Great Gatsby and the American Dream Essay Example for Free

Great Gatsby and the American Dream Essay Dream is a wildly creative and imaginative futuristic story of ones, or another’s life dream. It is the American Dream is one that encompasses the most imaginative story which is what the person desires to have or accomplish in his lifetime. Although all people of all ages have American Dreams, the notion of such a dream is truly impossible because of its wildly imporportionate measures of desire. In the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the mysterious Jay Gatsby, had a similar fantasy dream. But, in theory, Jay Gatsby is just as far as any other person in their progress towards their true American Dream. Jay Gatsby, whose dream included of being with the girl of his dream, and being filthy rich. Having that sort of dream was not only impossible but by pursuing his dream, it directly led to his downfall and soon his assassination. The American Dream is a widely known and used notion of a person’s â€Å"dream life†, many try to follow or achieve their goals until they realize it is just plainly impossible. Others realize from the very start that their most wild and extravagant American dreams are just what they are†¦ dreams. But then, people like Jay Gatsby do not give up and fight until the end, this came to be the case literally in the â€Å"Great Gatsby† when Gatsby pursues his dream until the time of his death. The entire notion of the American Dream had captured Gatsby, and his dream soon began to dictate his life, and actions. Throughout the novel, Jay is following this one dream that he truly believes can be his one day. This dream was to become very rich and have Daisy Buchanan as his lover. In fact, he does quite well in progressing in the dream until the point where he combines reality and his fantasy and completely forgets about reality. This notion of the American dream was very much hyped up in the time after World War 1, in the 1920’s called the Jazz Age, and this is just the same time frame that this novel is put in. Since there was many wrong doings and many people trying to accomplish these impossible dreams, the time period gave quite a influence on Gatsby and his actions toward his dreams. The corruption is explained by Diane Telgen even further; â€Å"Fitzgeralds book mirrors the headiness, ambition, despair, and disillusionment of America in the 1920s: its ideals lost behind the trappings of class and material success (Telgen, 2). Although something may be impossible, Gatsby knows he will not stop until he achieves it, but due to this mindset he also begins living in a fantasy where he sees his dream take over his life and reality and influence his actions. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald both openly and subliminally incorporated symbols to represent Gatsby’s dream and his progress to attain the unattainable. As the reader reads the book he is foreshadowed by these symbols of how the dream for Gatsby is literally out of his reach, and thus will never be able to grab it. Throughout the novel, there are many times where Gatsby is looking out and sees a green light. Since the dream has taken control, he warps a simple light into something magnificently grander in his mind. In the text of the novel Fitzgerald writes, a single green light, minute and faraway, that might have been the end of a dock. †(ch. 1) As seen in this quote, Gatsby has been overwhelmed by his dream and all he sees is his dream. He has even confused the differences between logic and fantasy. because as seen here he, throughout the book, continuously is gazing at this minute green light thinking of it to be his dream and the closeness between him and Daisy. But he of course fails to realize the reality of the scene that it might just simply be the end of a dock, nothing more, nothing less. Not only was Gatsby blinded by such disillusionment between reality and fake, but he strived to achieve his goal by doing whatever he thought was needed for the accomplishment of such a dream. Jay Gatsby was so emotionally and physically attached to his American Dream that he would do absolutely anything to attain such a dream. Jay is willing to not only lie, but to do crime and other horrendous things just for his money and love. While in the Car going to New York City, Jay tells Nick Carraway his life dream, what is not told is that this life dream is late to be recognized as false and a cover up lie for Gatsby to seem better off and richer that what he really is. One of these lies is captured by Richard Lehan; â€Å"These absurd adventures he went on like living like a rajah in the capitols of Europe and collecting rubies and jewels made some question his honesty. † (get real quote not paraphrased one). Also not only did he make up a new life, in order to mpress a simple girl and earn money he was willing to even do crime which is just absurd in today’s society’s eyes. In the time of the 1920’s there were many immoral practices and many immoral practitioners like Gatsby committing crimes and making up his life as he went. In the novel he really is just not willing to give up on his greedy dream. Even to the point of death he kept on thinking to himself that there might still be a chance for him to have Daisy for himself, as his lover one day. The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald included a twisted plot where the main character Jay Gatsby takes off on an impulse to love Daisy Buchanan and want her and his money. OF course his American Dream was just out of reach and due to such standards for Gatsby it truly led to quarrels between the characters which ended up with Gatsby’s death. Jay Gatsby, whose dream included of being with the girl of his dream, and being filthy rich. Having that sort of dream was not only impossible but by pursuing his dream, it directly led to his downfall and soon his assassination. He was so attached to such a dream he saw simple, everyday objects as signs to him that he is getting closer to Daisy, he also was willing to stoop as low as for a wealthy man to commit crime to earn more money just to impress Daisy Buchanan. He also did not stop there, he made up his own fake life where it lightened up his past for Daisy’s amusement and sticked to that notion until his assassination. Through this novel, it is yet again showed how the notion of the American Dream is just what it is; a notion or a dream, nothing more, nothing less, and nothing attainable.