What Is The Epiphany Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

Improved Essays
The American Dream is to be able to make life better than where the person is emigrating. To change the path their past life lead to, the American Dream became the opportunity for everyone to make a new life for himself or herself by having the chance to get a job. Fitzgerald views the American dream as something that is long gone and long since forgotten. He defines it as a dream that was just that, a dream. In the Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby was the epiphany of a failed American dream. He wanted his true love, Daisy Buchanan, to show that she was in love with him as much as he is with her. She is unable to show her true feelings for him because of her “hierarchy” position she is in. “Gatsby, like the West Eggers, lacks the traditions of the …show more content…
While they see the American Dream as what one can make of it, Fitzgerald’s Jay Gatsby cannot seem to achieve what he wanted even when he secured a rather successful business and a large sum of money. At a certain point In the Great Gatsby, he self-concluded that would be an appropriate choice to steal Daisy Buchanan’s love by revealing her love for him that he believed would be able to erase the divide of the “West Egg” and “East Egg” mentality. Alas, this was the very thing that was incredulously hindering to both he and Daisy. Gatsby discovered the true standards of Daisy’s love and Daisy discovered the strength that her love and affection had on those around her. Though, as many blinded by simple things as those, the East Egg lifestyle is not much to boast about either. As we find in the story that Daisy’s husband proves that status does not make a difference as, “Like the West Eggers, East Eggers have not obtained the American Dream either. Tom is rich and has a beautiful wife and on the outside it looks like he has the perfect life. The only problem is that he cheats on his wife with Myrtle Wilson. Myrtle 's husband, George, loves her, but she is a money chaser. She says, "I thought he was a gentleman . . . but he wasn 't fit to lick my shoe . . . he borrowed somebody 's best suit to get married in . . . " She couldn 't appreciate the fact that George was working hard to provide for her. She just wanted money and found it in a relationship with a married man.” (American Dream). There are no actual perfect people, nor is there a perfect life. There is simply an idea of perfection and in the Great Gatsby; given the title: East

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The American Dream is an ideal of having equal opportunities to achieve success and prosperity through one 's hardwork. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nick, the protagonist tries to pursue his own dreams, hoping to succeed in the ideals of the American Dream. Throughout the story, as more and more people enter Nick 's life, he realizes that the American Dream is simply an unrealistic idea, created to corrupt those trying to achieve it. In The Great Gatsby, the American Dream ruined the morality of those trying to accomplish it, and those who 'd already did.…

    • 1068 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The “American Dream” is one of the defining principles on which the culture of the United States is founded. It is the idea that just being a U.S. citizen gives one the ability to work one’s way up from the bottom and end up being successful. This promise draws many people to work very hard to better themselves in an attempt to attain this success that they believe is theirs for the taking. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby does just that. Born into a poor farming family in the west, Gatsby gradually gains wealth and power (albeit through questionable means). However, even this does not fulfill Gatsby’s dream. Fitzgerald argues that the American Dream is not possible because Gatsby views Daisy as an incorruptible dream…

    • 1194 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The American Dream is when someone is trying to achieve their lifelong dream. A lot of people dream of completing the American Dream but little to none can complete it. In The Great Gatsby F Scott Fitzgerald makes the American Dream unattainable to most of his characters including Gatsby. The American Dream is unattainable because of all the poor events that have happened to Gatsby. Through negative imagery and diction, Fitzgerald proves that the American Dream is unattainable because of all the harmful events that have happened to Gatsby.…

    • 1466 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In the story The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, many themes and messages are portrayed through the character of Jay Gatsby. The American Dream is the idea that everyone should have equal opportunities Fitzgerald reinforces the idea of the American Dream through the characters in the book as well, through the author’s life, the time period in which it was set and how it compares to other stories Fitzgerald has written. The main message that Fitzgerald conveys is that the American Dream is corrupt.…

    • 1165 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    “I have spent my life judging the distance between American reality and the American Dream” (Bruce Springteen). The American dream states that anyone can achieve their dreams no matter their race, gender or social status. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, fighting for the American dream is the biggest source for Jay Gatsby’s sadness and despair. Chasing after a dream that is unattainable only causes pain and ultimately results in destruction. Throughout the story, Gatsby craves Daisy Buchannan’s love and though he was a poor boy, that didn’t stop him from pursuing her. He has wondrous dreams of being with her but he faces barriers such as social status and money. Gatsby eventually realizes no matter how much wealth he…

    • 1223 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    1. The American dream is to be successful and happy and strive for greatness. Gatsby is a self-made man, but doesn’t have everything he thought he would have with money. The novel shows how with money you can’t have everything you want. The American dream is still the same since that time, but it’s just harder to achieve.…

    • 1075 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The American Dream is the idea that anyone can attain success and upward mobility, despite what class they were born into. In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, many characters desire to obtain this dream; however, their failure to achieve this lifestyle shows the concept of the American Dream is just an illusion. Fitzgerald shows few characters actually successfully living in the elite upper class; most are just trying to get there. Tom and Daisy Buchanan are the only two characters that have this lifestyle, purely because they were both born into it. A lower class citizen attempting to achieve the American Dream finds it impossible, due to the American Dream is just an idea, not a reality. Jay Gatsby and George and Myrtle Wilson are…

    • 1478 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Values In The Great Gatsby

