The Great Gatsby American Dream Essay - 1940 Words

Kaylie Skoumal Mrs. Sabers English II 6 October 2017 Destruction of an American Dream â€Å"The American Dream is that any man or woman, despite of his or her background, can change their circumstances and rise as high as they are willing to work† (Fabrizio Moreira Quotes). Jay Gatsby believed that he could achieve his American Dream of being successful and marrying Daisy by working extremely hard in his lifetime. He labored to make a great amount of money through a disreputable way with Meyer Wolfshiem. His main agenda was to win Daisy back to him and he did everything he possibly could to make that happen in his life. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby strived for his idea of the American Dream, but fell short in the end.†¦show more content†¦Next, Gatsby could be seen laboring to achieve his American Dream through his various methods he used to try to become wealthy. The first time Gatsby almost succeeded with his dream is when he became Dan Cody’s assistant. Gatsby had the chance to happen upon the millionaire Dan C ody. Liking Gatsby, Cody immediately offered the young adult a job. Gatsby traveled the world with Cody, but his employment was finally terminated after five years when Cody died. â€Å"And it was from Cody that he inherited money—a legacy of twenty-five thousand dollars. He didn t get it. He never understood that was used against him, but what remained of the millions went intact to Ella Kaye† (Fitzgerald 100). Gatsby almost succeeded in earning a large amount of money through Cody’s will, but Ella Kaye, Cody’s mistress, was able to extract the money under Gatsby’s nose for herself. Once again Gatsby was back to where he had started and all his work over the five years was for nothing. Nevertheless, Gatsby did not give up and after he was released from the war he started to work with Meyer Wolfsheim to make money in unsavory ways. Wolfsheim was not a respectable businessman, but through his methods he was able to make an enormous mass of cash. â⠂¬Å"‘He’s [Wolfsheim] the man who fixed the World’s series back in 1919’† (Fitzgerald 73).Wolfsheim was the one responsible in the 1919’s of fixing the World’s series to win money through gambling. Wolfsheim and Gatsby workedShow MoreRelated The Great Gatsby - The American Dream Essay767 Words   |  4 Pagesmade by Marius Bewley’s critical essay â€Å"Scott Fitzgerald: The Apprentice Fiction†, â€Å"Fitzgerald’s ultimate subject is the character of the American Dream in which, in their respective ways, his principle heroes are all trapped.†, can be justified through Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby and his short story â€Å"Winter Dreams†. In both pieces of literature, Fitzgerald explores and comments upon Americans and their pursuit of the American Dream through Jay Gatsby and Dexter Green’s pursuit of theirRead MoreEssay On The American Dream In The Great Gatsby933 Words    |  4 PagesThe Great Gatsby Essay The Great Gatsby has always been a great book, but have you ever wondered what the meaning of â€Å"The American Dream† is..? To me the american dream†¦ is anyone and everyone can come here to american and achieve their goals, they can have better lives here in the US, they can be more successful when they put their minds to it. Fitzgeralds was making it seem that the rich or more money you have the happier youll be, the better off you are in life. He paints a picture makingRead MoreEssay on The Corruption of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby1302 Words   |  6 Pages On April 10, 1925 F. Scott Fitzgerald published The Great Gatsby, a novel that would later become one of the best known pieces of classic literature in history. However, at the time of its publication, Gatsby was fairly unpopular ad the reviews were never consistent. As shocking as it may seem, I believe it is because Fitzgerald’s intelligence and creativity levels were way ahead of his time, which is evident when one pays close attention to the themes of the novel. ForgivenessRead MoreEssay On The American Dream In The Great Gatsby1001 Words   |  5 Pageshas been a place â€Å"where dreams come true,† from when the colonists aspired freedom and liberty to present day where Americans pursue wealth and success. However, throughout the twentieth century, this concept of the â€Å"American dream† seemed to have deceived the commonwealth as those who aspired success found themselves poor and deprived of the benefits the American dream promised them. 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In his novel, â€Å"The Great Gatsby,† he demonstrates the delusive and far-fetched concept of the American dream in men of West Egg compared to those of the Valley of Ashes and East Egg by describing the different lifestylesRead MoreThe American Dream In The Great Gatsby Essay1158 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"It is the elusive Gatsby, the cynical idealist, who embodies America in all of its messy glory.† Clearly as Adam Cohen asserts in his New York Times article â€Å"Jay Gatsby, Dreamer, Criminal, Jazz Age Rogue, Is a Man for Our Times†, this phenomenon is indeed true in that the American Dream is presented in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby as an idea that has been depraved into a dream characterized by the constant shift in ethics and fraudulence centered around materialistic visions of opulenceRead MoreEssay On The American Dream In The Great Gats by954 Words   |  4 PagesGatsby changed Nick’s mind on the American dream and what it really is.Nick’s original thoughts on the American dream â€Å"...become again that most limited of all specialists, the ‘well-rounded man.’†(Fitzgerald 6),were much like his families in the beginning.Later after the events in his time with Gatsby Nick sees the error of his ways and returns to the Midwest giving up on his bond market dream.†Gatsby was never in it for the money and this revelation eventually caused Nick to give up his questRead MoreGreat Gatsby American Dream Essay923 Words   |  4 PagesThe novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is about the struggle of achieving the American dream, and how much a person is willing to do to reach it. The book’s focus is on the obsession of Gatsby, the protagonist, and his feelings for Daisy, a married woman who he was previously involved with. The novel also focuses on Gatsby’s determination to make her fall in love with him by the glitz of money and power. Fitzgerald uses the symbols of wealth, superficiality and irresponsibility to conveyRead MoreThe Great Gatsby and the American Dream Essay933 Words   |  4 Pagespower are the core principles of The American Dream. Pursuit of a better life led countless numbers of foreign immigrants to America desiring their chance at the vast opportunity. Reaching the American Dream is not always reaching true happiness. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby achieves the American Dream, but his unrealistic faiths in money and life’s possibilities twist his dreams and life into useless life based on lies. Jay Gatsby believes he can buy happiness. For exampleRead MoreThe Great Gatsby American Dream Essay1030 Words   |  5 PagesThe American Dream and â€Å"The Great Gatsby† The American Dream can be described as someone starting at the bottom of the social or economic ladder and working hard towards prosperity, wealth and fame. By having money, a car, a big house, nice clothes and a happy family symbolizes the true American dream. This dream also represents that people, no matter who he or she is, can become successful in life by his or her own work. The majority of people pursue the American Dream for themselves, their families