Examples Of The Dark Side In The Great Gatsby
The Dark Side
I believe that the American Dream can be defined by having it all. Everyone in America wants to make it to the top. Everyone wants to be rich and famous. But the great power, fame, and success also comes with a dark side. To get to the top you must give part of yourself up. The American Dream may look desirable but the corruption that takes place to get there makes this dream more bad than good. By giving up a part of yourself to get to the top you can never be truly happy once you get there.
In the novel Great Gatsby, Gatsby has it all. He is rich and powerful, and lives in a giant beautiful mansion where he throws parties every weekend. His life and wealth is admired by everyone. But, if you dig a little deeper into Gatsby’s beautiful life you begin to realize it isn’t as great as it seems. Gatsby is not at all happy, and has all of the wrong reasons for becoming the person he is. He is living his life for a woman he will never have. He believes he can get her back even though their relationship was so far in the past. At one point Gatsby says, talking to a friend about Daisy, “Can’t repeat the past?”… “Why of course you can!” Gatsby would do whatever it took to impress Daisy, but he made all of the wrong choices to get there. We find out later in the novel that Gatsby got to be …show more content…
rich by selling alcohol and drugs illegally. He had to corrupt his life and participate in illegal activities to get to the top, and in the end he never even got the girl.
In the book Their Eyes were Watching God, the main character is a black women named Janie living in a time of segregation where blacks and whites were unfortunately not treated equally. Yet Janie was special and treated differently because of her light skin and gorgeous long hair. She is given opportunities most African American women would not have been offered at the time. Janie marries twice in her life. First to a man who used her as work mule and second to a very rich and successful man who happened to be the mayor of Eatonville where they lived. When she married her second husband, Joe Starks, she had it all. They lived in the biggest house, everyone knew who she was, and she had money. But, even though she had it all Janie couldn’t be truly happy with her life. Her husband wasn’t nice to her and made her change who she really was in order to keep the persona of the “Mayors wife”. He even made her cover her beautiful long hair up so that other men wouldn’t look at her in that way. She gave up so much of herself to live a life that seemed so much better than it really was. Luckily Janie realizes that she isn’t happy and gives it all up to be with her true love, Teacup. Teacup helps Janie realize that she needs to live her life for herself and no one else. He tells her, “They two things everybody’s got to do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and the got tuh find out about livin’ fuh themselves.” Janie takes this advice and lives the rest of her life for herself.
The novel and playwright, Streetcar Named Desire, is about a woman named Blanche who is living a lie. Her life is a dream and she can’t seem to wake up and snap out of it. Blanche appears to have it all; she has beautiful clothes and jewelry. She seems like a classy well brought up wealthy woman who has many rich and handsome suitors lusting after her. But the reality is that it is all a lie. Blanche used to have all the things she lies about, but it is easy to see that Blanche was never truly happy. She is an alcoholic, a compulsive liar, and has an obsession with boys much too young for her. It is clear that the darkness of the American Dream had taken Blanche over and drove her to the point of insanity. At the end of the play Blanche says “Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” She has always had to rely on others because the corruption of the American Dream had broken her. She winds up at an insane asylum which was exactly what she wanted in a messed up way. She has a young handsome doctor to take care of her and people taking care of her at all times. Blanche is the perfect example of how the American Dream can break a person.
Another example of the dark side of the American Dream can be seen in the classic Disney movie Pocahontas. This movie seems like a harmless children’s movie but it actually demonstrates the darkness in Americas past. The British wanted the American Dream; they wanted it all. They sailed over looking for gold but ended up becoming corrupted in their search for riches and completely took over the Indians homeland. They treated the Indians brutally, killing them and destroying their land. The British men who came to America became greedy and inconsiderate because they were so caught up in their dream to have it all. The Indians were forced to negotiate with the strange people invading their home. In the film, Pocahontas says, “ Look around you. This is where the path of hatred has brought us.” The corruption of the American dream brought hatred into the lives of the British and the Indians.
The song “Bye Bye Miss American Pie,” is a clear example of how the American Dream and past of this country has a bad side.
The lyrics from this song tell the sad story of the wars faced by this country. “Maybe they’d be happy for a while, but, February made me shiver with every paper I’d deliver. Bad news on the doorstep; I couldn’t take one more step.” The tragic past of the many soldiers lost to wars fought with other nations shows the dark side of how our country got to where it is today. Many good people lost their lives fighting for the freedom of this country, and for the American Dream. Even though the American Dream is a great one, it comes at a high
price.
Everyone wants to have it all. Everyone wants the fame and the fortune and to be on top. But is it worth the cost you have to pay to get there? Is it worth losing part of yourself to the dark side? Maybe for some it is, but you may not like who you become once you get there. The dark side of the American Dream can eat you alive and can corrupt you and change you from who you used to be. It’s beautiful yet ugly and sweet yet sad.
Works Cited
Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print.
Hurston, Zora Neale Hurston N. Their Eyes Were Watching God. N.p.: J.B. Lippincott, 1937. Print.
McLean, Don. American Pie. Capitol, 2003. CD.
Pocahontas. Dir. Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg. By Carl Binder, Susannah Grant, Philip LaZebnik, Irene Bedard, Judy Kuhn, Mel Gibson, and David Ogden Stiers. Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc., 1995.
Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. New York: New Directions, 1980. Print.
