...The Great Gatsby is a tragic love story that contains several strong felt themes within it for example, betrayal, social divide and loneliness among others. One of the themes that leaves a great impact in the novel is the American dream, which is shown to the readers through the life of Jay Gatsby. As a result of the tragic end of the story, many people question whether Fitzgerald dismisses the whole idea of the American dream. The American dream is best described as the belief that all people in America regardless of their nationality, their race gender or social class can become wealthy. It assumes barriers like racism, xenophobia, economic inequality and gender wage gap, which exist in the country. The Great Gatsby was however written in...
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...The Great Gatsby and The American Dream While many countries around the world are working toward equality of social status and avoiding a large gap between rich and poor, there is still a strong desire in people for social freedom through the accumulation of wealth and extravagance. The Great Gatsby’s depiction of the connection between material goods and the American dream is still relevant today. At first glance, the movie may seem to be about the failed relationship of Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. However, the major theme of the novel is the accumulation of wealth for social status and the idea of being able to reach a high level of success regardless of family history or lack of money. To understand the connection between the two it will be necessary to have an analysis of the culture values in the 1920’s, what people consider to be the American dream, and finally if there is still a strong desire to achieve the American dream in today’s society. In order to understand the connection between The Great Gatsby and the American dream it is first important to have a good understanding about the movie and motifs of the movie/novel itself. The story takes place in a post war America in the 1920’s when Nick Carraway moves to New York to pursue his career in finance. Nick soon discovers that he is neighbored to the wealthy and mysterious Jay Gatsby, who is known for his loud, lavish parties. Jay and Nick soon become good friends and Nick begins to learn the motifs behind...
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...In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author uses well developed motifs of houses to inform the readers about the overall theme of the novel. By doing so, the author creates well thought symbolism. The use of motifs reflects the conflict of social inequality of wealth. For example, Gatsby's house, one of the most elegant and luxury houses of the town. Which symbolizes the wealth and power that the Great Gatsby has. Fitzgerald expresses, "I want you and Daisy to come over to my house," he said, "I'll like to show around." (Fitzgerald 89). As stated by Gatsby, he "showed" off his wealth through his house. Also to show the life that Daisy would of lived if she was with him. The house that Gatsby owns is looked upon by...
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...We often associate material gain with enjoyment and fulfillment, but we fail to understand the side most affected by the uninhibited pursuit of gratification. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the wealthy do just that; they climb the steps of social class by stepping over those who are poorer. In the novel, the lower-class face degradation caused by the wealthy’s often selfish desire for pleasure and satisfaction. Specifically, the Valley of Ashes symbolizes Fitzgerald’s criticism for that very inconsiderate pursuit of self-gain, which creates dire consequences for the poor. The negative language used to analyze the Valley illustrates Fitzgerald’s disapproval of the rich’s lack of consideration for others. When Nick describes the Valley,...
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...Discuss the portrayal of New York Society at the turn of the twentieth century in Edith Wharton’s “The House of Mirth.” Edith Wharton’s ‘House of Mirth’ critically depicts New York’s society at the turn of the 19th century as money orientated, unequal and content with its missing morals and ethics. Having experienced first-hand the upper class of America, Wharton is able to expose this dismal society in a way many other writers were unable to. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s, the Great Gatsby society is also a key theme. Based in the growing New York of the 1920s, Fitzgerald portrays the theme of society through the influx of new money and its difference between those of old money. Due to the historical differences between the two novels, Wharton’s novel can been seen as a criticism of this society; Fitzgerald’s novel uses society to enhance the plot, sometimes he does criticise it. Fitzgerald criticises this society as he reveals it to be a lost generation after a major worldwide conflict, which has turned into a hedonistic and materialistic society. Word Count for Page One: 313 Word Count for Page One: 313 Money plays a big part within the characters’ lives and the society within ‘House of Mirth’. Wealth is an important factor, in order to be accepted into the higher society. Lily teeters on the edge of this society, however her lack of money limits her from being accepted fully. Wharton explores the idea of inherited wealth through characters such as Percy Gryce, she displays...
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...A common sight in both Fitzgerald’s book and early 1900’s era was the rich and their endless supply of wealth spent on lavish materials and events (17.5). Evidently, the possession of luxuries was a sign of status and wealth. The Great Gatsby characters embodied this excessive lifestyle of moral ambiguity and obsession of wealth through the effusive parties. This immoderate use of money reflected in the novel was analogous to the equally excessive spending of the upper class in the 1920s. The wealthy submitted to the persuasion of consumer culture, frequenting department stores tailored to their social class. Consequently, this huge influx of spending during a fragile bubble of economic prosperity brought upon the depression after the Roaring Twenties. Naturally, the rich had profitable sources of income equal to their expenditure. However, many profited through ill-suited means, such as the character Jay Gatsby who worked with gangs to illicitly sell alcohol during a time of prohibition. Similar to that, the rich utilized capitalism to profit off the backs of workers. Though the demographic of the upper class was the smallest of the social classes, they were always the ones profiting due to capitalism. As workers’ wages lowered and their expenses increased, the owners of companies and businesses received a...
