American Dream in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald...

Founding father Benjamin Franklin described the American dream as the â€Å"pursuit of a better existence†¦ a higher quality of life through hard work, determination, and devotion† (Benjamin Franklin). The American dream is an idea that if you work hard, you can rise from â€Å"rags to riches† and live a wealthy and prosperous life with moral values of respect and integrity. Ironically, Franklin’s version of the dream was decaying during the roaring 1920s when society became corrupt and obsessed with greed. In his classic book, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald shows how the American dream of â€Å"hard work, determination, and devotion† was deteriorating because society had become greedy and materialistic. In addition, moral values were in decline and that†¦show more content†¦She talks about the â€Å"lower orders† as through she does not belong to it (Fitzgerald 69). In addition to her hatred for poor, she cheats on her husband and tells him that she is going to see her sister Catherine when she is actually visiting Tom Buchanan. Both Tom and Myrtle contribute to the decline of the Franklin’s vision because they don’t present â€Å"devotion† in their relationships but rather cheat on their partners. Although Tom Buchannan doesn’t represent Franklin’s version of hard work, his college friend, Nick Carraway does. Nick is not lazy nor relies on family wealth. He comes to New York to learn about the bond business and work hard to earn money himself rather than depend on his family’s wealth. In addition, Carraway is one of those people who have â€Å" a sense of the fundamental decencies† (Fitzgerald 2). Overall, unlike Tom, Carraway exhibits respect and admiration for others regardless of their social status. Like Tom Buchannan, Gatsby, a son of poor farmer contributes to the decline of Franklin’s vision because he believes that money can solves all of his problems. Instead of achieving his wealth by â€Å"hard work, determination, and devotion,† Gatsby earns his wealth from doing illegal work. For example, â€Å"[Gatsby] and this Wolfshiem brought up a lot of side – street drug – stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter† (Fitzgerald 110). Gatsby, whoseShow MoreRelatedAmerican Dream : The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1280 Words   |  6 PagesProfessor Ludwig 10 November 2014 American Dream The ideal American Dream is that every citizen in the U.S. may have a promising future, happiness, a family, and health. Some reach the American Dream, and some settle for less. People who do not obtain any type of American Dream cannot truly be happy because their life is not truly fulfilled, which does not satisfy their ambition. Jay Gatsby, a young man who over came poverty, and achieved the ideal American Dream but fell in love with a young ladyRead MoreThe American Dream in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald1129 Words   |  5 Pageseconomy began to soar, and the notion of the American dream began to take effect. The American Dream is the idea that anyone can come from any background and no matter who they are, if they work hard and stay true to themselves, they can achieve their dreams. The Great Gatsby, set in the early twenties, displays that socio-economic power is obtained through inheritance, forming an aristocracy of power and wealth. The Great Gatsby, written by F . Scott Fitzgerald, demonstrates how geography and locationRead MoreThe American Dream in The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald1082 Words   |  5 PagesThe 1920’s was a time of great change to both the country lived in as well as the goals and ambitions that were sought after by the average person. 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In regards to wealth and success, Fitzgerald makes clear the growing corruption of the American Dream by using Gatsby himself as a symbol for the corrupted dream throughout the text. In addition, when portraying the family the characters in Great Gatsby are used to exposeRead MoreThe American Dream : F. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby1362 Words   |  6 PagesGatsby Corrupted Dream The American Dream is originally thought to be about how hard work can lead one person from poorness to richness with the right amount of effort put in. The American Dream can have different meaning to different people but at the end they are all trying to achieve a goal. The American Dream usually requires hard work and dedication. But cheating your way to success can change a person. An example of a distorted American Dream would be F. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great GatsbyRead MoreCorruption of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald855 Words   |  4 Pages In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald gives the reader a glimpse into the life of the high class during the 1920’s through the eyes of a man named Nick Carraway. Through the narrators dealings with high society, Fitzgerald demonstrates how modern values have transformed the American dreams ideas into a scheme for materialistic power and he reveals how the world of high society lacks any sense of morals or consequence. In order to support his message, Fitzgerald presents the originalRead MoreCorrupted American Dream in the Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald1389 Words   |  6 Pagesit corrupted them as they set to reach the American dream by acquiring wealth for the only purpose to pursue pleasure. The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald showing that no one is unaffected by the corruption. This novel is seen through the eyes of Nick Carraway, who moves from the mid-west to west-egg to chase his American dream. He observes the people and events around him as he follows the attempts of his neighbor Jay Gatsby, to gain back Daisy Buchanan’s love. ThroughRead MoreCorrupting the American Dream in The Great Gatsby† by F. Scott Fitzgerald869 Words   |  4 PagesIn the novel, â€Å"The Great Gatsby† by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author establishes materialism and wealth as a corruption to the American dream. The American dream embodies the idea of self-sufficient, honest and intelligent individual with a happy successful life. It is also the idea of the pursuit of happiness but Daisy Buchanan a wealthy aristocrat goes after the empty pursuit of pleasure, portraying her character as a disillusionment of the American dream and how much it lost its good values. The