Assess the Importance of the American Dream in relation to The Great Gatsby

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Alfie Collins

Assess the Importance of the American Dream in relation to The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is, ostensibly, a romantic novel of thwarted love. For this reason, the structure and development of the novel does not hinge on the American Dream. Many critics would dispute this, such as William Fahey, who argued that Gatsby has a ‘naïve dream based on the fallacious assumption that material possessions are synonymous with happiness, harmony, and beauty’. Harold Bloom also shared Fahey’s view, citing the lavish parties held by Gatsby and his acquisition of a large mansion as being indicative of a materialist. However, these viewpoints seem unfounded. It is written that ‘his bedroom was the simplest of all’ – clearly, then he is not a materialist. Gatsby is also totally disengaged in his parties, steadfastly maintaining sobriety, even amongst the drunken animation around him. His mansion is simply for Daisy, and his parties are held in the hope that she will endeavour to turn up to one. The reader may doubt that Gatsby would go to such excessive lengths to try and attain the affections of one lady; however, it was Gatsby’s paucity that led to Daisy rejecting him 5 years earlier. When he asks Nick, ‘my house looks well, doesn’t it?’ he’s not boasting about his wealth, he is trying to get reassurance that Daisy will like it. To this extent, Gatsby’s acquisition of wealth is not to do with the American Dream and many of the negative and self-interested aspects of the American Dream are not embodied in Gatsby’s character, and as a result, the ideology does not play a major role in the structure and progression of the novel.

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Despite this fact, the criminal method in which Gatsby accumulates his wealth certainly calls into question the morality of the American Dream. Any acquisition of wealth is shown to be achieved via methods other than that simply working hard; indeed, hard work seems like the worst option available when it comes to amassing a fortune like that of Tom or Gatsby. The American Dream is shown to be unrealistic, and it is, therefore, simply a dream. Gatsby had to become a bootlegger in order to become rich and Tom simply inherited his wealth. Even Jordon Baker’s success as a ...

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