The Great Gatsby American Dream Essay - 1760 Words

The American Dream The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, presents a contrast between the wealthy and the penurious. The novel was set in the early 1920s right after World War I with a very prosperous economy. The novel began with the narrator, Nick, introducing the idea of social class by talking about the difference between East Egg and West Egg. This geographical barrier represented â€Å"old money† and â€Å"new money†, later in the novel he introduced the Valley of Ashes which symbolized â€Å"no money†. Nick was cousins with Daisy, who was married to Tom Buchanan, they represented old money and saw themselves as a higher class. Jay Gatsby was neighbors with Nick and he symbolized new money as he came from a poor family and worked for†¦show more content†¦Secondly, people who were new to money, such as Gatsby, were looked down on as they had to work for their money and they came from a necessitous background. The people who are considered â€Å"old money† see â€Å"new money† as tasteless, and without class. Nick, who lived in West Egg, and was a symbol of new money noted: â€Å"I lived at West Egg, the - well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them† (Fitzgerald 9). This quote highlights the fact that the two groups of people are close in proximity and are both wealthy, living on the â€Å"new money† side is looked down on and they will never be accepted by the people who grew up with money. Thirdly, the people with no money, such as Myrtle and George were geographically separated by the Valley of Ashes. The people who lived there worked hard and dirty jobs, such as George, who worked at a gas station and was a mechanic. They would constantly admire things of greater value and they would dream of being able to afford anything of greater value. Finally, there was a distinct elitism of pe ople of higher class, people were always comparing their wealth and tried to put others down. For example, Tom, Nick, and Gatsby were in a restaurant and Tom implied that Gatsby and Nick were too poor to be eatingShow MoreRelated The Great Gatsby - The American Dream Essay767 Words   |  4 Pagesmade by Marius Bewley’s critical essay â€Å"Scott Fitzgerald: The Apprentice Fiction†, â€Å"Fitzgerald’s ultimate subject is the character of the American Dream in which, in their respective ways, his principle heroes are all trapped.†, can be justified through Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby and his short story â€Å"Winter Dreams†. In both pieces of literature, Fitzgerald explores and comments upon Americans and their pursuit of the American Dream through Jay Gatsby and Dexter Green’s pursuit of theirRead MoreEssay On The American Dream In The Great Gatsby933 Words   |  4 PagesThe Great Gatsby Essay The Great Gatsby has always been a great book, but have you ever wondered what the meaning of â€Å"The American Dream† is..? To me the american dream†¦ is anyone and everyone can come here to american and achieve their goals, they can have better lives here in the US, they can be more successful when they put their minds to it. Fitzgeralds was making it seem that the rich or more money you have the happier youll be, the better off you are in life. 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ScottRead MoreThe Great Gatsby American Dream Essay1496 Words   |  6 Pagesforward in his head like a blind man knocking over the solid furniture.† All people have their own big dreams circulating their minds and a sort of desperation to achieve them, no matter where they grow up or live, but where someone comes from might influence what it is they’re longing for. In his novel, â€Å"The Great Gatsby,† he demonstrates the delusive and far-fetched concept of the American dream in men of West Egg compared to those of the Valley of Ashes and East Egg by describing the different lifestylesRead MoreThe American Dream In The Great Gatsby Essay1158 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"It is the elusive Gatsby, the cynical idealist, who embodies America in all of its messy glory.† Clearly as Adam Cohen asserts in his New York Times article â€Å"Jay Gatsby, Dreamer, Criminal, Jazz Age Rogue, Is a Man for Our Times†, this phenomenon is indeed true in that the American Dream is presented in F. 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The book’s focus is on the obsession of Gatsby, the protagonist, and his feelings for Daisy, a married woman who he was previously involved with. The novel also focuses on Gatsby’s determination to make her fall in love with him by the gli tz of money and power. Fitzgerald uses the symbols of wealth, superficiality and irresponsibility to conveyRead MoreThe Great Gatsby and the American Dream Essay933 Words   |  4 Pagespower are the core principles of The American Dream. Pursuit of a better life led countless numbers of foreign immigrants to America desiring their chance at the vast opportunity. Reaching the American Dream is not always reaching true happiness. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby achieves the American Dream, but his unrealistic faiths in money and life’s possibilities twist his dreams and life into useless life based on lies. Jay Gatsby believes he can buy happiness. For example