The Great Gatsby - Corruption of the American Dream Essay Example
'The Great Gatsby is a novel about the corruption of the American Dream.' How far would you agree with this statement?
The American Dream is fundamentally the idea that anyone in America can accomplish through hard work and can achieve success and happiness. It has been expanded on through the years and now incorporates ideas of attaining freedom, wealth and power. In the 1920s when 'The Great Gatsby' was written the Jazz Age was taking hold and the American Dream became more about material possessions being used to show a person's wealth and status and to indicate that they have been successful in life. The materialism of this period of time in America corrupted the American Dream by the intense focus on gaining wealth and power and the loss of morals, and this is demonstrated throughout 'The Great Gatsby'. However, 'The Great Gatsby' is not simply about the American Dream as there are several other themes running through it, such as the emptiness behind the glamour of the Jazz Age, time and the past and morality.
The relationship between two very prominent characters in the novel is used to show the corruption of the American Dream. The title character, Gatsby, lives by the American Dream, desiring wealth, status and power. He strives to achieve these things because he started life with none of them. He had to pay his way through college by doing “the janitor's work”, which he was “despising” so much that he only stayed two weeks. It is possibly from this point in his life that the need to succeed arose. Eventually, Gatsby does achieve the wealth and success that he always wanted, but the manner in which he did so – Tom Buchanan accuses him of being “a bootlegger” - was illegal and immoral, showing the corruption behind Gatsby's success. All that Gatsby strives for is symbolised by Daisy, as she has wealth and social standing, and Gatsby idealises her in his mind to represent all that he wants in the world. Gatsby dreams of loving and being with Daisy, but
The American Dream is fundamentally the idea that anyone in America can accomplish through hard work and can achieve success and happiness. It has been expanded on through the years and now incorporates ideas of attaining freedom, wealth and power. In the 1920s when 'The Great Gatsby' was written the Jazz Age was taking hold and the American Dream became more about material possessions being used to show a person's wealth and status and to indicate that they have been successful in life. The materialism of this period of time in America corrupted the American Dream by the intense focus on gaining wealth and power and the loss of morals, and this is demonstrated throughout 'The Great Gatsby'. However, 'The Great Gatsby' is not simply about the American Dream as there are several other themes running through it, such as the emptiness behind the glamour of the Jazz Age, time and the past and morality.
The relationship between two very prominent characters in the novel is used to show the corruption of the American Dream. The title character, Gatsby, lives by the American Dream, desiring wealth, status and power. He strives to achieve these things because he started life with none of them. He had to pay his way through college by doing “the janitor's work”, which he was “despising” so much that he only stayed two weeks. It is possibly from this point in his life that the need to succeed arose. Eventually, Gatsby does achieve the wealth and success that he always wanted, but the manner in which he did so – Tom Buchanan accuses him of being “a bootlegger” - was illegal and immoral, showing the corruption behind Gatsby's success. All that Gatsby strives for is symbolised by Daisy, as she has wealth and social standing, and Gatsby idealises her in his mind to represent all that he wants in the world. Gatsby dreams of loving and being with Daisy, but