Explain The Downfall Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

Downfall Of American Dream

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is about the corruption for the uncontrollable desire for wealth and pleasure to bring about one’s downfall of the American dream. The American Dream was an idea of traveling to the United States based on thought of freedom for the aspiration to live a greater life with ease. In the novel Fitzgerald demonstrates various ways of the American Dream accordingly with each character, corrupted by one’s illusion of the dream to acquire wealth, love, and pleasure.

First, the idea of the American Dream is entrenched in the United States declaration of independence that proclaims “all men are created equal" and that they are "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable
Rights" including "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Many immigrants migrated to the United States for an opportunity to accumulate riches through hard work and dedication and the freedom to pursuit their happiness. In his 1931 book, The Epic of America, writer and historian James Truslow Adams defines the American Dream as the “dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” Obtaining the American Dream does not guarantee happiness, for some are blinded by luxuries possessions and realize that money cannot buy love or happiness. Many have an illusion of what their dream is and some become corrupted by one’s focus to acquire all the wealth, fame and power to overlook all others. For some various people, the American Dream can be simple as finding their love, building a family, or being able to live life with ease. Over the years living the American Dream has evolve. Today American Dream is corrupted with materialistic that several will loose their lives for trying to pursue the American Dream. There are millions of people who dream of living in the United States to have a chance to fulfill an American Dream. In the beginning of America, slaves seek for the opportunity to live free as the American Dream to live free and equally as others. Today we see society influencing on people materialism is destroying American Dreams.

Second, The American Dream is normally about the discovery self happiness.
Fitzgerald describe Gatsby as a self made individual that has become part of a high society by being a successful business man with a shady past. Being born from a poor German American family, Gatsby learns they ways of a wealthy man by his mentor Dan Cody. When Gatsby receives knowledge that Daisy married Tom Buchanan, he desires to become a man of wealth. Throughout time Gatsby manages to obtain that dream. Through the novel Gatsby tries to allure Daisy by showing his luxurious possessions to impress Daisy by his wealth as quoted here “Every Friday five crates of oranges and lemons arrived from a fruiter in New York …. There was a machine in the kitchen which could extract the juice of two hundred oranges in half an hour, if a little button was pressed two hundred times by a butler’s thumb” (Fitzgerald, pp. 43-44) . Gatsby living in West Egg are newly rich gaining their money through hard work therefore Gatsby cannot obtain “old money” which is something that Daisy
had.

Third, Fitzgerald explorers the various ways of the downfall of the American dream through three characters of the novel.
In the novel the American Dream is presented with hope and perseverance through Gatsby character, as Gatsby desires to win Daisy’s love. Gatsby’s dream to attain Daisy is evident when he is first introduced in the novel, “It is late at night and we find him with his hands in his pockets… out to determine what share was his of our local heavens." While Nick continues to watch Gatsby 's movements he says: "-he [Gatsby] stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward-and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock" (Pg. 21-22). The green light at the end of daisy’s dock is significant in the novel. For Gatsby the green light represents his American Dream, which was attaining Daisy. Fitzgerald gives us a glimpse that being wealthy does not always bring happiness, as Gatsby had always lived with having Daisy in his thoughts. The novel describes Myrtle as poor women who lived in the Valley of Ashes married to Mr. Wilson. Myrtle American Dream was to gain wealth and status and dream to leave the Valley of Ashes. Her illusion of possessing luxuries possession creates irony, as she believed Tom was her chance of living her American Dream to gain wealth and status. However, it is her desire
to reach her American Dream is what kills her. Money is clearly identified as the main culprit in the dream 's death. It becomes easily entangled with hope and success and replacing their positions in the American Dream with materialism. There is a sense of hopelessness as Mr. Wilson kills Gatsby crushing Gatsby hopes for recreating the past killing his American Dream. As for Mr. Wilson represent the common man hoping to reach the American Dream but the desire of pleasure and corruption cause George Wilson to commit suicide.

In summary, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby shows the downfall of each character fail to reach the American Dream caused by money, greed, and materialism. We see through Nick Caraway not the life and death of Jay Gatsby but what Gatsby stood for the failure of an old American Dream he wanted to bring back.

Works Cited
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2004
Cullen, Jim. The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea That Shaped a Nation. New York: Oxford, 2003
Outline
I. The corruption of an American Dream.
II. What is the American Dream and how it changes over the years.
III. Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby show different settings of the American dream.
IV. The failure of the American Dream by three characters
V. The Death of an old American Dream.