The Great Gatsby: The Destruction Of The American Dream

Decent Essays
Everybody has their own yellow brick road some decide to follow it and others don’t. Beyonce, Jennifer lopez, and Jay Gatsby did and after all the rocks that got thrown onto their path they ended up happy and wealthy. They eventually found their mansion at the end of the road especially Gatsby, each of them celebrated with music. If three out of three accomplished their American Dream then any human or book character can, no matter what your social status is just work around the obstacles and find ways where they benefit you. Dreams are messages or personal goals we think and create in our minds for a reason, so don’t be afraid to listen to them. The dreams we have at night with our eyes closed can become the life we want when we open our

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    There are many obstacles when trying to achieve the American dream that Americans have to overcome. The wealthier don’t have as difficult of a time achieving the American dream compared to the middle class and below. All Americans should be able to achieve the dream if they work hard because they would deserve it. Some of the most substantial obstacles when trying to achieve the dream are money, nature, heritage, education, and mindset. All of these obstacles are possible for people to overcome but they have to set their mind to it.…

    • 1518 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    The American Dream is universally sought after and coveted, after all the possibility of becoming anything and rising above one 's meeger beginnings is tantalizing. However, the American Dream can also produce destruction and devastation. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the destructive nature of the American Dream through his characters Myrtle, Tom, Gatsby, Daisy, and Wilson and through his symbolic use of dust. Set in the Roaring Twenties, Fitzgerald’s novel focuses on these characters, who are intimately woven together through an intricate web of affairs, and dreams. Fitzgerald uses the relationships that each of these characters have to each other and their relationships to dust to reveal the true price of the American dream, and how those who idolize it will find themselves destroyed by it.…

    • 1761 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Gatsby got his money by doing criminal activities , that 's how Gatsby got rich. Jay Gatsby was the representation of the American dream. Gatsby was a real passionate man who chased his dreams , and would stop at nothing to fulfill them. Even if it meant being a criminal. He was chasing his vision of the American dream since he was young.…

    • 1369 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Who is the real Jay Gatsby- relate the vision (fantasy) to Jimmy Gatz? In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the author implies that in the corrupt society, that is unaware of their priorities, Jay Gatsby is one of the few who represents a pure- hearted gentleman trying to pursue in his dreams and make the most of his life. The entire population of East and West Egg are seen drinking heavily and partying at houses where they don’t even know the owner which seems to be a normal part of their lives. Jay Gatsby signifies the reality of the way people need to act in order to achieve the American dream. Jay Gatsby is known for throwing numerous parties and having tons of people in attendance. Although this is true he is not revealed to…

    • 893 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Valley of Ashes: An American Trap In F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, The Great Gatsby, Gatsby tries to reach his goal of getting back together with Daisy, but is unsuccessful. Other characters such as George Wilson and Myrtle Wilson are also unsuccessful in their quest for the American Dream. In Fitzgerald 's novel, The American Dream is an important theme challenging the values and truths of the American society.…

    • 1741 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    State of American Dream By definition is the ideal American Dream is the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination and initiative. Although this is the definition this is very untrue of current american citizens. Many people are born in different situations and define success as something different. The American Dream is not attainable because of the continuous vicious cycle, not everyone is born with the same advantages and money doesn't always mean true happiness or everyone, therefore the American Dream needs to be redefined.…

    • 848 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Money can be an obstacle that can block you from achieving your dream, but with the necessary steps you can develop a financial growth. According to the article, Class and the American Dream “The odds that a child will climb from poverty to wealth, or fall from wealth to the middle class, have remained stuck.” However, a fictional character named Jay Gatsby from the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald proves that anybody can upgrade their low income lifestyle. To begin with, Mr.Gatsby used to be a poor farm boy in North Dakota and his drive to make Daisy Buchanan fall in love with him pushed himself to become an upper class man. He developed into wealth and is now a mansion owner who spends his money on extravagant parties living in…

    • 291 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The American Dream is the idea that anybody can become successful and powerful in America, which is commonly seen as the land of hopes, dreams, and opportunity. Regardless of the past and sometimes present, anybody can easily become somebody, as long as they have the discipline and willingness to commit and work hard for the future. However, based on the book Destiny of the Republic, which takes place post Civil War, the American Dream was not truly attainable by anybody. While existing socioeconomic status in families, allies, or unrelated achievements can give one a boost in power, the greatest factor that determined the attainability of the American Dream was one's dedication to success. Family played a large part in helping to elevate…

    • 1345 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Dreams will lend strength when in darkness, but they are so closely interwoven with a person’s identity that they cannot be taken away, they will haunt and they will…

    • 1379 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In life, most people set their goals to endeavor so they can fulfill them. However, once those goals are met, people are not as happy as they expected to be. The theme of the corruption of the American Dream in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, is the greed in his characters lives. This may be used to show how corrupted the American Dream gets when people let it consume them. This can explicitly be seen through the characters: Jay Gatsby and Myrtle Wilson.…

    • 1222 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Jay Gatsby, the protagonist in The Great Gatsby, wants more than being a janitor and a rich man; he throws parties every Saturday to attract Daisy’s attention, but lost everything in the end. Gatsby went from “new money” to “old money” to “no money”. Everyone does not have the same opportunity to strive for their American Dream because their opportunities depend on their family background, what they were born to be, proletarian or bourgeois. Daisy was the reason Gatsby worked hard to achieve his goals, but he destroyed his achievements through lies. Gatsby lies about his family background, but Tom later claims that Gatsby’s wealth comes from illegal businesses such as selling grain alcohol over the counter at the drug-stores.…

    • 409 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Great Gatsby revolves a lot around the American Dream. “During the 1920s, the perception of the American Dream was that an individual can achieve success in life regardless of family history or social status if they only work hard enough” (The Demise of the 1920’s). During the story Gatsby represents the American dream, he rises above his father and becomes the rich man he wanted to be. The novel also shows the condition of the American Dream in the 1920s. The topics of dreams, wealth, and time relate to each other in the novel’s exploration of the idea of America.…

    • 1034 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Engaging the Fantasy The American dream is a method of establishing and pursuing goals embraced by many people in America. It brings people together, provides a source of inspiration, and drives people to work hard. In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, every character pursues his or her American dream, looking for success in their own way. While Gatsby, Myrtle, and Tom do not specifically state that they are pursuing an American dream, every character has a goal they wish to achieve, whether it be the pursuit of a specific person, lifestyle, or simply maintaining the dream society believes they have already achieved.…

    • 1799 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    These characters did anything and everything to reach where they are now. Achieving the American Dream means starting from the bottom and becoming as successful as possible. Jay Gatsby in particular is one of the only characters that worked to get where he is at. However, the ironic thing is that he achieved it all through immoral means. For example, in chapter seven of The Great Gatsby, Tom confronts Gatsby about his riches.…

    • 1111 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The American Dream; the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. Unfortunately, back in the 1920’s this ideal remained but a mere dream for anyone trying to work their way up from rags to riches for the simple reason that it was practically impossible to become rich unless you were already born into it. In the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald we get an up close and personal idea of what it was really like to be after the American Dream. However, instead of the typical dollar and a dream story Fitzgerald puts his own spin. For one, Fitzgerald criticizes the “American Dream” in every possible way throughout the entire book.…

    • 1396 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays