Literature Essay Sample about The American Dream in The Great Gatsby

📌Category: American dream, Books, Philosophy, The Great Gatsby
📌Words: 927
📌Pages: 4
📌Published: 08 April 2022

People often get caught in the moment, leaving them trapped in the past, holding onto the dreams that have long passed them. The American Dream provides people with the opportunity of success but what most people fail to see is all the difficulties that follow. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is an example of people losing sight of the future and depending on the American Dream for guidance. Gatsby's long desires for Daisy and succession have him dependent on the American Dream, hoping his hard work will pay off for something that has passed. Through the perspective of Nick Carraway, the story reveals how Gatsby is stuck with the false hope of the American Dream.

Nick Carroway starts as Gatsby's new neighbor and gets exposed to his riches and status, showing how Gatsby has achieved the American Dream. Gatsby, wanting to win Daisy over, turns to the American Dream and slowly makes his way to the top. He turns to Nick for help, so Nick eventually decides to help his friend reunite with his cousin, but did so reluctantly. When Nick and Daisy are at Gatsby's house, Nick observes the song their singing “‘ONE THING’S SURE AND NOTHING’S SURER THE RICH GET RICHER AND THE POOR GET— CHILDREN.’” (Fitzgerald 74). The song became a symbol in the story, revealing the reality of the story and Gatsby. This plays off the saying, money can’t buy love, rich people only ever get richer, but poor people get by knowing they have a family to come home to. Because Gatsby ran away from home, he has nothing left, leaving him to push his relationship and desires onto Daisy, hoping what he has will help him prove to himself that he deserves to be with Daisy. Gatsby ends up gaining a lot of wealth and achieving the American Dream in hopes of gaining recognition from Daisy.

Inspired by Gatsby, Nick helps Gatsby rekindle his relationship with Daisy revealing his facade on using the American Dream as an excuse to keep going after Daisy. Gatsby only archives the American Dream for Daisy, leaving him to use the American Dream as an excuse. He pressures Daisy with his wealth by inviting her to his party and showing her around his mansion. Nick narrates “He hadn’t once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes. Sometimes, too, he stared around at his possessions in a dazed way, as though in her actual and astounding presence none of it was any longer real. Once he nearly toppled down a flight of stairs.” (Fitzgerald 71). Nick expresses his thoughts on the details of Gatsby's house and how every detail was to please Daisy. He talks about how Gatsby would also stare at the wall, dreaming of Daisy looking with him, and being so enraptured by these fantasies he almost falls down a flight of stairs. Because of the American Dream, he begins to lose his passion, and his only goal becomes Daisy. Gatsby slowly loses himself, and soon enough, his whole life revolves around Daisy, a girl who has already left behind the dream of being with Gatsby. In the attempt to get Daisy all to himself, he forces Daisy to say she never loved Tom. Tom in disbelief, argues with Gatsby revealing Gatsby is involved in illegal business. This leaves Gatsby flustered, yelling a Tom and immediately rushing towards Daisy to clear things over. As Nick observes, he thought “But with every word she was drawing further and further into herself, so he gave that up, and only the dead dream fought on as the afternoon slipped away, trying to touch what was no longer tangible”(Fitzgerald 103). Nick's internal thoughts reveal how Daisy slowly released the kind of person Gatsby is. She begins to shrink back into her shell and let go of Gatsby's long-forgotten dream. As the fighting continued, it only seemed to draw Daisy farther and farther away from Gatsby. This reveals how Gatsby's idea of the American Dream seemed to slowly betray him, for the goal he worked so hard for, for it to be no longer tangible.

Gatsby was so desperate to earn the love of Daisy and prove others wrong through his success that he eventually loses himself and wonders who he was in the past. Gatsby begins to feel lost, longing for the Gatsby from the past. With Daisy starting to walk away, Gatsby is at a loss and wonders what would have happened if he let go of Daisy back when he first left. Nick states “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter — tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…. And one fine morning —— So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."(Fitzgerald 138). This depicts how much Gatsby believe in the American Dream but was stuck with things from the past. Gatsby was caught in a storm and forced back to shore, and not knowing how to make his way back out, he grasped to the closest thing to him. Gatsby stuck on shore, began to revolve his life around Daisy. Gatsby believed the American Dream could fulfill his desire for Daisy, but he didn't realize his goal was too far in the past to be dealt with in the present.

Nick Carroway narrates Gatsby's development and shows how dependent he is on the fractured concept of the American Dream. Because Gatsby was dependent on the American Dream, he began to lose himself in the desire to accomplish that dream. This reveals how the American Dream gives people the opportunity to succeed in their goals, but they fail to realize some things can't be fulfilled through the American Dream. People lose purpose in their dreams, leaving them looking for anything that will prove their goal can be fulfilled.

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