Although different people have different versions of the ideal American Dream, the general consensus is that to achieve the American Dream is to achieve financial success regardless of previous economic status through the freedom bestowed upon us by our founding fathers. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nick Caraway documents the life of the main character, Jay Gatsby, to portray the withering of the American Dream.
Just as plants are healthy and fresh before they wither, the first part of The Great Gatsby consists of Gatsby’s lively and healthy relationship that came from his “new” money. When Gatsby first fell in love with Daisy Buchanan around five years ago, there was one major disparity in the pair’s relationship: Daisy had money and Gatsby did not. Gatsby was not reared nearly as privileged as Daisy was; he lied to Daisy about his financial state, claiming that he had inherited money so he could live the social portion of the American Dream, but when Gatsby returns from war to find his beloved Daisy married, he devotes the next chapter of his life to prosperity in hopes of winning Daisy back.
After making a sizable fortune from bootlegging and purchasing lavish goods and a luxury house, Gatsby has finally achieved the American Dream. He started in poverty, but he proved that backgrounds don’t matter in regards to future financial success. Even with every material item at his fingertips, Gatsby’s life is still devoid of the one thing that would make it complete: Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby throws lavish parties to get Daisy’s attention so she can discover what he has become. When Gatsby finally gains Daisy’s attention, he is thrilled to show off his possessions, knowing that Daisy is very materialistic in nature. As Nick said on page 91 in reference to Gatsby, “He hadn’t once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes”. After a few more meetings and afternoon get-togethers, Gatsby has everything he ever wanted, fulfilling his American Dream.
Sticking to the overall theme of the novel, this American Dream is short-lived. The second part of The Great Gatsby shows the contrary effects of the pursuit of the Dream. The turning, or rather, the first sign of the withering in The Great Gatsby occurs when Gatsby, Nick, and Jordon visit the Buchanan’s house (page 117). Gatsby reluctantly meets Daisy’s daughter, realizing that no matter what, the daughter will always tie Daisy to Tom. Soon after the introduction, Tom Buchanan catches a loving glimpse between Gatsby and Daisy, and he can no longer deny that the two are intimate.
The group then ventures into the city and goes to the Plaza Hotel. Tom prods Gatsby about the affair, to which Gatsby replies “She’s never loved you. She loves me”, on page 130. Gatsby pleads with Daisy to reinforce his claim, but after Daisy looks back at her relationship with Tom, Daisy can only respond with, “I did love him once-but I loved you too”. This is the ultimate death of Gatsby’s American Dream; after all, “He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: ‘I never loved you’” (page 109).
Gatsby is murdered at the end of the novel because he took the blame for a horrible act that Daisy committed, symbolizing the complete withering and decay of the American Dream. Gatsby made a fortune out of what little he had, and he used his fortune to re-gain Daisy’s affection; before his murder, Gatsby realizes that Daisy will never leave Tom, and even though he had everything he wanted financial-wise and had fulfilled the American Dream, he still couldn’t have what he wanted most. No amount of money could solve his problem, representing the downfall and the opposite side to the highly sought-after American Dream.
Just as plants are healthy and fresh before they wither, the first part of The Great Gatsby consists of Gatsby’s lively and healthy relationship that came from his “new” money. When Gatsby first fell in love with Daisy Buchanan around five years ago, there was one major disparity in the pair’s relationship: Daisy had money and Gatsby did not. Gatsby was not reared nearly as privileged as Daisy was; he lied to Daisy about his financial state, claiming that he had inherited money so he could live the social portion of the American Dream, but when Gatsby returns from war to find his beloved Daisy married, he devotes the next chapter of his life to prosperity in hopes of winning Daisy back.
After making a sizable fortune from bootlegging and purchasing lavish goods and a luxury house, Gatsby has finally achieved the American Dream. He started in poverty, but he proved that backgrounds don’t matter in regards to future financial success. Even with every material item at his fingertips, Gatsby’s life is still devoid of the one thing that would make it complete: Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby throws lavish parties to get Daisy’s attention so she can discover what he has become. When Gatsby finally gains Daisy’s attention, he is thrilled to show off his possessions, knowing that Daisy is very materialistic in nature. As Nick said on page 91 in reference to Gatsby, “He hadn’t once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes”. After a few more meetings and afternoon get-togethers, Gatsby has everything he ever wanted, fulfilling his American Dream.
Sticking to the overall theme of the novel, this American Dream is short-lived. The second part of The Great Gatsby shows the contrary effects of the pursuit of the Dream. The turning, or rather, the first sign of the withering in The Great Gatsby occurs when Gatsby, Nick, and Jordon visit the Buchanan’s house (page 117). Gatsby reluctantly meets Daisy’s daughter, realizing that no matter what, the daughter will always tie Daisy to Tom. Soon after the introduction, Tom Buchanan catches a loving glimpse between Gatsby and Daisy, and he can no longer deny that the two are intimate.
The group then ventures into the city and goes to the Plaza Hotel. Tom prods Gatsby about the affair, to which Gatsby replies “She’s never loved you. She loves me”, on page 130. Gatsby pleads with Daisy to reinforce his claim, but after Daisy looks back at her relationship with Tom, Daisy can only respond with, “I did love him once-but I loved you too”. This is the ultimate death of Gatsby’s American Dream; after all, “He wanted nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: ‘I never loved you’” (page 109).
Gatsby is murdered at the end of the novel because he took the blame for a horrible act that Daisy committed, symbolizing the complete withering and decay of the American Dream. Gatsby made a fortune out of what little he had, and he used his fortune to re-gain Daisy’s affection; before his murder, Gatsby realizes that Daisy will never leave Tom, and even though he had everything he wanted financial-wise and had fulfilled the American Dream, he still couldn’t have what he wanted most. No amount of money could solve his problem, representing the downfall and the opposite side to the highly sought-after American Dream.
Well written! Good use of text to support your claims.
ReplyDelete8=>96