Gatsbys American Dream Essay - 1352 Words

A commonly held tenet among people from all generations is that hard work will ultimately lead to wealth and prosperity. This concept, illustrated in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, is known as the American Dream. Although many have this dream today, it is a one in a million chance to attain it, regardless of whether or not a person is tremendously deserving of such success. James Gatz, later known as Jay Gatsby, is a character who experiences this minute probability of the American Dream coming true. Through the character of Gatsby, Fitzgerald suggests that the American Dream is so difficult to achieve that it is unattainable. Gatsby hosts extravagant parties that imply that succeeding in the American Dream is most†¦show more content†¦Gatsby adding in the last line, that some people from New York might drop in, proposes the idea that Gatsby is attempting to make himself appear more prestigious since he is â€Å"close† with people from the city. He also asks his visitors to stay for dinner so the people of East Egg can get to know him and hopefully accept him into the old wealth lifestyle. Though Gatsby tries to attain power and respect by throwing his extravagant parties, by the end of the novel, the reader is able to understand that he had gained neither before he died. The day of Gatsby’s funeral â€Å"the minister glanced several times at his watch, so [Nick] took him aside and asked him to wait for half an hour. But it wasn’t any use. Nobody came† (174). No one coming to Gatsby’s funeral shows that although Gatsby spent his whole life trying to gain respect from his peers as well as power in society, he failed to do both. If he had achieved respect by throwing his parties, some of the people who attended his parties would have paid their respects by appearing at his funeral. In the end, Gatsby throwing all of his parties did not pay off and his American Dream of attaining power and respect was not accomplished. Despite Gatsby’s strong desire for wealth, the accomplishment of reaching the American Dream is made even more difficult by his adoration of Daisy and her illusive kindness. Due to Gatsby’s past and his strong yearning for wealth, the moment heShow MoreRelatedGatsbys American Dream Essay1724 Words   |  7 Pagesthroughout the novel. This novel is mainly about Gatsbys attempt at an unattainable goal, winning Daisys love back through power and money. In contrast to every main character, Gatsby has clear and well thought out dreams. Gatsby’s American dream, his desire to be wealthy and win Daisy back, is desperately ruined by Daisy. Gatsby’s goal that he tries to obtain by committing crimes not only deserves not to be achieved but also is worse than having no dream. Nick meets Gatsby in East Egg, a place whereRead MoreGatsbys Pursuit of the American Dream Essay827 Words   |  4 Pages Gatsbys Pursuit of the American Dream The American Dream means that by persistently working hard, one can achieve success; this is in contrast to other countries where the immigrants came from, in which one was either born into money and privilege or not, and if you werent, there was no way of achieving this success. The American Dream eliminated the barriers between people that social class had held for centuries in Europe. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, shows the corruption of theRead MoreGreat Gatsby’s Commentary on the American Dream Essay1265 Words   |  6 Pagesis exchanged for one based on greed and lies, where characters with stop at nothing to attain what they desire. Fitzgerald provides a window into the American Dream, and shows that it has become one based on immorality and deception. 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However, this idea began to lose its value when people startedRead More Jay Gatsby as Tragic Hero of Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby Essay974 Words   |  4 Pagesdefined importance. Gatsby has endless wealth, power and influence but never uses material objects selfishly. Everything he owns exists only to attain his vision. Nick feels inclined to reserve all judgements (1), but despite his disapproval of Gatsbys vulgarity, Nick respects him for the strength and unselfishness of his idealism. Gatsby is a romantic dreamer who wishes to fulfill his ideal by gaining wealth in hopes of impressing and eventually winning the heart of the materialistic, superficialRead More Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby and the Tragic Hero Essay977 Words   |  4 PagesGatsby can be defined as a tragic hero who possesses all of the aforementioned traits.  Ã‚   Jay Gatsbys main desire in life is to become a member of high society, respected more than anyone else.   Gatsby has taken steps to ensure that this desire becomes a reality.   He has accumulated wealth, power, and influence, all in an attempt to create the sparkling image of a successful man.   Although Gatsbys friend Nick is inclined to reserve all judgements (1), Gatsby is a strong, unselfish idealistRead MoreSummary Of The Color Yellow By F. Scott Fitzgerald1667 Words   |  7 Pages1. Yellow – â€Å"the orchestra is playing yellow cocktail music,† â€Å"two girls in twin yellow dresses who stopped at the foot of the steps,† Gatsby’s â€Å"yellow car.† In the novel, the color yellow is associated with wealth which Fitzgerald develops in order to associate the color with Gatsby by having it be the color of his car and be very present at his parties. Affairs/Cheating – Tom and Myrtle, and Gatsby and Daisy. In the novel, affairs are very prevalent and are associated with characters of wealthRead MoreThe Great Gatsby And The Death Of A Salesman1328 Words   |  6 Pageshis vision of the truth and his vision to success. The â€Å"American Dream† is the â€Å"dream† that all Americans are granted the same chance to attain their life goals whether is it success, a perfect family, or wealth through hard work, willpower, grit and initiative. These two men though, have dissimilar American Dreams. Willy’s dream is financial success for himself in addition to his children; on the other hand, Gatsby’s dream is getting his â€Å"dream† life since childhood which was attaining money, a beautifulRead MoreAnalysis Of The Book Milkman s Journey 2003 Words   |  9 PagesPilates house, to his surprise he was drawn to the music and the liveliness that was protruding her house. If Pilate and Macon would have stayed together and been able to support each other maybe they would have been ab le to successfully fulfill their dreams. Even though wealth hand success Macon remains unhappy. As the novel goes on we learn Milkman’s true emotions when his father was telling him a story, â€Å"Deep down in that pocket where his heart hid, he felt used. Somehow everybody was using him forRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1543 Words   |  7 PagesParagraph The American Dream is a dream about possibilities, and a desire for success. Sometimes you can interpret the dream for money, sometimes for love regardless of what the you think it is, the dreamer works hard to reach this goal. In the novel The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is driven by his desire to achieve the American Dream. Unfortunately, Gatsby’s drive to achieve the dream also results in him falling victim to it. Essentially, Gatsby falls victim to the American Dream because he is forced