The Great Gatsby - Demise Of The American Dream - 883 Words

The Great Gatsby - Demise of the American Dream The Great Gatsby (1925) is a highly symbolic novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald on 1920 s America, an era of great prosperity and material excess. Its theme mainly deals with the disintegration of the American Dream due to decayed social and moral values. The American Dream is a set of ideals in which freedom includes the right for prosperity, success, and social upward mobility for all Americans which can be achieved through hard work and dedication. Fitzgerald uses the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg as a symbolism to show us that the corruption in our generation s moral values will lead to the destruction of the American Dream. Throughout this novel, Fitzgerald uses different symbolism interpretations of the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg to show the corruption of the American Dream without using the phrase the American Dream. The deterioration of social and moral values, the all-seeing eyes of God, and the evils of a materialistic society are various depictions of the symbolic meanings Fitzgerald attributed to Dr. T. J. Eckleburg s eyes. In The Great Gatsby, the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg are located on a billboard, the location of which is very critical to its many different symbolic meanings. The eyes of T.J. Eckleburg look directly straight unto the apartment over the gas station where Tom has his affair with Myrtle, and over the road where Daisy kills Myrtle. The eyes are located in a spot where all the charactersShow MoreRelatedTheme Of Money In The Great Gatsby1189 Words   |  5 PagesThe Great Gatsby is such a prominent novel of the 1920s. Many authors and critics have written on the impact of the novel even up until today. Fitzgerald expresses multiple themes to show the time and its importance. F. Scott Fitzgerald, in The Great Gatsby, reveals wealth, hope, and the demise of the American dream as major themes of his novel. Fitzgerald, interestingly enough, brings the importance of money into this novel early and refocuses on it often. Nick starts off the novel saying, Read MoreThe Pursuit Of The American Dream By F. Scott Fitzgerald1653 Words   |  7 PagesKristin Liu Research Paper Date due: June 10, 2015 Date turned in: June 15, 2015 Self Demise in the Pursuit of the American Dream The 1920s was a time when parties and prosperity were abundant. This created the view that everything was possible and eventually led to the idea of the American Dream. The American Dream was the thought that if one lives in America, then they are living in a land of opportunity. The perception was that an individual, through hard work, can be successful when in AmericaRead More Failure and the Degeneration of America in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby1042 Words   |  5 Pages   The Great Gatsby is a bold and damning social commentary of America which critiques its degeneration from a nation of infinite hope and opportunity to a place of moral destitution. The novel is set during the Roaring Twenties, an era of outrageous excesses, wild lavish parties and sadly, an era of regret and lost potential. As the audience, they take us on a journey guided and influenced by the moral voice of Nick Carraway, a character who is simultaneously enchanted andRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1068 Words   |  5 PagesThe American dream is the idea that all people have the chance to prosper and succeeded in life. This idea inspires people to fight for something or someone. The American dream can be determined by love, wealth, power, success, etc. During the 1920’s, the idea of the American dream became corrupted and replaced with the idea of wealth and power describing America’s failures rather than America’s success. The main theme The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald is the American dream. In this novel, Frances ScottRead MoreIs It Really A Dream?933 Words   |  4 PagesIs It Really A Dream? The American Dream is defined as â€Å"a life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the U.S† (Dictionary.com). This so called â€Å"dream† is an idea that has distinguished both America and her people for centuries. For generations, the American Dream has powered hope for hard-working Americans to achieve a better life - to ful-fill this dream. But over time, the idea of this dream has been criticized. In The Great Gatsby and in Of MiceRead MoreThe Film Of Jay Gatsby Essay1482 Words   |  6 Pagesfilm adaption of Jay Gatsby, a man who rose from poverty as a child to being a millionaire with all the makings, huge house, servants, hundreds of friends. He exemplifies the self-made man theory; he is successful both socially and financially. He basically created a completely new person for himself from his past life. But with all the wealth and status Gatsby accumulated, on the surface it made him appear to be living the Amer ican Dream but it actually leads to his demise. Many different possessionsRead MoreEssay Jay Gatsby: The Tragic Hero in The Great Gatsby1332 Words   |  6 Pagesstatus, but not necessarily virtuous. There is some aspect of his personality that he has in great abundance but it is this that becomes his tragic flaw and leads to his ultimate demise. However, his tragic ending should not simply sadden the reader, but teach him or her a life lesson. In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby is the tragic hero who portrays the corruption of the American dream through his tragic flaw. His devastating death at the end of the novel portrays the dangersRead MoreThe Representation Of The American Dream Essay1535 Words   |  7 PagesRepresentation of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby The American Dream is the dream of achieving success and opportunity, but The Great Gatsby defines the American Dream as unachievable. The characters in the novel are portrayed as the cause of corruption, materialism, and immorality within society. The novel takes place during the 1920’s, an era of prosperity. After World War One, many believed one can achieve the American Dream through any social class. In the novel, the dream is portrayed as anRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1271 Words   |  6 PagesAmerican Dream Essay By: Mary C. Watts In his novel,The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald attempted to explore the American Dream during a corrupt period of the 20’s. In this novel, he wants us to believe that money makes the world go round, or perhaps gets one headed in the right direction. Is it true that an individual can achieve success in life, regardless of family history or social status, if they work hard? Fitzgerald wanted to show the hidden boundaries dividing reality from illusionRead MoreOkonkwo and Jay Gatsby Essay examples928 Words   |  4 PagesThings Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, are novels that detail the tragic rise and fall of two heroes, Okonkwo and Jay Gatsby. Two men who represent the quintessential rags to riches story romanticized by Western literature; ironically destroyed by this same society. Through Okonkwo, we see the destruction of his culture; the culture that he devoted his whole life to, only to see it crushed by European colonists. Jay Gatsby illustrates a man who came from a modest