Failed Dreams in the Great Gatsby
Failed Dreams in the Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is about one man’s pursuit of the American Dream and his downfall as he tries to reach this imaginary goal. Although the dream is different for each person, the principal idea behind the dream is if an individual is determined to reach a goal, he or she has of chance of achieving wealth, and the happiness that accompanies it. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby believes that one can acquire happiness through the accumulation of wealth and power.
Jay Gatsby is a visible example of the success and the failure of the American Dream. Gatsby is living the American Dream. Initially, he appears to be a self-made, wealthy man, and is a remarkable example of how hard work can lead to material prosperity. Gatsby exhibits that it is possible to achieve wealth and success through determination. Although he is the child of “unsuccessful farm people” he manages to cross this social barrier and overcome his modest childhood. He is able to raise himself to his high social stature through hard work and perseverance. The one reason that Gatsby is determined to achieve material wealth is to recapture the love that he once shared with Daisy. Gatsby’s interpretation of the American Dream is where the charming hero-himself, becomes extremely successful and affluent and wins the love back of the “beautiful damsel in distress.” Gatsby throws extravagant parties to try to impress Daisy. He tries to live out his dream of being reunited with her, and reliving the past love that they shared. During one of these parties, Nick and Jordan come across Gatsby’s impressive library that is filled with books. As they came into the library, they came across a man who was astonished at the fact that the books in Gatsby’s library were “absolutely real-have pages and everything” (50), but these books were unread. The pages were not cut, signifying that the books were never opened and were put there for show. This illustrates the somewhat shallow, false side of Gatsby. Although he is personified as a high class, intelligent man, this personification starts to diminish when his superficial side is shown.
Gatsby embodies the mores of the American Dream. He comes from a poor childhood in the West,...