Diandra Newsome
11/29/15
4th Block
Dr.Rice
American Lit
The Great Gatsby Vs The American Dream
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby is a classic novel about the desire for love and money and how they both affect the characters within the story. Jay Gatsby wants the love of a beautiful woman named Daisy Buchanan and he will do anything and everything in his powers to get her. This classic novel focusses on the new idea of the American Dream and how having money will lead to material gain and success. This novel took place in the 1920’s, during the 1920’s there was a huge change in the American Dream, but there was a change in America as a whole. The characters in The Great Gatsby buy into the idea of the American Dream of money buys happiness, however their unhappiness reveals the novel’s critique of the shift in the American Dream. The great Gatsby id filled with many characters who lives hopeless lives even though they have all the money one could ever want.
Fitzgerald characters in The Great Gatsby had aspirations of living out the American Dream. Many of them attained wealth in the novel, but failed to achieve true happiness. Jordan Baker who had wealth and success, was dishonest and unhappy with all that she had. In the text it states” she was incurably dishonest. She wasn’t able to endure being at a disadvantage” (64) Throughout Nick’s narration Fitzgerald comments on how even those who are seemingly living out the American Dream with wealth and success lack true pure happiness. Jordan Baker is a successful golfer, but she is not happy and content with her life. Gatsby's begins to realise that his hard work towards the American Dream has been futile says nick.
Myrtle and Tom both demise the American Dream. The desire for a luxurious life is what Myrtle lures Myrtle into having an affair with Tom. This decision that she decided to make harms her marriage with George, which leads to her death and loss of true happiness. Myrtle has the hope and desire for a perfect wealthy and famous life. Myrtle enjoys reading gossip magazines which represents her hope for the life of “ the rich and famous.” This shows how the one reason she wants to be with Tom is because he represents the life of a “ rich and famous.” When Myrtle first got married to George Wilson, she thought that she was crazy about him and thought that they were happy being together. “The only crazy I was was when I married him. I knew right away I made a mistake. He borrowed somebody’s best suit to get married in, and never told me about it, and the man came after it one say when he was out…” (Fitzgerald, 37) This shows how materialistic Myrtle is, and that she didn’t appreciate how George couldn’t afford his own suit to get married in. She looks at Tom in a different way. She looks at him as someone who can afford to buy their own suit for their own wedding. Myrtle is considered to be lower class, as she doesn’t have a lot of money. Myrtle sleeps with Tom to inch her way to...
