3‚ 4 5/24/13 Title: Scarface‚ The Great Gatsby and the American Dream Author(s): Marilyn Roberts Source: Roberts‚ Marilyn. "Scarface‚ The Great Gatsby and the American Dream." Literature/Film Quarterly 34.1 (2006): 71-78. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Vol. 210. Detroit: Gale‚ 2009. Literature Resource Center. Web. 28 May 2013. In Marilyn Roberts’ criticism of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby she compares the main character Jay Gatsby to another main character of another
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The Great Gatsby‚ written by F. Scott Fitzgerald‚ is a novel that focuses on many darker themes than most books would have for the time period it came out. One main theme that recurs again and again‚ shaping the plot to fall the way it falls‚ is the decline of the American Dream. The American dream shows up time and time again throughout the novel‚ but as the novel progresses the readers get to watch as the dream crashes into a downward spiral along with many of the main characters‚ and with the
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In Scott Fitzgerald’s title‚ The Great Gatsby was set in the 1920s of the elite American society that was established at the time. It was a time for America’s boundless economic success and opportunity to achieve a dream of glamorous and luxurious life. Life wasn’t always about money‚ but the individual who can reach self-determination through an uphill battle from opportunity life and settling for a prosperous life. A character in the novel‚ specifically‚ Gatsby played a role for Fitzgerald to criticize
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one’s obsessive desire to achieve their goals can have a series of destructive effects potentially leading to their demise. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby‚ is a novel that depicts the consequences that relate to one’s obstinate devotion to their goal. Characters in the novel strive to achieve their individual goals‚ however they become blinded by their ambition in the process. Jay Gatsby‚ the protagonist in The Great Gatsby is an ideal representation of an individual whose ambition lies in
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in most cases‚ the reason beneath the superficiality was the ever-present American Dream that so many tried to achieve. In Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby‚” the character after which the book was named‚ Jay Gatsby‚ helps reveal what the author felt about this turbulent society encaptured by the widely acclaimed novel. Furthermore‚ both Gatsby’s strengths and weaknesses express the contradictions between American dreams and reality and how disillusioned society was in the ‘20s. Several qualities found
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Chasing Hollow Dreams Only Leads to Misery The idea of an American Dream dates back to the 1600s when people started having different hopes and aspirations coming to America. The main reason for settlement was to have more money and live a better life. A settler of moderate wealth in their country of origin might be considered of greater wealth in a colonial settlement. People of lesser wealth see early colonization as an opportunity that might not otherwise be open to them. Immigration into the
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numbers people were doing "stunts" all over the garden‚ while happy‚ vacuous bursts of laughter rose toward the summer sky." -Pg. 47 vacuous (adj) - marked by lack of ideas or intelligence; devoid of serious occupation "I had expected that Mr. Gatsby would be a florid and corpulent person in his middle years." -Pg. 49 corpulent (adj) - having a large bulky body "But young men didn’t - at
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In The Great Gatsby‚ F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the motifs of hiding and concealing to emphasize the strange aura of Gatsby‚ how he tries to cover up his past‚ and his “love” of Daisy. From the way he talks‚ by constantly saying “old sport”‚ to his actions; always pulling guests aside to have private conversations‚ at parties‚ Gatsby’s actions are unusual. He makes up false stories regarding his past and how he became so rich. Gatsby’s love of Daisy has been a delusion‚ as he only wants to marry into
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F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the decline of the American Dream in one of his most famous novels‚ “The Great Gatsby.” Jay Gatsby is an elite of East Egg who has committed his life to regaining Daisy Fay‚ his ex-lover. His wealth‚ however‚ is constantly shadowed by the more sophisticated members of West and East Egg so Gatsby is constantly forced to play catch up in order to impress Daisy with his possessions. Although this book only takes place over a few months‚ it represents the entire time period
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The motifs of capitalism and money are used to examine the hollowness of the dream in both novels. Tom Buchanan is the incarnation of the capitalist system present in America. The inheritance he receives from the family institution is a metaphor for the American economic system. Nick Carraway describes him as “a national figure... come East in a fashion that took your breath away”. His body exudes an “established dominance”‚ the token of an All-American man. In a free enterprise‚ the capitalist does
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