...The Great Gatsby, a story written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is one based on the American Dream or should I say the “demise” of the American Dream. This so called dream in the 20’s was portrayed by wickedness and greed. Week three of our lecture we were asked to discuss what the American Dream meant to us and my response was one based off freedom, discovery, and hard work. Immigrants, salves, lower class citizens, etc. were accustomed to earning their money through manual labor, not through family inheritance as seen by most of the characters from The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald uses this story and the characteristics and actions of these characters to say that the “American Dream” was based on a lie in the 1920’s. The carefree satisfaction of the Jazz Age, also seen as the Materialistic Era, led to the extortion of the American Dream. The Declaration of Independence states that “all man are created equal and that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights, among which are life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.” F. Scott Fitzgerald created this story to reveal that people in the 20’s were in a pursuit of selfish delight, and the equality of people was based on their financial assets. The line that states all mean are created equal is broken in the scene where Tom is bashing Gatsby for how he became wealthy. He calls Gatsby a crook, and in this in turn leads to retaliation from Gatsby and a fight almost breaking out. Two mean that hold such high class and dignity, yelling and...
Words: 1781 - Pages: 8
...thoughts and they will always have disastrous outcomes. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the idea of the consequences of unethical etiquette. While the people of the novel believe that they are not doing anything wrong the nefarious actions of the characters shows Fitzgerald’s true intent of informing the reader of the dangers that immoral behavior can have on not only the one causing the problem, but the ones involved with the individual too. Death is a recurring topic within the novel and it shows the intricacies and wrongness of the actions...
Words: 871 - Pages: 4
...The Great Gatsby: American Life during the 1920’s Cameron L. Green Lakeland College The Great Gatsby was a famous novel written by the so called “Jazz Age” novelist and short story writer Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby is a famous novel that provides vivid description and complexities of American Life during the 1920s that only leads to misery and death. The narrator of the novel in the original book is Nick Caraway who was a resident of the west-egg district of Long Island. His next door neighbour was a mysterious character called Jay Gatsby. He narrates the incidences that took place with Jay Gatsby as the central character during the summer of 1922. The novel narrates how an alcohol peddler who acquires a lot of wealth gets involved into true relationships which was mistaken by societal class. Their feelings were looked down by the societal class as “money power”, as they thought arranging parties and fests are one of the ways these people try to create a societal status. They were misunderstood in various occasions and faced tragic end like Gatsby. The Jazz age or popularly called the roaring twenties took place after the World War I and ended with the start of great recession during 1929. The result of prohibition and the banned sale of alcohol made various millionaires who were economically not sound. The period witnessed a new style of music called “jazz” which marked the extravagant and extrovert American...
Words: 1141 - Pages: 5
...In The novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, he creates Gatsby as a character who becomes great. Gatsby is great in a way that ordinary seems normal, and being a lower-class citizen brings great value into becoming a better person. But He dreams of becoming wealthy and living a luxurious life. So, he is great in a way that leads him to the determination in his attempts to win over the girl of his dreams.Throughout Gatsby's life, he gains and loses the title of being great. Gatsby is represented as a great man but he falls short of being great. Gatsby does not achieve love but he possess it by buying material things .He does not use his wealth for good but for selfish reasons. For example, a reason why he is not great is when Nick says, " he talked alot about the past, and i gathered that he wanted to recover something,some idea of himself perhaps.."(chapter 6). Gatsby knows he can not change his past but he wants to anyways. His past is not something he or anyone should be proud of. It shows what kind of man he is. A reason why Gatsby is great is when he was named James Gatz. He had a dream of leaving his life on the farm and becoming part of the upper-class. Even Gatsby's...
Words: 434 - Pages: 2
...One of the greatest debates in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is whether or not the titular character, Jay Gatsby, is indeed great. At the heart of this debate is whether or not he is a romantic man whose rags-to-riches rise is to be admired or a dishonest conman and criminal. Other people may not like him because of the way he got his money. The main things that shows that Gatsby is a good man is how he is ambitions, humble, romantic relationship with Daisy. One of Gatsby’s most admirable traits is his ambition, which led him to rise from poverty to spectacular wealth. Gatsby grew up poor in rural North Dakota, but he was determined from his youth to transcend his humble beginnings. One example of this early determination is seen when...
