First Draft

 

American Dream in The Great Gatsby

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the capitalist society of the United States entered a period of rapid prosperity, and the material level showed great prosperity, but the spiritual level of people was in great crisis. American Dream, love, money, society, and social classes all played a role in the book The Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby shows us the true aspect of America. Class differences in capitalist societies make commodification and interpolation happen between people with their relationship. And the American Dream has always been a major force in helping the rise of the middle class. People try to climb the social class from it to become prosperous. Although the American dream is the dream that every American citizen has been pursuing, Gatsby’s pursuit of the American dream displays the tragedy of American society, embodying the distorted idealism and the fall of the American dream.

The realization of Gatsby’s American dream deviated from the original intention and meaning of the American dream. When American capitalists lived a life of the luxury material, the American working people were displaced by unemployment and lived a bleak life. All people try to meet the social class and become prosperous. However, behind the prosperity are dirty transactions, as well as humanity’s loss and fraud. “Especially that so-called American Dream, that stereotype that everyone can succeed if you try hard enough,”(Geoghegan). The American dream can be understood as through its own unremitting struggle, regardless of birth, status, and class, as long as they work hard through their own hard work, everyone can realize their dreams. Gatsby is a poor boy at the bottom of society. He has nothing but courage and dreams. He gains wealth and status by his own efforts and enters the upper class. Gatsby successfully realized the American dream, it seems very inspirational. But in the 19th and 20th centuries, how can a young, poor, no background man succeed quickly and get what he wants. The only way is to take risks. In order to get into the upper class society, he was tempted by the interests of money and lost his original moral concept. At the same time, his identity and family also influenced his thoughts to become wealthy. When Nick describes Gatsby’s experience. He says “His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people – his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all.”(105). Gatsby was born in a poor family and he never really accept his family. He was dissatisfied with everything that his family gave to him. “Gatsby’s rejection of these humble origins is signaled by a name change, an ‘immigrant’ surname anglicized and a formal first name made familiar and fashionable sounding. This reinvention begins when Gatsby is seventeen,”(Giltrow and Stouck, 478). Gatsby was born in a poor family, and his legal name was James Gatz but he changed it at his 17 years old. He always imagines that he is born in a rich family and that is what he lied to the other people. And that also influence his thoughts by becoming a rich person. Gatsby distorted the original intention of the American dream. He did not become rich by his own efforts but got a lot of money through some illegal means. This also laid the groundwork for the demise of his American Dream.

Gatsby regarded the American dream and wealth as a quest for Daisy, which was his most deadly mistake. Gatsby had a relationship with a girl named Daisy before he went to the war. Due to Gatsby’s leaving, the relationship has to be broken up. Especially Gatsby was in the lower class of society, Daisy would not marry him even he did not went to war. “Almost five years! There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams…… He had thrown himself into it with a creative passion, adding to it all the time, decking it out with every bright feather that drifted his way,”(103). Perhaps the love of youth is simple, but five years, have turned the simple and beautiful girl into a woman who is now secular and admires vanity. However, Gatsby’s heart is actually empty and lonely. He may think that such a simple girl has already gone with time, but he is not willing to think deeply. He only magnified the love and pursuit of Daisy, so that life is meaningful. “Although Daisy has been married off to Tom Buchanan, Gatsby is determined to win her back by displaying his new wealth……Not only do Gatsby and Tony impress women with their wealth, but they equate those women with money,”(Roberts, 74). Gatsby’s poor family influenced Gatsby’s thoughts that he has to become rich in order to match Daisy’s social class. Gatsby may not be commoditized for Daisy, but he hopes to show his wealth through Daisy. When Gatsby came back from the war, he was looking for Daisy and tried to get Daisy back. Gatsby regarded Daisy as an American dream. He loved Daisy but also wanted to show his wealth by being with Daisy. Only in this way, his American dream can make sense and this is because it is his belief. However, this belief is beautiful and fascinating, but worthless. Because between love and money, Daisy always chooses the latter. “he throws huge, brilliant Long Island parties in an epic attempt to attract the attention of a woman he lost because he had no money when they fell in love — is juxtaposed with the lonely, ugly end [shooting, swimming pool] to which he comes,” (Spargo). Gatsby blindly believes in the power of money, living in a romantic fantasy, dealing with harsh life in the most naive way. In this way, Gatsby pinned all his dreams on an image that was no longer existed and vain. This dream led to Gatsby’s choice of the fastest way to achieve his dreams, and eventually, his dream was shattered.

