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Gatsby and the American Dream
In The Great Gatsby, the author F. Scott Fitzgerald writes of Jay Gatsby’s attempt to achieve the American Dream. To succeed in a life full of happiness and freedom is what the American Dream is all about. In the 1920’s, this dream was corrupted. The Great Gatsby shows what happened to the American Dream during this time of corruption. Jay Gatsby is a character in this novel whose life is firmly based on achieving the happiness within this dream. ... Yet his pursuits in life (wealth, power, and pleasure) are not the noble goals once associated with this dream. Fitzgerald uses Jay Gatsby to symbolize both the hope and failure of the American Dream.
Though wealth is an important factor of the American Dream, Gatsby achieved this sort of success illegally. Gatsby thought he would only get Daisy back if he were wealthy. ... There were so many ways to strike it big, and Gatsby used the worst, but easiest way. ... Gatsby owned multiple drugs stores and participated in bootlegging. ...
Everyone was always suspicious about where Gatsby got his wealth, but it’s obvious that doing bootlegging and other illegal business was the only possibility. Gatsby says “It took me just three years to earn the money that bought it” (Fitzgerald, pg. ... Gatsby saw an opportunity to make quick money so he took it. ... To thank Nick for agreeing to have Daisy over, Gatsby offers Nick the opportunity to pick up a nice bit of money by saying “I carry on a little business on the side, a sort of sideline, you understand” (Fitzgerald, pg. ... So not only had the American Dream been corrupted by greed, but also by the fact that people would go to any extent to be wealthy. In this book, Jay Gatsby is a perfect of example of such a person during this time. Gatsby also abuses the wealth that he has. Instead of using his money to help lead a life of happiness, Gatsby buys a big house, expensive things, and throws multiple parties. ... Nothing would please Gatsby more than to have Daisy again. ... Gatsby could be using his wealth to achieve more realistic, noble goals in life. But instead, he focuses on pleasure, which corrupts the American Dream even more.
Approximate Word count = 1893
Approximate Pages = 7.6
(250 words per page double spaced)
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