Words: 351 - Pages: 2
...can turn toxic. The Great Gatsby not only includes all of those kinds of love, but many more. In The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald not only writes those loves, but shows how easily they can crumble down. Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby have one of the most confusing relationships in The Great Gatsby. They meet at one of Jay Gatsby's extravagant parties and Nick seems to admire him. ‘"They're a rotten crowd,’ I shouted across the lawn. ‘You're worth the whole damn bunch put together”(45). Nick held Gatsby on a higher pedestal that all the attendants at Gatsby's rager, which starts a his admiration for Gatsby. When Gatsby realizes that Nick has relations with Daisy, Nick's cousin, he seems to really want a friendship from Nick, yet Nick is still wary of Gatsby, not even friends with him until Gatsby proves that he is the man he says he is. Their friendship was rocky for the most part, Nick didn't actually trust Gatsby the whole book. Even less so when it is revealed that Gatsby was not who he said he was. When Gatsby dies, Nick states that he never really thought of him as a friend in the first place, even though he was one of the few who attended his funeral. Their friendship was tainted by lies and trickery, yet it wasn't all much like Jordan and Daisy’s friendship. Jordan and Daisy were friends when they...
Words: 1195 - Pages: 5
...the layman. While The Great Gatsby may not directly talk about progressive ideals and corporations, Fitzgerald shows himself to have beliefs related to that cause. All throughout the novel, Fitzgerald argues that the wealthy only care about themselves and their own wants, and will leave others in their dust to deal with the mess. From affairs to love to death to illicit activities, the wealthy, most notably Gatsby, Daisy, and Tom, among others, consistently disregard the consequences of their actions. Exemplary of this is Meyer Wolfsheim’s rigging of the 1919 World Series, an event that...
Words: 1086 - Pages: 5
...The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel written by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald that shadows a cast of characters living in the fictional town of West Egg on the prosperous Long Island in the summer of 1922. The story focuses primarily the young and mysterious bachelor Jay Gatsby and his quixotic passion and obsession for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan. The Great Gatsby offers a vivid variety of social commentary, dwelling heavily on the theme of the abandoned American dream, Fitzgerald exposes this due to the apparent blind fixation on the past that the story exhibits with the characterisation of Jay Gatsby. Perhaps none is more sophiscated and well established than the sense of social stratification. The book is regarded as a remarkable piece of writing as it conveys the moral issues different social classes had to deal with in the 1920’s. Through exposing distinct social classes Fitzgerald delivers a strong sense of elitism circulating the society. Fitzgerald’s first method of approach was to create the riches and place them into distinct groups, new money and old money. New money were the people who benefited from the ufrom prohibited business trades such as the illegal selling of liquor Gatsby participated in. Characters in the story that acquired the majority of their wealth through inheritance include Daisy Buchanan, Tom Buchanan and Jordan Baker – these characters are referred to as examples of “old money.” Their family were rich and...
Words: 894 - Pages: 4
...A Man Killed by His Own Soul’s Ability to Reach for Corruption The statement, “I myself am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions”, was made by Augusten Burroughs. He might have been talking about himself but this quote applies to the character Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby. Many historians believe that Mr. Gatsby was inspired by F. Scott himself. They both were romantics who fell in love with the heartbreaking wild girl. They were both guys who were willing to break the rules in order to get to the top. And most diffidently they were just two guys trying to make to greener pastor. F. Scott wrote The Great Gatsby threw the eyes of Nick Carraway. Originally in awe of him, Nick uncovers the truth and grows an inner hatred for Gatsby; until he opens his eyes to see his sad life in which he feels nothing put pity and empathy for Mr. Gatsby. After being formally invited to one of Gatsby party, Nick excitedly waits to meet his interesting neighbor. Mr. Gatsby is the man, which everyone gossips about around. Whether he has killed a man or is being a spy for the American government, he is always being talked about. The first time Nick meets the fellow war veteran, he describes him as having “one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it”; that is the first thing which attracts Nick most about Gatsby(53). The smile along with the parties, and the many phone calls causes nick to be intrigued his next-door neighbor. Public Gatsby...
Words: 1047 - Pages: 5
...1) Gatsby probably made his money through bootlegging illegal liquor. He has also obviously been involved in other illegal money-making activities with Meyer Wolfsheim. Even with his illegal activity, Fitzgerald tires to paint Gatsby in a positive light as a true American rags-to-riches story. 2) Dr. T.J. Eckleburg’s eyes loom over the Valley of Ashes. His disapproving eyes look down on the characters and symbolize the overall errors of their lives. Gatsby’s corruption and illegal activity, Tom and Myrtle’s affair, etc. His frowning eyes also say that Americans have lost their values and turned solely to capitalism. American values during this time were much like billboard itself, old and crumbling. 3) I think that Gatsby is a foolish man...
