in order to improve the quality of life. The common misconception is that money and fame can buy or illicit happiness, but as Fitzgerald illustrates, it alone, does not. When a dream is revolved around vices such as greed and narcissism it makes the world as a whole, a worse place. When one indulges in temporary gratification, it ultimately fills them with a sense of unfulfillment once it has run it 's course. People then continue to try to get a sense of fulfillment back and abandon all moral to achieve it, and end up stepping on other people. The endgame results in degrading one’s own life and the lives of others and if this trend continues the American Dream will lose all meaning and simply become a foreign phrase people use
She has a less than simple life, but she is able to hide from the public rather well. On the day that she was to be married to Tom she got drunk and started yelling and demanding to bring Tom’s engagement pearls back to him, but dismisses the idea once she is sobre “Take ‘em downstairs and give ‘em back to whoever they belong to. Tell ‘em all Daisy 's change’ her mine… Next day at five o’clock she married Tom Buchanan without so much as a shiver (76) To the public, Daisy is a happy newly wed but behind closed doors it is seen that she is miserable inside and does not want to marry Tom. Her drunkenness causes her to lose her filter and allows her subconscious to fully articulate her regretful feelings about her decision to marry Tom, but when she soberes up her self preservation takes over. Daisy marries Tom because he is stable and that is the only lifestyle she has ever known. Over the course of their marriage Daisy becomes accustomed to the monotony of their passionless and pompous marriage. “They weren’t happy...and yet they weren’t unhappy either” (140). Daisy and Tom’s American Dream has made them carry out a life that neither of them particularly like, and is void of any sort of emotion. Their success is inspired by all the wrong things, greed and narcissism. Carrying out a life revolved around people’s opinions is by no means a successful …show more content…
Tom and Daisy both live their lives according to how they are perceived causing them to live in stagnant numbness. Gatsby has always had the dream of rising up in the world and gaining money and making a name for himself, but in the process alienates himself from having any sort of social connections making him live a life of solitaire and sadness. The American Dream is not about how much money one has, or how much power they have over someone else, it is about hard work in order to improve the quality of life. The common misconception is that money and fame can buy or illicit happiness, but as Fitzgerald illustrates, it alone, does not. When a dream is revolved around vices such as greed and narcissism it makes the world as a whole, a worse place. When one indulges in temporary gratification, it ultimately fills them with a sense of unfulfillment once it has run it 's course. People then continue to try to get a sense of fulfillment back and abandon all moral to achieve it, and end up stepping on other people. The endgame results in degrading one’s own life and the lives of others and if this trend continues the American Dream will lose all meaning and simply become a foreign phrase people use