...American Dream Changing to Wealthiness Ever since I was a little girl I imagined that I would be someone big in the world because I was taught that I can be anyone I want if I work hard enough, I didn’t know then but I was thinking about the American Dream. While I was growing up that dream just kept disappearing because I was learning of all the different social classes, and how hard I would have to work. The American Dream is an idea that if people work hard enough they will be successful and everyone has an equal opportunity to do what they want. In the beginning, when the American Dream was first introduced by James Truslow Adams in the 1930’s it was about values and opportunity. From the 1930’s until now, it has changed from the values...
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...known as James Gatz, finds himself in a struggle between a fantasy like dream and power comes to inevitably stand for America itself. Gatsby becomes a mythic figure whose career and fate stand for America, our idealism in the face of materialism has destroyed America's green freshness and left only a valley of ashes. Gatsby personifies the “extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness” says Nick. Both of these descriptions can be transferred to characterize America. These two things are what America was built on. America is the land of the hopeful. America in the 1920s was wanting to be successful in an American city with a beautiful wife and home. However, Gatsby believed that this all could be bought, including the American dream. His ostentatious parties exemplifies the decline of the American dream. On the last page of the novel, Nick Carraway says “And as the moon rose higher the inessential houses began to melt away…the trees that had made way for Gatsby’s house had once pandered in whispers to the last and greatest of all human dreams;…something commensurate to his capacity for wonder”. Carraway is creating a picture of the American Dream, saying that versions of it could never be realized through America’s corrupt materialism. The “inessential houses” spoken of, are an example of the corrupt materialism on the once “fresh, green breast of the new world”. The only people who could have their dream realized were the first settlers, because those today who try to become...
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...Tyler Landry Mrs. Potter American Studies, English July 22, 2015 The Great Gatsby Essay Just after the World War 1, in the US there had been huge changes that involved all aspects of American life, including a tendency towards materialism, changes in clothing, women getting the right to vote gangster life emerging, parties and dances, and most importantly the American Dream. Fitzgerald’s novel define that American dream changed by time; the first time for European living in America was American dream, and originally any discovery which gave them happiness was American dream, but in the ear of 20s mean for American dream has become perverted into desire for wealth by whatever means; thinking that money will bring happiness. The Great Gatsby, was published in this era; therefore; it gives us a vivid portrayal of that time by demonstrating symbols and character behavior the impossibility of American dream. The characters that Fitzgerald describes in his novel all tie in with many aspect of the 1920s lifestyle. The Jazz Age was a tendency toward materialism, and characters are described in the way that shows materialistic tendency. Callahan says “Critics from several different generations have noted how Fitzgerald used his conflicts to explore the origins and fate of the American dream and the related idea of the nation.” (Callahan). Fitzgerald describes Gatsby, the main character in the novel, as a dream achiever, who is looking for wealth and property even...
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...Is the American Dream misinterpreted? Contrary to popular belief, the main focus in relation to the American Dream is all material. Frequently Americans have a dream based off of gaining material items rather than freedom and opportunity. People no longer have hopes and dreams but the desire to impress others. The American dream is not obtainable because people cannot make dreams into reality, individuals are greedy, and humans view material items too highly. Materialism is the main prevention as to why the American dream has changed, and is taking a toll for the worse. Information specialist, Lorie Johnson stated, “in order to be truly happy, Americans need to reject the false American dream and create their own version of happiness.”(Johnson,5)...
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...Religions of the World Term Paper In today’s consumer society, it’s easy to become distracted by the things you don’t need. I feel that today’s society has become engulfed in materialism and many of us have forgotten how to connect with the spiritual self. In America, especially, materialism has become a dominating force that motivates the American towards success. The typical American dream consists of owning a house and a car while raising a family and balancing the needs of life. Nowhere in this “American dream” do you hear the desire for spiritual balance and enlightening. I feel that if Americans practice some of the teachings of the Indigenous religions, as well as the Buddhists and Muslims, we can topple this problem of materialism. I think that this is a major problem in the American society. The fact that we forgot how to allocate time for ourselves and relax our minds and souls from the bombardment of materialism has become detrimental. America, in my opinion, is immersed in materialism, which has become its high and its drive. I feel that the dollar means more to the average American, then valuing the spiritual self. It has resulted in the forgetfulness of this society. I feel that the average American lost sight of what the true meaning of life is, instead they focus on what they have, materially, as opposed to where they are going in life and why. We need to focus more on the self and the purpose of life. When going to school, for example, I am surrounded by...