I believe that the American Dream can be defined by having it all. Everyone in America wants to make it to the top. Everyone wants to be rich and famous. But the great power, fame, and success also comes with a dark side. To get to the top you must give part of yourself up. The American Dream may look desirable but the corruption that takes place to get there makes this dream more bad than good. By giving up a part of yourself to get to the top you can never be truly happy once you get there.
In the novel Great Gatsby, Gatsby has it all. He is rich and powerful, and lives in a giant beautiful mansion where he throws parties every weekend. His life and wealth is admired by everyone. But, if you dig a little deeper into Gatsby’s beautiful life you begin to realize it isn’t as great as it seems. Gatsby is not at all happy, and has all of the wrong reasons for becoming the person he is. He is living his life for a woman he will never have. He believes he can get her back even though their relationship was so far in the past. At one point Gatsby says, talking to a friend about Daisy, “Can’t repeat the past?”… “Why of course you can!” Gatsby would do whatever it took to impress Daisy, but he made all of the wrong choices to get there. We find out later in the novel that Gatsby got to be …show more content…
rich by selling alcohol and drugs illegally. He had to corrupt his life and participate in illegal activities to get to the top, and in the end he never even got the girl.
In the book Their Eyes were Watching God, the main character is a black women named Janie living in a time of segregation where blacks and whites were unfortunately not treated equally. Yet Janie was special and treated differently because of her light skin and gorgeous long hair. She is given opportunities most African American women would not have been offered at the time. Janie marries twice in her life. First to a man who used her as work mule and second to a very rich and successful man who happened to be the mayor of Eatonville where they lived. When she married her second husband, Joe Starks, she had it all. They lived in the biggest house, everyone knew who she was, and she had money. But, even though she had it all Janie couldn’t be truly happy with her life. Her husband wasn’t nice to her and made her change who she really was in order to keep the persona of the “Mayors wife”. He even made her cover her beautiful long hair up so that other men wouldn’t look at her in that way. She gave up so much of herself to live a life that seemed so much better than it really was. Luckily Janie realizes that she isn’t happy and gives it all up to be with her true love, Teacup. Teacup helps Janie realize that she needs to live her life for herself and no one else. He tells her, “They two things everybody’s got to do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and the got tuh find out about livin’ fuh themselves.” Janie takes this advice and lives the rest of her life for herself.
The novel and playwright, Streetcar Named Desire, is about a woman named Blanche who is living a lie. Her life is a dream and she can’t seem to wake up and snap out of it. Blanche appears to have it all; she has beautiful clothes and jewelry. She seems like a classy well brought up wealthy woman who has many rich and handsome suitors lusting after her. But the reality is that it is all a lie. Blanche used to have all the things she lies about, but it is easy to see that Blanche was never truly happy. She is an alcoholic, a compulsive liar, and has an obsession with boys much too young for her. It is clear that the darkness of the American Dream had taken Blanche over and drove her to the point of insanity. At the end of the play Blanche says “Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” She has always had to rely on others because the corruption of the American Dream had broken her. She winds up at an insane asylum which was exactly what she wanted in a messed up way. She has a young handsome doctor to take care of her and people taking care of her at all times. Blanche is the perfect example of how the American Dream can break a person.
Another example of the dark side of the American Dream can be seen in the classic Disney movie Pocahontas. This movie seems like a harmless children’s movie but it actually demonstrates the darkness in Americas past. The British wanted the American Dream; they wanted it all. They sailed over looking for gold but ended up becoming corrupted in their search for riches and completely took over the Indians homeland. They treated the Indians brutally, killing them and destroying their land. The British men who came to America became greedy and inconsiderate because they were so caught up in their dream to have it all. The Indians were forced to negotiate with the strange people invading their home. In the film, Pocahontas says, “ Look around you. This is where the path of hatred has brought us.” The corruption of the American dream brought hatred into the lives of the British and the Indians.
The song “Bye Bye Miss American Pie,” is a clear example of how the American Dream and past of this country has a bad side.
The lyrics from this song tell the sad story of the wars faced by this country. “Maybe they’d be happy for a while, but, February made me shiver with every paper I’d deliver. Bad news on the doorstep; I couldn’t take one more step.” The tragic past of the many soldiers lost to wars fought with other nations shows the dark side of how our country got to where it is today. Many good people lost their lives fighting for the freedom of this country, and for the American Dream. Even though the American Dream is a great one, it comes at a high
price.
Everyone wants to have it all. Everyone wants the fame and the fortune and to be on top. But is it worth the cost you have to pay to get there? Is it worth losing part of yourself to the dark side? Maybe for some it is, but you may not like who you become once you get there. The dark side of the American Dream can eat you alive and can corrupt you and change you from who you used to be. It’s beautiful yet ugly and sweet yet sad.
Works Cited
Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print.
Hurston, Zora Neale Hurston N. Their Eyes Were Watching God. N.p.: J.B. Lippincott, 1937. Print.
McLean, Don. American Pie. Capitol, 2003. CD.
Pocahontas. Dir. Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg. By Carl Binder, Susannah Grant, Philip LaZebnik, Irene Bedard, Judy Kuhn, Mel Gibson, and David Ogden Stiers. Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc., 1995.
Williams, Tennessee. A Streetcar Named Desire. New York: New Directions, 1980. Print.