StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

The American Dream Explored in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - Book Report/Review Example

Cite this document
Summary
 This report discusses the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald drawn upon the vision of the 1920s American Dream. The novel analyses the influence of money, crime and corruption will be established in relation to the genuine death of an American Dream…
Download free paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER92% of users find it useful
The American Dream Explored in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The American Dream Explored in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald"

NUMBER (if any) TEACHER'S DUE The American Dream Explored in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald F. ScottFitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is a novel drawn upon the vision of the 1920s American Dream. On a social level, the novel employs a sense of division where characters are differentiated by their class; however it also extends to a geographical level that aims to parallel such distinction; the Buchanan's live on the West side and Jay Gatsby lives on the East. Fitzgerald attempts to extract both a sense of imprisonment and preservation as a direct result of prosperity. Nevertheless, through evoking the historical sense of the roaring twenties, which included organized crime as a channel to disobey the laws and a rapid economic growth generating widespread wealth, Fitzgerald reveals various themes that stem from the decay of morals and values in a period of corruption. Through an analysis of the development of such themes and their manifestations within the novel, the influence of money, crime and corruption will be established in relation to the genuine death of an American Dream. Fitzgerald's narrator, Nick Carraway, is a young Princeton man who works as a bond broker in Manhattan. His neighbor at West Egg, Long Island, is Jay Gatsby. Gatsby is a self-made wealthy individual who is betrayed by his own dreams, which have been nurtured by a corrupt society. (Merriam-Webster, 488) The central focus on how Gatsby received his fortune can be explained by his dealings with organized crime, which does not at all adhere to the 'guidelines' of attaining the American Dream. LAST NAME, 2 (Web/Online1) Nick also implies that immortality is the prevailing source of achieving wealth in society. (Fitzgerald, 1) To have a dream is to idealize success as a value crucial to survival, which is evident in the characters of Nick and Gatsby. Ronald Berman suggests that "the components of such a vision are wonder on the encounter with a new reality; love greater than eros, but expressed by it; the annihilation of the mere self". (Berman, 51) Nick addresses many things in the novel, for example honor and faith. He believes in: "the promises of life". (Fitzgerald, 6) W.M. Verhoeven wrote specifically in his book, Rewriting the Dream, that "Gatsby is, above all, about the tragedy of the American Dream. Gatsby's obsession with changing the past and returning to the time in which he and Daisy loved each other and he had the feeling that anything was possible to him", which demonstrates a central irony within the novel-that our vast feelings of love and faith can only be directed at objects unable to contain them. (Berman, 50) Through the trivial lives of Tom and Daisy Buchanan, it can be seen that a failure exists even within the midst of wealth, as on an "individual level" it illustrates the "tragic failure of America itself". (Verhoeven, 15) Through this, Fiztgerald is demonstrating the conflict between both Tom and Gatsby, as Gatsby is the nouveau riche and Tom is the embodiment of the upper class. In the first chapter, when Nick quotes his father as having said: "Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had" (Fitzgerald, 3), it does not represents a monetary ideal, but one of birth, which exemplifies equality and decency as a human being. The first chapter guides the readers' understanding towards Nick's views on all the rich people in LAST NAME, 3 east side of society and also his views on Gatsby's "vulgar materialism". [Web/Online] Nick suggests in the novel: "Only, Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt to my reaction-Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have unaffected scornthere was something gorgeous about him, some heightened sensitivity to the promises of lifeit was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which is likely I shall never find again." (Fitzgerald, 3-4) The 'extraordinary' hope that Nick reveals is the hope for success, as is what the American Dream is all about. Moreover, when Nick visits the Buchanan's, he describes their house as a "cheerful red-and-white Georgian Colonial Mansion". (Fitzgerald, 9) The first perception of Tom Buchanan is that he is a very powerful and elite individual who expects "obedience from his subjects". (Web/Online2) Fitzgerald communicates an almost fairytale vision of Tom's house, his wife Daisy and Jordan Baker, as "we are ushered into the living room with its 'frosted wedding cake' ceiling (Fitzgerald, 10), its wine-colored rug, and its enormous couch on which are seated two princesses in white: Jordan Baker and Tom's wife, Daisy Buchanan. Fitzgerald controls the whole scene through his use of colors--white and gold mainly--that suggest a combination of beauty and wealth." (Web/Online2) However, apart from the rich colors, magnificent architecture and sense of power, there airs a discontent, in which is noticeable when Jordan Baker yawns more than once in this very first scene. There is seemingly something cool and slightly "unpleasant about the atmosphere--something basically disturbing". (Web/Online2) Moreover, Fitzgerald seems to underlie the idea of imprisonment, as his character Daisy says about her daughter's birth: "'I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool--that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a LAST NAME, 4 beautiful little fool.'" (Fitzgerald, 13) To make such a distinct comment about the nature of her daughter and women in general illustrates her mere feelings of entrapment within her own lifestyle. Fitzgerald attempts to show that there is a foul and corrupt nature about Tom and Daisy even under the veneer of the white world; there is hollowness. Nick pointed out at the very beginning of the novel that: "Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men." (Fitzgerald, 6) Even in this opening chapter, we are getting hints that Tom and Daisy are part of this tainted aura. Similarly, it can be seen that Nick finds them quite insincere. Alternatively, the geographical context of the novel, specifically illustrated by "the