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...and accomplishment. F Scott Fitzgerald’s, The Great Gatsby, is an effective critique on the corruption that surrounds the American Dream. It is also a commentary on the warped view of Western hedonism and idealized lifestyles. The dream is portrayed strongly through the characters, depicting undignified ways to obtain wealth, the amoral social interactions and the illusion of affection and false fellowship. Thus exposing the unscrupulousness, self-absorption and disillusionment that lie at the wake of the American Dream. Fitzgerald critiques on the ideal of ‘self-made’ men (financially) and how through sheer desperation, men stray from conformity and followed a deviated path in order to reach wealth. The American Dream is the belief that regardless of one’s socio-economic background, an individual could still reach financial triumph through hard work, education and drive-which has been the belief of the American society. According to American sociologist Robert K. Merton, American society has generated common desires and pressures for material possession-which is how success was measured- those who fail to succeed by conformity or valid means, resort to devious acts to do so. Fitzgerald comments on this aspect of his society through the portrayal of Gatsby in the novel; who employed unorthodox ways of obtaining wealth in order to gain his incommunicable desire for Daisy’s affection. His illegal background was hinted by Gatsby himself: “… You see, I carry on a little business...
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...Exploration of Marxist Criticism in The Great Gatsby The American dream can be summed up as such: The ability for any individual regardless of their initial socioeconomic status, to achieve great monetary and social wealth. In the capitalist society of America, the belief is to become rich is integral for all its citizens. This is opposed to the Marxist view on equality, since for a person to be wealthy another must inevitably be below him. The society in The Great Gatsby exemplifies the flawed aspiration to accomplish the American dream. Through the experiences of three prominent characters in the novel: Myrtle Wilson, Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby. The errors of the attempt to change ones class in a class-based system are personified. Myrtle...
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...things. Everyone sees things differently and will interpret it that way; to one person the American Dream is just that, a dream and when they wake up it will be a nightmare, and to another it is an ambition, that just makes them want it more. By definition the American Dream is: “a national ethos of the United States, a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility for the family and children, achieved through hard work in a society with few barriers.” So, the question remains, is it still alive today, and is this really how people are living their lives? As sad as this answer may be, the truth is, probably not, like all good things they must end. The American Dream is a great thing to wish for however, it has been lost in time with the unwillingness to pursue it. The saddest thing is that some people believe the American dream is something that exists today; whereas some people in society have no idea that this dream exists. What ever happened to the zeal that drove America to the top? What happened to the aspiration of striving for greatness and becoming that greatness? That may be a question no one knows the answer too or it is an answer that people are unwilling to give. George Carlin once said, “The reason they call it the American Dream is because you have to be asleep to believe it.” Realistically the American Dream is the idea of working your average 9-5 blue or white-collar jobs just to provide for...
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...The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald transports one into the wealth and excitement of the 1920’s, yet reveals the dark pieces of humanity as well. In efforts to comprehend the shallow, reckless characters of this story, three traits appear to be the bases of their flawed morals: prejudice, resentment, and - what proves to often be most genuine and deadly - apathy. The type of people in this period that Fitzgerald tries to personify attain a mindset that lives on its own small, personal island. Meaning, there is only enough room for themselves. Likewise, this mindset is evident in many Americans during the time of change in the 20’s, as the voiceless people called for attention. The Roaring 20’s marked a time of economic prosperity, that...
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...The United States of America has always been known to the world as the land of equal opportunity. In fact, the Constitution states that every citizen has the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. However, in The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald decries the apparent “equality” in American society by portraying men as completely dominant over women and the rich as completely excused from the consequences of their actions. Though the main character, Nick, recognizes the injustices in this inequality, he is ultimately powerless when it comes to changing them, and must accept society to be innately corrupted. From the moment that Nick meets Tom and Daisy Buchannan in New York, it is obvious to him that Tom has the dominant personality...
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...The article “The Trouble with Diversity: How We Learned to Love Identity and Ignore Inequality” is an excerpt from the book of the same title by Walter Benn Michaels and published by Henry Hodan Company in 2006. The author wrote this in response to what was happening at the time, which was the mandating of institution policies for diversity and the problems that were faced with them. He argues in this excerpt that diversity is based solely on culture, but that we should shift our focus to equality. It is important to examine a summary of the article, a discussion of the author’s thesis and supportive evidence, and a proposal to address the issue. This book is divided into four sections. In the introduction, Michaels presents two different...
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...Many educational systems have “...power structures of group inequality and multiple forms of oppression are notorious for their role in hindering rather than promoting the opportunities for ethnic minority, working class, and female students to achieve academic success” (Makkawi). Females and minorities in heterogeneous societies will face discrimination for the simple fact they are females or minorities which hinders them from obtaining an education, job, or reaching their goals. In Michelle Obama’s biography it says, “African American students recall newspapers slipped under their door with op-eds arguing that their presence on campus brought down university intellectual standards” (Mundy 66). At Princeton, Michelle and many African Americans experience racial discrimination that makes them feel unwelcome...
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...Since the founding of America, there has been a hierarchy. A hierarchy is a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority (Webster). At the top of our society, is the white male, below him is every other race and gender. Due to this, there has been many fights for equality, especially from women. We are currently in the 21st century and the need for equality is still there. We are in a society where it is common for a white male to make more than woman. The wage gap is very apparent in today’s society. As a woman growing up in this environment, it is upsetting to know one day I will not make as much as my brother and that is disappointing. Sadly, the wage gap gets wider with...
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...color blue. As these children grow, the boy is given a football to play with and the girl a Barbie. All of these aspects illustrate how gender socialization takes place early in children’s lives and how society has made it a norm to accept these stereotypes. Although the women's suffrage movement paved the way for great successes in women's history, research shows that women will always be seen as unequal to men. Gender role is a commonly discussed subject in society. Gender role simply defined is a person's inner sense of how a male or female should feel and behave. Society and culture are also very important in relation to this subject. This means different societies and cultures may produce children and later, grown men and women, who have different views of a man or a woman's place in the world around them especially when it comes to things such as employment, education, and sports. The society in which we live has been shaped historically by males. The policy makers have consistently been males and therefore it is not surprising that our society reflects those biases which exist in result of this male dominating society. One might think that gender inequality in the...
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