Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and published in 1925, TheGreat Gatsby is an American novel that follows a cast of characters and their experiences living in the wealthy Long Island town of West Egg in the “Roaring Twenties.” The story is primarily based on the extravagant, but also mysterious, life of a millionaire named Jay Gatsby.
The story takes place in the summer of 1922. Gatsby, who was in his thirties, threw lavish parties and was extremely popular in West Egg. This would change when his treacherous past is resurfaced upon meeting his former lover, Daisy Buchanan. It is discovered that Gatsby’s motivation for achieving such great wealth was in fact Daisy. Gatsby grew up in an impoverished family in rural North Dakota. However, his path to success was neither clean nor legal; he participated in organized crime, specifically the illegal distribution of alcohol and trading stolen securities. Upon his return from serving in World War I, Gatsby was determined to achieve wealth and success in order to win over Daisy, regardless of what rules he broke. Of course, nobody in West Egg knows Gatsby’s corrupt background, and so he is seen as an icon and celebrity. In reality, he is a solitary man who lives in his own personal bubble, trying to relive the past. When his friends try to help him better himself, he cannot because he is too caught up in his own world and refuses to change. He fails to accept the truth, which is that Daisy is now married to Tom and that he has essentially lived a lie. Gatsby’s theatrical approach to life would come back to haunt him when he accidentally runs over and kills Myrtle with his car. Gatsby becomes so much of a problem that Wilson goes to his mansion and shoots him.
It is to be willing to sacrifice and give it all to achieve something greater than oneself. Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is the embodiment of this American Dream. His ambition for success and unfaltering determination for love make him the complete representation of the American Dream.
Jay Gatsby symbolizes the American dream in the 1920s. He was willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted which, in a way, led to his death and lack of people in attendance at his funeral.
The title character of The Great Gatsby is a young man, around thirty years old, who rose from an impoverished childhood in rural North Dakota to become fabulously wealthy. However, he achieved this lofty goal by participating in organized crime, including distributing illegal alcohol and trading in stolen securities.
At its most basic, The Great Gatsby's presents the American Dream as a striving after something that has been irretrievably lost. There is a moment in the book that shows what is at the heart of this striving. About midway through the novel, Nick is talking to Gatsby after one of his parties.
The Great Gatsby is seen as a “conscious indictment of the American Dream of success”,[62] as Fitzgerald – through his characterisation of Gatsby's self-made nature and romantic aspiration – criticises the American upper-middle class' preoccupation with established wealth.
The moral of The Great Gatsby is that the American Dream is illusory. Gatsby's dream was to be with Daisy, but even after he attained her lifestyle, he was unable to be with her. Meanwhile, the people that had money, like Daisy and Tom, could not achieve happiness either.
Final answer: Gatsby represents the dark side of the American Dream by obtaining his wealth through illegal means, indicative of the moral compromise often associated with the obsessive pursuit of success.
The novel neither praises nor condemns Gatsby's dream, but rather presents it as a shallow and ultimately unfulfilling pursuit. Since Gatsby's time, the American Dream has changed in several ways. The emphasis today is on achieving success through education and hard work, rather than simply acquiring wealth.
Gatsby grew up in an impoverished family in rural North Dakota. However, his path to success was neither clean nor legal; he participated in organized crime, specifically the illegal distribution of alcohol and trading stolen securities.
Read in this way, Gatsby's actions are the result of the disconnect between his romantic belief in egalitarianism and the realities of capitalism. Gatsby's belief in the dream of Daisy is so strong that when presented with the possibility of the wealth that would make him suitable for Daisy, he cannot resist.
By many accounts, The Great Gatsby is on that shortlist for its ability to capture the ideal of the American Dream and for its continued relevance. Additionally, Fitzgerald's beautifully executed mastery of the American prose helps to cement this novel's place in history.
Jay Gatsby is the embodiment of the self-made success who invented a new identity for himself regardless the poor past. The richness and the social status of him are the factors that cause the death of the American dream.
The moral of The Great Gatsby is that the American Dream is illusory. Gatsby's dream was to be with Daisy, but even after he attained her lifestyle, he was unable to be with her. Meanwhile, the people that had money, like Daisy and Tom, could not achieve happiness either.
The main characteristics of the American identity in the novel are the notion that the country is connected to the future and tends to break from the past. This is evidenced by Gatsby‟s break from all things that would connect him to his past and instead tries to assume a new identity that suits his present life.
The house, with its luxurious exterior, mirrors Gatsby's longing for a utopian past and an idealized future. In essence, Gatsby's house transcends its architectural magnificence, becoming a metaphor for the elusive and often illusory nature of the American Dream in the roaring twenties.
Introduction: My name is Tyson Zemlak, I am a excited, light, sparkling, super, open, fair, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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