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...American Culture of Consumerism Present day American culture is heavily influenced by consumerism. American’s are focused on material possessions, instead of working for their status in society they would rather project a desired status with the use of material possessions. The rest of the world views Americans as a more materialistic society than majority of the other countries. Americans love to eat, work, party, and spend money all in excess. This means that they value and collect more material objects than most people would ever dream of owning. The American people are so focused on maintaining their material possessions to show off their status, that they focus less on building relationships and developing a sense of self and a sense of appreciation. The marketing world only takes this materialism higher, it focuses on this insatiable “hunger” for the newest trends and thus advertises their products to appeal to a wide variety of consumers. Tom Horton, a writer for The Baltimore Sun, helps put it in perspective in his article The Toll of American Materialism stating “For the record, Americans are five percent of Earth's population, consuming about thirty percent of the Earth's nonrenewable natural resources. If global trade actually enabled the other ninety five percent of the world to live the American dream, we'd need another five or so Earths to support it.” For Americans it is more important to obtain, maintain, and protect their material objects than it is to focus...
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...In the Great Gatsby, the American Dream is supposed to stand for independence and the ability to make something of one selves with hard work but, it ends up being more about materialism and shellfish pursuit of pleasure. In modern times, people still conform to and rebel against societal expectations. In ‘’The Book Thief’’, the younger generation brings hope for a better future by rebelling against the Nazi. In the Political Cartoon, women rebel against society’s expectations on how they were forced to live their life. When the American dream was pure, motivation and ambition were some key aspects of the pure American dream, ‘’He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way…and distinguished nothing except a single green light’’. It shows how Gatsby was striving for his goal and trying to accomplish it. When the dream was pure, motivation and self- discipline were present....
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...The Great Gatsby: The Corruption of the American Dream through Materialism The American dream is an ideal that has been present since American literature’s onset. Typically, the dreamer aspires to rise from rags to riches, while accumulating such things as love, high status, wealth, and power on his way to the top. The dream has had variations throughout different time periods, although it is generally based on ideas of freedom, self-reliance, and a desire for something greater. The early settlers’ dream of traveling out West to find land and start a family has gradually transformed into a materialistic vision of having a big house, a nice car, and a life of ease. In the past century, the American dream has increasingly focused on material items as an indication of attaining success. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is a self-made man who started out with no money—only a plan for achieving his dream. He is so blinded by his luxurious possessions that he does not see that money cannot buy love or happiness. Fitzgerald demonstrates how a dream can become corrupted by one’s focus on acquiring wealth, power, and expensive things. Gatsby’s dream “is a naïve dream based on the fallacious assumption that material possessions are synonymous with happiness, harmony, and beauty” (Fahey 70). His American dream has become corrupted by the culture of wealth and opulence that surrounds him. Gatsby is a “nouveau riche,” and his romantic view of wealth has not prepared him for the self-interested...
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...created equal” and that everyone has the rights for “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This document led to the national ethos that is the American Dream. This dream states that "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement" regardless of social class. Following the Civil War the United States of America underwent large scale change and by the start of the twentieth century was one of the richest nations in the world. By 1950 the U.S.A. was the richest country in the world and a superpower. The state was not the only thing to change during this period. From the late-nineteenth century up to the 1920s average Americans experienced a dramatic expansion in wealth and prosperity. However, with the Wall Street Crash in 1929 the U.S.A. experienced an economic depression that destroyed millions of livelihoods. This eventful period of American history led many to question the American Dreams place in modern America. This research paper will examine the interpretation of the American Dream in literature between the Progressive Era at the start of the twentieth century and the 1950s economic and social boom. In order to do this the paper will examine the novels The Jungle, The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman. These three novels all examine the American Dream in different decades. Written in 1906 by Upton Sinclair The Jungle is a novel that portrayed the life of immigrants and the working class in early-twentieth...
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...The American drama film of 1999 named American Beauty was directed by Sam Mendes, and written by Alan Ball. This movie has many themes related to each other. The themes are conveyed through excellent cinematography, through the plot, and characterization. The central themes of this movie are about materialism, denial and repression, appearance versus reality, loneliness versus feeling connected, and beauty. This movie tries to address all the viewers that a conformist lifestyle would lead to dysfunctionality, and should not be pursued. The main message which this movie delivers is beauty in American culture is dysfunctional. The film portrays that people in American culture prefer to be more materialistic and selfish. They dream to have good jobs, two cars, house in the suburb society, lavish life style. This film tries to portray the “ideology of the American Dream”. I totally agree with the interpretation given in the analysis. The first thing that prompts me to side with the interpretation is the idea of abstemious. An individual should not value materialistic life more than aesthetics. A person should not consider material accumulation as means to happiness, and ignore the importance of relationship. The movie scene that shows that materialism should not be preferred over a relationship is when Lester tried to kiss Carolyn while they were lying on the couch. She almost submits to the moment when she finds out that Lester is about to spill beer on the couch and warns him....