valley of the ashes" (Fitzgerald, 16), which is located halfway between West Egg and New York City, is a place in which morals are associated. A couple, George and Myrtle Wilson live in this area, and they are quite poor. Fitzgerald describes the people who live here as: "ash-gray" and "dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air". (Fitzgerald, 21) Many jobs in this area include the shoveling of the city's ashes into the dump. The significance of this idea rests in Fitzgerald's notion of the division in society and how there are victims from its corruption. Moreover, the inspiration of God is more widely viewed in this geographical area of the book, as can be clearly seen when Myrtle Wilson says to the giant: "God sees everything." (Fitzgerald, 127) The American Dream is obviously not achieved in this sector of the social chain. Without wealth or material goods, these people are shunned and divided from the rest. LAST NAME, 5 Additionally, Gatsby does not enter the novel until Chapter IV. Fitzgerald portrays Gatsby through the eyes of others prior to this, as Gatsby's parties are described in various ways. Gatsby was extremely wealthy and he shared his wealth with others who came over to use his material belongings. He had a swimming pool, a station wagon, a Rolls, two motor boats, and a bar filled with liquor, which is described in the novel as including: "cordials so long forgotten that most of his female guests were too young to know one from another." (Fitzgerald, 26) However, there is a corrupt side of Gatsby that is viewed as his business side. Meyer Wolfsheim is "a small flat-nosed Jew" (Fitzgerald, 44), who the reader learns about Gatsby's connections "with a shady underworld". (Web/Online2) The reader is able to gain a sense of understanding towards how Gatsby receives his money. "Wolfsheim is modeled on the real-life figure of Arnold Rothstein, the man who helpe d fix the 1919 World Series." (Web/Online2) The breakthrough of Gatsby's sleazy business transactions may infect his dreams for the readers and makes them question his greatness. When Wolfsheim mistakes Nick for one of Gatsby's business friends, he asks him if he's looking for a "gonnegtion". (Fitzgerald, 45) However, he quickly changes subject once he realizes Nick is not a business associate. Furthermore, Gatsby's affection for Daisy reawakens when Gatsby tells Daisy about how he has watched the green light that burns at the end of her dock, this symbolizes his dream of wanting something more than life. (Fitzgerald, 60) In a way, this is what the American Dream offers to us all and to a metaphorical sense; the green LAST NAME, 6 light can be seen as money also. Ironically, green is also the color of envy, which is why clearly it is a 'dream' to want what others may have. Gatsby likely believed that if he had Daisy then he would be truly happy for ever. Once he does in fact 'get' her, the reader is able to notice the light as still being the light, which grows also with Nick's wonder if Daisy is really as wonderful and magical as the idea of her. For Fitzgerald, it can be seen that his attempts to identify the American Dream in his novel, similarly identifies the ideal that no matter what we think of a dream, we are drawn sadly to the fact that dreams themselves are often, perhaps more beautiful than dreams fulfilled. The past reflection of this leads to the present reality that Daisy has found Tom Buchanan, which shows her broken promise to Gatsby, telling him she will wait for him until the war ends. (Web/Online2) Towards the end of the novel, Fitzgerald uses his character Nick to really identify Gatsby as a person. Although Nick disapproves of Gatsby from the beginning because of his vulgar materialism, his tasteless outfits, his "gonnegtion" with Meyer Wolfsheim, his love of a shallow woman and his pathetic efforts to win her back-he is still not part of the corruption that the others are guilty of. Tom, Daisy and Jordan are the tainted socialites because they are selfish, cruel and without morals. However, Gatsby only demonstrates such qualities on the surface, yet he is dedicated to his dream. It is this 'dream', the American Dream-his "incorruptible dream" (Fitzgerald, 98), that shows his will to survive. Janet Richards book, Human Nature After Darwin: A Philosophical LAST NAME, 7 Introduction, suggests that in the end of the novel, Fitzgerald's narrator reminds the reader that: "carelessness that results in the destruction or diminution of human life is unforgivable. There is no guarantee that our beliefs about ourselves will be correct, no matter how carefully we weight the evidence. But the more extensive our inquiry, the more secure we are against error. That, at least, is the hope of human rationality." (Richards, 215) LAST NAME, 8 WORKS CITED Berman, Ronald. The Great Gatsby: Modern Times. United States: Illinois Books Edition, 1996. Dillard, Mary., & Fitzgerald, F. Scott., Max Notes: F. Scott Fitzgerlad's The Great Gatsby. Dallas: Research & Education Association, 2002. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. Ther Great Gatsby. Britain: Woodsworth Editions Limited, 1999. Verhoeven, W.M., ed. Rewriting the Dream: Reflections on the Changing American Literary Canon. Amserdam: Editions Rudopi, 1992. Online Resources: Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature. Encyclopedia Brittanica. Merriam- Webster, April 1995. [Online] Available: http://books.google.ca/booksie=UTF-8&hl=en&id=eKNK1YwHcQ4C&pg=PA488&lpg=PA488&dq=important+themes+in+the+great+gatsby&prev=http://books.google.ca/books%3Flr%3D%26q%3Dimportant%2Bthemes%2Bin%2Bthe%2Bgreat%2Bgatsby&sig=2FnRJuD6XO8jjrIsJbb6FeCiuL8 [Accessed December 12] Web/Online: 1.http://web.syr.edu/dwheeler/gatsby4themes.htm [Accessed December 13] 2.http://www.studyworld.com/studyworld_studynotes/great_gatsby/chapter_summaries.htm Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“The American Dream Explored in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Book Report/Review”, n.d.)
The American Dream Explored in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Book Report/Review. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/literature/1522537-american-dream-essay
(The American Dream Explored in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Book Report/Review)
The American Dream Explored in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Book Report/Review. https://studentshare.org/literature/1522537-american-dream-essay.
“The American Dream Explored in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Book Report/Review”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/literature/1522537-american-dream-essay.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The American Dream Explored in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby

