Roaring Twenties saw a boom in luxury and extravagance. People began to pursue the American dream of a secure life and a family. Jay Gatsby is the main character of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel “The Great Gatsby”. He is fascinated by the idea of achieving the “American Dream.” He longs for daisy to return and tries to lure it with his wealth. Gatsby’s American Dream is akin to the 1929 Stock Market Crash. Fitzgerald shows that the American dream can be destroyed by depicting Gatsby’s failure to realize his dream.
Even if one has to resort to unsavory means to achieve it, the dream of finding happiness, fortune and love is a noble one. Gatsby is not alone in failing to recognize this truth. We see Gatsby trying to achieve his American dream by corrupt means, and then we see the end result. Gatsby may be materialistic and successful, but it is only because he uses unethical methods. After seeing Dan Cody’s yacht, he feels a burning desire to make money. He gets involved in corruption, such as bootlegging and other illegal activities. He tries to hide his guilt by lying.
She asked Gatsby if he thought he had inherited his money while having a conversation about Daisy. He replied, “I did, old sports,” but he also said, “but most of it was lost in the big panic-the panic of war.” His dishonesty is evident in this (90). He lies even though he doesn’t inherit any money. He reveals that he is the owner of a chain Drugstores, which he claims conceals his wealth. Tom managed to uncover the truth, and we see Gatsby’s corruption when Tom says that “He and this Wolfsheim opened a lot of side streets drug stores here and there in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over-the-counter.”
This is one of those little tricks. He was a bootlegger when I first saw him. (133) He used unethical methods to gain wealth and he tried to corrupt Daisy’s thoughts by telling her that he had never loved him, forcing her to forget Tom. Although he may be successful to an extent, Daisy later confesses that he has too many ambitions. She cried to Gatsby. “I love you now, isn’t that enough?” “I can’t change the past. She started to sob in pain. She began to sob helplessly. Gatsby’s eyes were open and closed. 132) Daisy’s admission ends Gatsby’s dream. Gatsby looks like he has been bitten at this point. Gatsby begins to lose the courage to live his American Dream. This is when we begin to see the hollowness of his dream. He must now believe there is a genuine connection between Tom and Daisy. His wealth will not be able to break that connection. This shows that he is a dreamer in America and has high expectations.
Gatsby attempts to lure Daisy back with his wealth. To impress Daisy, he throws extravagant parties. Jordan says that Gatsby bought the house to make Daisy’s life easier. We can see that Gatsby’s house is quite artificial. This house was built originally to impress his wealth and is an indication of his corrupt ways of “winning” his affection through materialistic achievements. He believes that his wealth can help him achieve anything he wants.
Gatsby has always been fascinated by the green light at Daisy’s Dock. Nick says, “Gatsby believed that the green light, the orgastic tomorrow that year by year recedes in front of us, was possible.” We didn’t get it then, but that doesn’t matter. Tomorrow we will run faster and stretch our arms further. The (180) Green Light symbolized his wealth and his desire to get Daisy back. It represents the culmination of his American dream, his hopes and dreams for the future and how he could lure Daisy with his material possessions.
He fails to see that the American dream is only a light. It is inexplicable and uncontrollable. The American dream is a symbol for hope and gives the characters the ability to persevere through the difficulties of life. We see that Gatsby’s dreams became so obsessed with money, that all means of obtaining it were accepted, even if they were fraudulent. Gatsby doesn’t realize that his dream is a lie. Although a dream may be able to help one cope with reality, it is not possible to have everything one desires. Fitzgerald illustrates the hollowness of Gatsby’s American dream by illustrating it.
Why Did Gatsby Fail to Achieve the American Dream?
The Great Gatsby is one the most well-known literary works by Francis Scott Fitzgerald. It wasn’t very popular at the time. This book is now a well-respected classic in American literature. It discusses themes such as success, happiness, or consumerism. The American Dream is one of the themes highlighted in the book. There is a title=”Go to website journals.euser.org”>journal article analyzing the novel, which has a perfect definition of this notion. It is the belief that anyone can succeed and become rich in America if they work hard enough.
This notion is proven false in the context of The Great Gatsby. The protagonist of the story is able to attain wealth. He doesn’t experience the joy or satisfaction of his life later. Jay Gatsby is the main character. Jay Gatsby is a self-made billionaire who chases after his childhood love. He grew up in poverty but has been able to make a modest fortune. Gatsby is now a very wealthy and successful man. This success appears to be a result of his lack of meaningful relationships with others. He is also obsessed with one thing that no one else knows.
Gatsby was determined to achieve fame and fortune, but he fell in love with Daisy Buchanan. To get rich, he took part in illegal activities such as bootlegging. Gatsby was unconcerned about morality, as long as he got the money. He is a celebrity because of his lavish lifestyle. In an effort to see Daisy, he hosts parties for wealthy elites. Gatsby feels a temporary sense accomplishment when he shows off his lifestyle and hangs out with the wealthy. But none of these wealthy people truly care for Gatsby. Many of his friendships seem hollow. He finally confronts Daisy, who is married to another man. Gatsby is rejected by Daisy. His immense wealth and influence do not change her mind.
The last chapter of the book is the most revealing example of the failure of America’s dream. Gatsby is eventually killed and shot because of the unfortunate events that follow. It’s time to hold the funeral. He was a host at many extravagant parties and had many socialite friends throughout the course of his life. They all missed the funeral, despite their many socialite friends. Jay’s father and the narrator are the only ones present. Jay was also known as Owl Eyes. All those people who don’t know Jay will ignore him once he’s no longer useful. Gatsby’s behaviour and false promises of success brought him to this place. He has lost all human connection because of his obsession with a unattainable goal and his wealthy lifestyle. He was not understood by anyone. Unhappiness is hidden beneath the beautiful promises of a perfect lifestyle.