Words: 259 - Pages: 2
...Gatsby Essay F. Scott Fitzgerald once said, “The two basic stories of all times are Cinderella and Jack the Giant Killer-the charm of women and the courage of men”, which is challenged in his novel, The Great Gatsby. The charm of women is determined from more than their poise, such as their actions. Daisy Buchanan, a woman of the high class in 1920s New York, fakes love to obtain wealth. She is dependent on her husband to maintain the lifestyle she desires. Although, as the novel continues, it becomes clear to the reader Daisy is not satisfied with her husband, Tom because he is a cheater. Daisy is reunited with her young love, Jay Gatsby, which distracts her from all the cruel, selfless actions of her spouse. However, Mr. Gatsby is not the perfect, innocent man Daisy thinks of him to be. Gatsby’s illegal actions are not commonly discussed among characters, but is obvious through the novel how he earned his wealth. Men such as Tom and Mr. Gatsby get away with poor choices and foul play, while Daisy feels the need to pretend to reach societies standards. Fitzgerald contradicts his message about charm and courage by creating materialistic women and dishonest men. In the tale of Cinderella, a young girl finds...
Words: 1150 - Pages: 5
...In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway serves dual roles. The first one introduced, Nick Carraway is the novel's most well-developed character. The opening paragraphs of the novel reveal Nick's morals and ideals as a person. Though believing himself to have been given a fair amount of the "fundamental decencies [that are] parcelled out unequally at birth", Nick still is inclined "to reserve all judgements" (6, 5). With that inclination, he is then able to get to know most of the characters quite intimately, thus being able to see all the situations as a whole. An example that exemplifies his habit of reserving judgement is just before he meets Gatsby himself. At the first party of Gatsby's that he attends, he had not yet met the host, when already he hears of several rumors concerning Gatsby's past. Unaffected by rumors such as "[Gatsby has] killed a man once" and being "a German spy during the war", Nick still gets to know Gatsby quite well, helping the plot as well as Gatsby's character development (47, 48). Nick's personality qualities qualify him for being a good narrator. The most honest of all characters in the story, Nick is also honest with himself. For example, although Nick cares for Jordan, he admits to himself that Jordan is dishonest and selfish, thereby not letting emotion cloud his judgement. Nick seems to be The Great Gatsby's only uncorrupted and disillusioned character. Every other character, including Gatsby himself, uses money for every...
Words: 1364 - Pages: 6
...English Essay: Great Gatsby “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, Just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the same advantages that you’ve had.” This quote states that everyone has not been able to love an easy, non-troubled life. The rich get things handed to them easily and quick without them even having to work for it. While the less fortunate have to fight for these same things. This quotation shows how Scott Fitzgerald really felt about the American Dream. He was able to show how the American Dream was a failure in this whole book. There are three examples showing how the American Dream is a failure through the George Wilson, The Buchannas, and Jay Gatsby. Scott Fitzgerald uses George Wilson to show that the American Dream is a failure and not true. He is the one character in the book you can see this through because he is a hardworking man, responsible and as well truthful yet he is poor. We know from reading this book that George Wilson has been working all his life in the Valley of Ashes, but has still continued to be nothing more than determined to reach the success of the wealthy. All of his acts of hard work should be leading him to the richness and success of the wealthy instead of it all going to the wrong characters in the book. George Wilson shows that he is responsible and mature through the entire book especially when he finds out his wife, Myrtle Wilson has been cheating on him. He knows that the city has done this to her and he...
Words: 1061 - Pages: 5
...Fariha Haque Block 5 LA LIT 3 Ms. Gladstone The American Reality The American Dream, a repetitious theme found in literary works dating as far back as the 1600s, was a common misconception. People have held on to these ideals that manipulate and deceive rather than open limitless possibilities. The American Dream prompted people to believe that America was a country that expressed liberty and freedom. The American Dream originated from the Declaration of Independence in which it claimed that “all mean are created equal.”(Academia) and that they are "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights" including "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." (Academia) While embedded into America’s charter, the American Dream makes the country seem more attractive to foreign lands. However, there were many perspectives on how people perceived the “optimal style of living.” Some believed everyone strived to be rich and were able to live in coexistence. These perspectives were further broken in down in “The Death of a Salesman.” Immigrants entered through the gates of Ellis Island throwing away their home country’s established social hierarchies and caste systems. With high hopes, they created schemas of the elite population versus the poor population. Though, through passing generations, they are only met with disappointment. They cling onto the possibility that life will become normal again and remain in a constant cycle of false hope. These multiple realities have...
Words: 1312 - Pages: 6
...The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald talks about selfishness of others and judgment of God. Gatsby, also known as our protagonist, is a guy who sets his life around one desire. The thing that he desires the most is to be reunited with Daisy Buchanan, a women he feel in love with many years ago. Although this might seem romantic, unfortunately Daisy has a husband, Tom Buchanan, known as our antagonist. Tom is wealthy, yet a very despicable man. The Main conflict is really Tom and his actions. Tom has a conflict with everyone in the book because he is such a cynical and aggressive man. His biggest conflict is with Gatsby. Tom is very selfish and does not have the desire to change his self or his attitude. Along with Tom's selfishness is...
Words: 1162 - Pages: 5
