The great gatsby by f. scott fitzgerald
The American Dream, a true ideal theory, was conceived in the early days of America, when poor immigrants traveled across the nation in search for social and economic opportunities. America was portrayed as a land of the free, where people could do whatever they wished as long as they did not infringe on the rights of others. This was especially true in the “Roaring Twenties,” the time period in which The Great Gatsby took place. The United States entered into an area where instead of pursuing ideals of national equality and freedom, people instead adopted egoistic mindsets and sought to get as rich as possible, most often at the expense of others. Those in the lower rungs of society therefore got poorer at the mercy of the aristocratic few that enjoyed their lavish lifestyles. The Great Gatsby is a great example of a novel that shows how ideal the American Dream is. It is so out of reach with material conditions that it cannot account for many of the things that happen in the real world. The distinction Fitzgerald draws between various societies, such as the West Egg, East Egg, and the Valley of Ashes, just touches the surface into discovering how the American Dream is a myth. There are also many other examples throughout the novel supporting this idea.
“Get rich or die trying” was the motto of the 1920s – people in the higher classes remained wealthy and those in the lower classes continued to be dominated by the aristocratic few. An example of this was the inequality and social discrimination that existed between the different classes depicted in the novel. Early in the novel, one of the wealthier characters, Tom Buchanan, has an interaction with one of the poorer characters, Wilson: “‘I can’t complain,’ answered Wilson unconvincingly. ‘When are you going to sell me that car?’ ‘Next week; I’ve got my man working on it now.’ ‘Works pretty slow, don’t he?’ ‘No, he doesn’t,’ said Tom coldly. ‘And if you feel that way about it, maybe I’d better sell it somewhere else after all.’ ‘I don’t mean that,’ explained Wilson quickly. ‘I just meant——‘” (Fitzgerald 28). This passage shows that Tom sees himself as a superior when compared to Wilson. His language and tone both show that he does not respect Wilson at all – on top of that, it is revealed that Tom is having an affair with Wilson’s wife, Myrtle. This is an example of the failure of the American Dream. Those in the lower classes make a conscious effort to rise up, as witnessed by Wilson’s hard work, but are socially dominated by the upper classes, which is seen through Tom’s curt behavior.
Some may argue that in the 1920s, it was sometimes possible for people to achieve their own American Dream, which might manifest itself in climbing the rungs of the social ladder. One example of this in the novel is Myrtle Wilson, who has an affair with Tom Buchanan. Her affair allows her to experience a lavish lifestyle, far away from the impoverished, dark lifestyle she lived with her husband, George Wilson. However, F. Scott Fitzgerald does not end with the conclusion that the American Dream is sometimes successful – he makes the conclusion as bleak as possible. In the end of the novel, Myrtle Wilson death is described horrifically: “…[the] driver hurried back to where Myrtle Wilson, her life violently extinguished, knelt in the road and mingled her thick, dark blood with the dust” (147). Fitzgerald shows that even if people manage to climb the social ladder, it is merely temporary and never long-lasting. It is impossible to live out the American Dream in such a convoluted social structure where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Despite these examples, the reader can see that Myrtle never actually achieved the pinnacle of her dreams of wealth. For example, in one of the parties she attended, her behavior led to Tom breaking her nose, which is obviously not representative of a peaceful atmosphere, as the reader can witness in one of Jay Gatsby’s lavish parties.
“Get rich or die trying” was the motto of the 1920s – people in the higher classes remained wealthy and those in the lower classes continued to be dominated by the aristocratic few. An example of this was the inequality and social discrimination that existed between the different classes depicted in the novel. Early in the novel, one of the wealthier characters, Tom Buchanan, has an interaction with one of the poorer characters, Wilson: “‘I can’t complain,’ answered Wilson unconvincingly. ‘When are you going to sell me that car?’ ‘Next week; I’ve got my man working on it now.’ ‘Works pretty slow, don’t he?’ ‘No, he doesn’t,’ said Tom coldly. ‘And if you feel that way about it, maybe I’d better sell it somewhere else after all.’ ‘I don’t mean that,’ explained Wilson quickly. ‘I just meant——‘” (Fitzgerald 28). This passage shows that Tom sees himself as a superior when compared to Wilson. His language and tone both show that he does not respect Wilson at all – on top of that, it is revealed that Tom is having an affair with Wilson’s wife, Myrtle. This is an example of the failure of the American Dream. Those in the lower classes make a conscious effort to rise up, as witnessed by Wilson’s hard work, but are socially dominated by the upper classes, which is seen through Tom’s curt behavior.
Some may argue that in the 1920s, it was sometimes possible for people to achieve their own American Dream, which might manifest itself in climbing the rungs of the social ladder. One example of this in the novel is Myrtle Wilson, who has an affair with Tom Buchanan. Her affair allows her to experience a lavish lifestyle, far away from the impoverished, dark lifestyle she lived with her husband, George Wilson. However, F. Scott Fitzgerald does not end with the conclusion that the American Dream is sometimes successful – he makes the conclusion as bleak as possible. In the end of the novel, Myrtle Wilson death is described horrifically: “…[the] driver hurried back to where Myrtle Wilson, her life violently extinguished, knelt in the road and mingled her thick, dark blood with the dust” (147). Fitzgerald shows that even if people manage to climb the social ladder, it is merely temporary and never long-lasting. It is impossible to live out the American Dream in such a convoluted social structure where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Despite these examples, the reader can see that Myrtle never actually achieved the pinnacle of her dreams of wealth. For example, in one of the parties she attended, her behavior led to Tom breaking her nose, which is obviously not representative of a peaceful atmosphere, as the reader can witness in one of Jay Gatsby’s lavish parties.