The American social phenomenon in the 19th and 20th centuries also led to the failure of Gatsby. In the upper echelons of the America, where class values are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, Gatsby, who is born at the bottom, will never be accepted by the upper class in America. This is also caused by his identity. Gatsby bought a big house and stages lavish parties. When Nick describes his neighborhood where Gatsby lives, “At least once a fortnight a corps of caterers came down with several hundred feet of canvas and enough colored lights to make a Christmas tree of Gatsby’s enormous garden,”(43-44). Gatsby holds luxury parties once every two weeks. And each time he will spend a lot of money to decorate his house. Many of the people will join in the party that Gatsby holds in his house. These things are expensive and unnecessary. Gatsby wanted this luxury party to show his wealth and attached to the upper class life. “He’s a legend to all those around him, but they have no idea who he really is or what it is that sets him apart from them,”(Spargo). Gatsby is a mysterious person, and even among the people who attended the party, few people knew him. This may be because Gatsby lie to others and conceal his true poor identity. Although people don’t know who Gatsby is, many high society class people have participated in the Gatsby party. “Gatsby’s mansion is the venue for riotous, all-night parties, filled with hedonists getting drunk on the host’s money. Yet by the end of the story, the home is – like many foreclosed properties across the US today – empty and neglected,”(Geoghegan). Although Gatsby deals with the upper class, it will not be accepted. Although Gatsby had countless top celebrities in his luxury party, on the day of his funeral, there was no one except his father, Nick and the gentleman with owl glasses. As the novel suggests, “they will give you a better impression than my generalities of those who accepted Gatsby’s hospitality and paid him the subtle tribute of knowing nothing whatever about him,”(66). Daisy’s husband, Tom, has always maintained the privilege of the upper class. Although Gatsby can provide a luxurious life to Daisy, there is no decent background and reputation like Tom, which was eventually abandoned by Daisy.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, selfishness and apathy were the essential characteristics of that social interpersonal relationship, and the interpersonal relationship was full of selfish greed. Love and friendship are based on money and materialism. In such a society, Americans hold a beautiful American dream and try to escape from the traditional burden of life to seek new spiritual comfort. However, everyone only live for their own benefit. Once a person loses his wealth or is in deep trouble, those “friends” will disappear and seek another “rich paradise” that will allow them to enjoy themselves. This is the essence of the selfish and degraded social morality concealed by the American Dream in the 19th and 20th centuries. Whether it is the period of the novel or now, the pursuit of interests has become the value of most people.

 

Work Cited

Scott Fitzgerald. “The Great Gatsby.” Planet EBook.com, www.planetebook.com/free-ebooks/the-great-gatsby.pdf.

 

Geoghegan, Tom. “The Great Gatsby: What It Says to Modern America.” BBC News, BBC, 10 Aug. 2011, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-14238693.

 

Giltrow, Janet, and David Stouck. “STYLE AS POLITICS IN ‘THE GREAT GATSBY.’” Studies in the Novel, vol. 29, no. 4, 1997, pp. 476–490. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/29533231.

 

Roberts, Marilyn. “‘Scarface, The Great Gatsby’, and the American Dream.” Literature/Film Quarterly, vol. 34, no. 1, 2006, pp. 71–78. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43797258.

 

Spargo, R. Clifton. “Why Every American Should Read The Great Gatsby, Again.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 9 June 2013, www.huffingtonpost.com/r-clifton-spargo/great-gatsby-rereading_b_3046378.html.

 

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