Plan for an essay on The failure of Gatsbys dream represents the failure of the American dream

by haoula_24 (student)

AS and A Level English

“The failure of Gatsby’s dream represents the failure of the American dream”

Context

There are essentially two versions of the American Dream: the first, the ideal, is the original that talks of the “the pursuit of happiness” and the idea that any man can become anything so long as he works for it. This soon became corrupted with the materialistic equating to success, i.e. people no longer worked hard to become the best that they can be, as the best that they can be was equated to owning the biggest house, etc.
Fitzgerald was highly aware of the damaging effect of materialism and how it had led to the failure of the American dream. He fell in love with a 16 year old named Ginevra King, who came from a rich family and who would not marry him as he was poor (reflection on Gatsby)
The 20s saw the biggest boom in consumerism, as the American stock market was doing exceptionally well and people had more money.
The American dream was one filled with hope. And The Great Gatsby could be interpreted as a novel about life without purpose, it seems the only person with any hope in the novel is Gatsby, and it ultimately leads to his demise.
Advertising increased materialistic desire and became a major industry in the 1920s.
16th January 1920: Prohibition is enforced in an attempt to raise the country’s moral values. An obvious example of how the American dream had failed, and morals were simply brought lower as a result of bootlegging making millions for many criminals such as Al Capone.

Content

Gatsby is a symbol for America, this is shown through one of Fitzgerald’s original title’s for the book: “Under the red white and blue”
Gatsby’s re-invention of himself from a young Jay Gats is an example of how he attempt to achieve the original American dream, and reach the height of his human potential.
In the novel, the Ideal American Dream, and the Materialistic American Dream always clash. Gatsby re-invented himself and couldn’t have Daisy, the Ideal failed, he also achieved the Materialistic American Dream and died, he couldn’t achieve the ideal through materialism.
George Wilson- he is ...

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Content

Gatsby is a symbol for America, this is shown through one of Fitzgerald’s original title’s for the book: “Under the red white and blue”
Gatsby’s re-invention of himself from a young Jay Gats is an example of how he attempt to achieve the original American dream, and reach the height of his human potential.
In the novel, the Ideal American Dream, and the Materialistic American Dream always clash. Gatsby re-invented himself and couldn’t have Daisy, the Ideal failed, he also achieved the Materialistic American Dream and died, he couldn’t achieve the ideal through materialism.
George Wilson- he is working hard and attempting an example of the Idealistic American Dream, but has very little in the way of material possessions. It is also important to note that he is the one character that does this, yet lives in the Valley of Ashes- where the dream goes to die?

Quotations

“One of those men who reaches such an acute limited excellence at twenty one that everything afterwards is an anti-climax”

-On Tom. He, at twenty one was an incredible football player, and achieved the ideal American Dream by reaching his Human Potential. He has since tried to replace it with materialistic items, but has been left feeling hollow, hence why he cheats on his wife, etc.

“He stretched out his arms further towards the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling”

-On Gatsby

“I glanced seaward- and distinguished nothing except a single green light”

-Metaphor for Gatsby’s dream, a young Jay Gats also wears a “green sweater”

“With the influence of her dress her personality had also undergone a change. The intense vitality that he been so remarkable in the garage was converted into impressive hauteur”

-On Myrtle, she is with Tom and has all the material possessions she could want, she has achieved an materialistic American dream, but her personality is only worse, not better.

“A phrase began to beat in my ears with a sort of excitement: “There are only the perused, the perusing, the busy and the tired”

-Nick commenting on all of the people in American, and their dreams, and their reasons for not achieving them.

“You always have a green light that burns at the end of your dock”

-A metaphor for how people always have their dreams in the distance, but how they always seem to be out of reach.

“There must have been moments even on that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams”

The Reality of the failure of Gatsby’s (The American) dream.

“Hint of the unreality of reality a promise that the rock of the world was founded securely on a fairy’s wing”

-The reality of how fragile the dream is on which American was founded.

“The lawn and drive has been crowded with the faces of those who guessed at his corruption- and he stood on those steps, concealing his incorruptible dream

-A direct parallel with the American Dream. One can imagine the president of the United States standing and delivering a speech on the incorruptible American Dream which had already been corrupted.

“Gatsby believed in the Green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter- tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms further... and one fine morning.

And so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”