Unrealistic Realism Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

Hypothesis: Fitzgerald, through Gatsby’s life, demonstrates an unrealistic idealism of the American Dream

In the novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ F.Scott Fitzgerald forms a criticism of the illusion society has formed of the American Dream. Gatsby himself is a metaphor of this illusion, he forms deceptive lies about his life in order to create his own impression of reality. Illuded by his idea of Daisy, he builds his whole life around the idealisation he has formed of her. Gatsby’s failure to recognise the reality within his illusion was ultimately what caused his tragic death, he would have preferred to die than face the reality that all he had ever lived for was a lie. The corruptness of the characters within the novel develop the failure of the …show more content…
The idea that wealth implies success is a common illusion, it is the concept that if you have immense wealth, a nice house and a flash car then you are deemed as successful. Gatsby longs for Daisy as he believes that once he has her, he will live a life of fulfillment and abundant happiness, he measures his success in terms of his grasp of Daisy. This American dream however causes corruption and destruction throughout the novel, Gatsby, Daisy and Tom have all been destroyed by this dream and the immorality of …show more content…
I believe that Gatsby’s Dream was in fact based around the illusion he formed of Daisy, that to him she was the reward to his success. Gatsby’s sense of the future is all derived from his sense of the past, his obsession with recapturing the past is all a part of his illusion he has created about his life. Gatsby is actually, contrary to Bewley’s belief, never able to admit the reality of his dream. Gatsby is unable to see beyond the fantasy he has created about Daisy enough to awaken to her flaws, he would rather die than accept the reality that she will never fit into the illusion he has formed. Gatsby’s inability to cope with the reality of Daisy’s nature ultimately leads him to his death. This is proven in chapter seven where Daisy’s motivations are exposed following the altercation between Tom and Gatsby. Her inability to deny her love for Tom suggests that her attachment to Gatsby was nothing of significance to her, she is willing to take advantage of those around her for her own pleasure. Daisy displays her lack of conscience when she kills Myrtle, leaving the scene with no remorse towards her actions. Daisy is ultimately responsible for the murder of Myrtle and Gatsby, her selfish nature creates destruction that Gatsby is blissfully unaware of and therefore unable to