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...entitlement to the American Dream, with hope being the inspiration for materialism, and it only takes time to define whether someone is living the American Dream or not. It is comprehended simply by the book’s cover that the story ahead will entail a loss or great sadness, as seen through the light blue anomaly directly under the teary eyes, as if supposed to be a tear and not just a stain on a photograph. The American Dream is quite a known part of the United States, so much that even people not from or in the US know what the dream is, which is a main reason many people to immigrate to the United States, a place of hope and opportunity. Although the American Dream is defined by the...
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...F. Scott Fitzgerald criticizes the American Dream in his novel , The Great Gatsby. He shows the readers that during this time period the American dream was centered on riches, material wealth, youth and selfishness. People show no regard towards strong moral values and chose material wealth. Hypocrisy and corruption are a way of life for the elite high-class society. Tom is hypocritical in his possessive views of his relationship with Daisy. Gatsby and Wolfsheim’s morals are corrupted by their money-god, and the value of life disappears in all of their lives. F. Scott Fitzgerald believes that the American dream is nothing but a defective illusion and people will always be suppressed from accomplishing true achievement. Meyer Wolfsheim is a...
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...hopes and dreams? Both F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ and Arthur Miller’s ‘A Death of a Salesman’ focus their main ideas on the importance of hopes and dreams. Death of a Salesman, produced in 1949, has become a classic of modern American theatre. It is a story of an average salesman with a dream of being rich and well-liked. Willy believes whole heartedly in what he considers the promise of the American Dream. In the 1940’s The American Dream was as simple as it gets, to have a perfect, successful life with a common nuclear family, a house in the suburbs, a nice car and a life without conflict or family strife. ‘The Great Gatsby’ is a highly symbolic reflection on 1920’s America as a whole, in particular the disappearance of the American Dream in an era of material excess. On the surface, ‘The Great Gatsby’ is a story of the eternal love between a man and a woman. However, in reality the main theme of the novel involves a much larger, less romantic outlook. The 1920’s was an era of decayed social and moral values, which means that the idea of The American Dream was different to what it is now. When World War 1 ended in 1918, the generation of young Americans who fought the war became intensely disillusioned. The rise of the stock market in the aftermath of the war led to a sudden increase in the national wealth and a new found materialism, leading the younger generation to pursue a life of extravagance. The pursuit of the two illustrations of The American Dream, not only...
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...once said, “The negative side of the American Dream comes when people pursue success at any cost, which in turn destroys the vision and the dream.” In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby we see the decay of the American Dream through the selfless but selfish acts of the characters. In the Great Gatsby the symbols of the Valley of Ashes, the green light, and materialism show that the American Dream is unachievable. Through the symbol of the Valley of Ashes we see the hollowness and decay of the American Dream. Myrtle had the same dream as everyone who lives in the Valley of Ashes has, they all want to escape the Valley of Ashes to be a part of a higher social class“…Myrtle Wilson, her life violently extinguished,...
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...The ‘American Dream’ has existed since the funding of the United States. Typically, the dreamer chooses to rise from being poor to being wealthy, while accumulating things such as love, status, wealth, and power. The dream has grown through the years and time periods, even though it was based on freedom, self-reliance and the desire to be something greater. In the past the dream was for someone to go out west for land and to start a family. It has turned into a very materialistic vision of a big house, nice car, and living the easy life. As represented in the novel The Great Gatsby and Baz Luhrmann’s, The Great Gatsby, the American Dream was more focused on instant gratification of material things and needing material things as an indication of success. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby and Baz Luhrmann’s, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is a renaissance man; a man who has it all but started out with nothing. His plan was to achieve his dream. He was so blinded by his possessions, in front of him, that he could not see that money could not buy love or happiness. Fitzgerald demonstrated how a dream can be corrupted by one’s focus on accruing wealth, power, and expensive things. Gatsby’s dream was “ambiguous, contradictory, romantic in nature, and undeniably beautiful while at the same time grotesquely flawed” (Hearne 189). His American Dream had become tarnished and corrupted by the culture of money and opulence that surrounded him. Gatsby was ‘new money’, and...
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