    • 1408 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The American Dream was the philosophy that brought people to America and to start a new life in foreign land. Due to this Dream, it was believed that America was a land of opportunity, wealth, and prosperity. The Dream consists of four values; group spirit, moral and ethical values, handwork and opportunity for everyone. Throughout many years, these four values have been corrupted leading to the death of the original American Dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald recognizes the death of the original American Dream in his novel The Great Gatsby. He uses the characters Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan to illustrate how the original values of handwork and group spirit have been replaced with wealth, power, social class and individualism. They no longer respect the…

    • 1408 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Everyone has an American dream, it might not be planned out precisely but almost everyone knows what they want for themselves. For some it’s wealth and popularity, for others it’s happiness and an enjoyable life. Whatever the case is, the American dream is broad and it is not going away. In the novel The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald Grant, Gatsby’s true American dream is to be with the love of his life, Daisy. The American dream that Gatsby is chasing is a possibility in today’s world because Gatsby is chasing love, which doesn’t change throughout the different time periods.…

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    But overtime this ethical dream mutilated into a much more greedy and self centered one. The new version of the American Dream meant that the only thing that could determine success was materialistic possessions. Fitzgerald creates this corrupt setting by clearly showing readers the segregation of classes. For example he shows that the people occupying West Egg possess a decent amount of wealth but are yet to truly establish themselves in society. Whereas the occupants of East Egg come from older money that they have inherited through previous generations thus gaining them the right to more privilege, respect, and a high social standing. The main character, Jay Gatsby, resides in West Egg so in other words he is not considered to be a well established man of wealth. Because of this, Gatsby does everything in his power to gain attention and validation from the people of East Egg so he can achieve his American Dream. Unfortunately, Gatsby’s anguish to be accepted will never go away because he is trying to buy his way into a society that will always see him as inferior. Now many who have not read the Great Gatsby might ask; “Why does Gatsby want so desperately to be a part of East Egg is he is already wealthy?” Well the answer is quite simple, Gatsby’s main goal for attaining all of his wealth is for his old love; Daisy Fay. Gatsby first encountered Daisy in…

    • 1396 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby narrates the story of a man, Jay Gatsby, and his perseverance to achieve his dream to win over his love, Daisy. Unfortunately, Gatsby’s life comes to an abrupt end, along with that dream. All of this is seen through the point of view of Nick Carraway, a man who moves to New York to learn about the bond business. The book takes place in the 1920s, a time of economic prosperity, with many people striving to achieve the American Dream. The American Dream is the ideal that Americans have the opportunity to achieve wealth and prosperity through hard work and dedication. Many interpretations of the American Dream suggest that not only do people gain wealth through hard work and dedication, but a set of morals…

    • 1230 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    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. Often times, however, this dream fails, leaving the person pursuing the dream unsatisfied. The American dream is so powerful that it promotes a dogmatic search for a goal that is unachievable. For this reason, the American Dream is a platonic ideal, and while it may be different for every person, it is never attainable, often resulting in an undesirable end.…

    • 1799 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Scott Fitzgerald is an American author who wrote The Great Gatsby. The concept of the American dream is displayed vividly throughout the novel. Although the American dream is presumed to be about independence, opportunity, and making something of one’s self, it ends up being more about riches, materialism, and pleasure. The story is centered around Jay Gatsby, a man who is very wealthy and has many material things, but has not achieved his dream. His dream is incomplete because he is not with Daisy Buchanon, his first love. Gatsby grew up poor and made his way to riches through illegal activities. He knew Daisy as a young man, but separated from her for years as he went to the military and then to Oxford. Although Gatsby has always wanted to move up in the social classes, his main inspiration in his quest to riches is Daisy. Gatsby tries everything to get Daisy’s attention including climbing in social status and gaining a fortune. He has a beautiful, fast car and buys a massive, expensive house that is located across from hers. He even throws many extravagant parties, hoping that she will hear about them and attend. To attain Daisy would complete Gatsby’s dream, but he never achieves his dream. He gets so hung up in it that he never lives his life to the fullest. Although Gatbsy is a prime example, Fitzgerald shows that the American dream is unattainable through many characters. Tom Buchanon, Daisy’s husband, is unhappy as well. He is also wealthy with many possessions…

    • 1546 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    American dream refers to a dream of someone who starting low in the social and economic level, then he or she working hard towards wealth, fame and success. This dream can be described as a materialism pursuit of pleasure as it is only achieved when a person successfully having a fancy car, a lot of money, luxurious house, happy wealthy family, fame and nice clothes. However, in order to achieve this dream, most of the character in The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald has turns to be someone who is selfish and materialistic. American Dream in the 1920’s, in this novel has caused destruction that can be seen through Daisy, Myrtle and Gatsby which then makes American dream as the significant theme of this novel.…

    • 1528 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    Still, The Great Gatsby contradicts Adam’s statement since Jay Gatsby dedicates himself to accumulate a fortune in order to win the love of Daisy (Fay) Buchanan and acceptance of the aristocracy. F. Scott Fitzgerald guides Gatsby on the correct path to achieve his American Dream, but his dream slowly becomes distorted by the influence of society’s focus on materialism; this new way of life for Jay Gatsby does not win the approval and acceptance of the East Egg elite, and more importantly Daisy’s heart. It is also evident that many misinterpret the American Dream as an objective of accumulating of wealth throughout the development of the novel. In effect, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby reveals the corruption of the American Dream during the nineteenth twenties by surfacing the issues of unrestrained and unprecedented hedonism, as well as materialism; the devoid sense morals and ethics present in society; and the America’s obsession with…

    • 1391 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays