The Great Gatsby American Dream Analysis
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LITS 2108
11 February 2014
We‟ve all heard of the American Dream and the concept of being „American‟. But what is the American Dream? What defines it? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the
American Dream is an American social ideal that stress (egalitarianism, i.e.) a belief in human equality especially with respect to social, political, and economic affairs, and especially material prosperity. In Fitzgerald‟s The Great Gatsby, the concepts of the American Dream are assessed.
The novel shows characters of different social statuses and each character‟s quest for a dream,
i.e. their „green light‟.
The „dream‟ i.e. the American Dream is a reoccurring theme in the novel. Each character has a dream and pursues …show more content…
We get an insight to the dreams of Nick Carraway, Tom Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson. Nick lived his dream vicariously through Gatsby. The two were similar in that they were both outcasts but for different reasons. Nick lacked finances, whereas, Gatsby lacked in the department of social status. Nick and Tom came fairly the same social circle.
Financially however, they were not equals.
Although acceptance is not mentioned in the definition of the dream, it is understood. It is said that all human beings crave for a sense of belonging and thus it is contained in the dream.
There is a distinct difference between the typical modest American Dream, versus the extravagant dream in The Great Gatsby.
The dreams that these characters have are not the norm. In this novel, the American
Dream isn‟t displayed as the „white picket fence‟, two-story home with an American flag in the
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front yard. No, this dream does share similarities, like serving your country in the war, but the dream is much bigger.
This story is not the story of the average American. These people are exceptional.
The character that seems to be closest to reality was that of George B. Wilson, who owned a
modest …show more content…
He basically lives the American Dream, but is still, for lack of a better word, „an asshole‟. Ever as he lives the dream, he tries to undermine the dreams of others. Myrtle Wilson also has her dream. She settled for Mr. Wilson. He wasn‟t wealthy and now her dream is to marry Tom. Assessing he dreams, we see the importance of social status.
These dreams are on the sideline and are not explored in as much depth as those of Mr.
Gatsby. The book is indeed called The Great Gatsby. On Gatsby‟s quest for acceptance, we see him lying about is past and trying so hard to impress others.
As readers, we all rooted for Gatsby and thus his dreams became ours. No matter how unreasonable a task is or how unattainable something or someone may be, one does not simply give up on the dream. He dreamed since he was a child but his dream became a quest for Daisy.
Gatsby reached out for the green light, both literally and metaphorically.
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Eventually Gatsby‟s dream collapses and he is not prepared for it he still lives with an illusion. Well not for very long as we know. In chapter 8, everything falls apart.
Although the novel ending in tragedy, I don‟t believe that we the readers have given up
LITS 2108
11 February 2014
We‟ve all heard of the American Dream and the concept of being „American‟. But what is the American Dream? What defines it? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the
American Dream is an American social ideal that stress (egalitarianism, i.e.) a belief in human equality especially with respect to social, political, and economic affairs, and especially material prosperity. In Fitzgerald‟s The Great Gatsby, the concepts of the American Dream are assessed.
The novel shows characters of different social statuses and each character‟s quest for a dream,
i.e. their „green light‟.
The „dream‟ i.e. the American Dream is a reoccurring theme in the novel. Each character has a dream and pursues …show more content…
We get an insight to the dreams of Nick Carraway, Tom Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson. Nick lived his dream vicariously through Gatsby. The two were similar in that they were both outcasts but for different reasons. Nick lacked finances, whereas, Gatsby lacked in the department of social status. Nick and Tom came fairly the same social circle.
Financially however, they were not equals.
Although acceptance is not mentioned in the definition of the dream, it is understood. It is said that all human beings crave for a sense of belonging and thus it is contained in the dream.
There is a distinct difference between the typical modest American Dream, versus the extravagant dream in The Great Gatsby.
The dreams that these characters have are not the norm. In this novel, the American
Dream isn‟t displayed as the „white picket fence‟, two-story home with an American flag in the
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front yard. No, this dream does share similarities, like serving your country in the war, but the dream is much bigger.
This story is not the story of the average American. These people are exceptional.
The character that seems to be closest to reality was that of George B. Wilson, who owned a
modest …show more content…
He basically lives the American Dream, but is still, for lack of a better word, „an asshole‟. Ever as he lives the dream, he tries to undermine the dreams of others. Myrtle Wilson also has her dream. She settled for Mr. Wilson. He wasn‟t wealthy and now her dream is to marry Tom. Assessing he dreams, we see the importance of social status.
These dreams are on the sideline and are not explored in as much depth as those of Mr.
Gatsby. The book is indeed called The Great Gatsby. On Gatsby‟s quest for acceptance, we see him lying about is past and trying so hard to impress others.
As readers, we all rooted for Gatsby and thus his dreams became ours. No matter how unreasonable a task is or how unattainable something or someone may be, one does not simply give up on the dream. He dreamed since he was a child but his dream became a quest for Daisy.
Gatsby reached out for the green light, both literally and metaphorically.
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Eventually Gatsby‟s dream collapses and he is not prepared for it he still lives with an illusion. Well not for very long as we know. In chapter 8, everything falls apart.
Although the novel ending in tragedy, I don‟t believe that we the readers have given up