This essay is principally based on contemplating the concept of divided sensibility in “the great gatsby” authored by F.... He very objectively portrays the decay and hollowness of the rich and elite American class which also forms one of the major issues explored in the novel by Fitzgerald.... … The story of a quixotic love affair between a man and a woman is attempted to be conveyed, the novel is actually a very prized example of divided sensibility concerning the way by which the American society as a whole and collapse of the american dream is mirrored by the author keeping the intellectual thoughts and emotions separate....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald

Name Institution Course Instructor Date the great gatsby Scott's novel offers a damning and insightful view of the classy status of the 1920s.... hellip; It helps capture the american dream in a time when it had tumbled down into dissipation.... The line serves as an epitaph of the american history and literature (Reaves 82).... This helps to highlight the proposition of the statement on discussion as everything is a struggle and fruits seem not to come by not only to the actor's favour but also to the american history (Pa?...
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Reaction to Theme of Great Gatsby

the great gatsby,by F.... the great gatsby, by F.... scott fitzgerald,is set in the United States in what was called the 'Roaring Twenties',the decade of Prohibition, jazz and mobsters.... scott fitzgerald, is set in the United States in what was called the 'Roaring Twenties', the decade of Prohibition, jazz and mobsters.... Gatsby is the great illusionist.... The burden which fitzgerald carried in the writing of this work was to make the lives of the two dreamers into a tale which anyone would care about, other than themselves....
6 Pages (1500 words) Book Report/Review

Importance of Vision and Blindness in The Great Gatsby

The report "Importance of Vision and Blindness in the great gatsby" particularly discusses the importance of the concepts of vision and blindness in the novel The Great Gadsby by Francis Scott Fitzgerald.... the great gatsby presents a complex vision of the interrelation between impulses, and its final meaning resides in an understanding of the nature of that relationship.... hat this means for us is that in the novel, Gatsby is the incarnation of the American visionary and his story is the chronicle of the quintessential “american dream” with Daisy herself as America, like the old island that flowered once for the Dutch sailor eyes - the freshest green breast of the new world (Fitzgerald p....
6 Pages (1500 words) Book Report/Review

Bootlegging: The Great Gatsby

Such a dramatic transformation had a huge impact on the people, who, before this period, were lead extremely… During the 1920s, however, the basic moral and ethical practices were largely lost and gave way to corrupt and illegal activities such as bootlegging, consumption of drugs and This period in the history of America, during which the practice of bootlegging soared to popularity, is effectively represented in the book the great gatsby by Fitzgerald.... This paper seeks to explore and discuss the concept of bootlegging and its relationship with the great gatsby....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Nick's character in The Great Gatsby

It seems that Fitzgerald deeply suffered from imperfection of value system of the time and showed most unpleasant virtues of… Although, the author couldn't predict the economic crash that overtook America in 1929, the situation he tells us about in the great gatsby was one of the first signs of the coming  Nick Carroway, one of the main characters of the book, is the first person we meet; he is a man of about thirty from a well-to-do family living in the Midwest of the country, who studied in Yale and graduated in 1915....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

The Great Gatsby: Symbols of the Jazz Age

Materialism in the great gatsby is shown by the popularity that Gatsby amasses by virtue of his extravagant parties that he throws every weekend.... Hence, this research explores the different symbols of the jazz age in Fitzgerald's novel the great gatsby.... The Jazz Age was the period in the 1920's after the First World War when the american society experienced an upheaval in the moral and cultural structures of… The novel is a story of tragedy and triumph, but what interests me most in this piece of literature is the remarkable portrayal of the american society....
4 Pages (1000 words) Research Paper

Understanding of Freedom in Literature

Dalloway by Virginia Woolf and, also the great gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald that are brilliant examples that encompass the modernist spirit within their respective scope.... Dalloway by Virginia Woolf and the great gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald were published in such a time when the cultivation of modernist intellectualism was heading towards culmination....
11 Pages (2750 words) Assignment
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us