Destruction Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

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In "The Great Gatsby", F.Scott Fitzerald describes the time after World War I as a period with religious, social and moral decay. America's new pursuit for happiness involves a large amount of wealth, specifically related to industrialization. Although America has sacrificed its old ways for new moderism, it has only changed for worse. The pursuit involves obtaining money and possessions in any way necessary. However, sooner or later, this attraction with wealth only leads to sorrow and destruction and in the novel, even death. The author, F.Scott Fitzerald believes that in a world with no morality, the American Dream is dead. The portrayal of the fallen American Dream is signified through the Buchanan's of East Egg, Jay Gatsby of West Egg…show more content…
Gatsby is part of the newly rich. He lacks the history and tradition to live in East Egg society where people seem to hold glamour and happiness. The Green Light he reaches out to is his hope for acceptance and Daisy. However, the Daisy he knew and fell in love with is not the same anymore, and his tragedy proves his dream is not reachable. In fact, his American Dream is a baseless fantasy because of social inequality and his attempt to recreate the past. His objective was nothing more than Daisy, a woman he claims to have "a voice full of money" (115) Gatsby's has placed his faith in the wrong place, no different from the East Egger's obsession with material wealth. Gatsby exemplifies the death of the American Dream through his involvement with bootlegging and his attempt to steal another man's wife. In the novel, all the people with no morality have towering wealth. This contradicts the real American Dream where money is awarded for hard work and…show more content…
The Valley of Ashes is the home for the poor and illustrates the ugliness of social decay. The narrator indicates Tom and Daisy were careless people, "they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made." (170) This "careless" lifestyle comes to the cost of those who live in the Valley of Ashes. Myrtle Wilson had social ambition and it lead her to seek a life that was different from what she was given. Although her husband loves her, she could not appreciate his hard work and had an affair with Tom. Her search for something more lead to her death. The disillusion of the American Dream is shown by Myrtle's death. To characters such as Myrtle and Gatsby, the dream was to have a lifestyle like those in East Egg. However, the dream itself is dead because East Eggers like Tom and Daisy are spoiled so much by wealth, they have lost all
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