The American Dream in Great Gatsby

Each section talks about a special topic but with a specific reference to the American dream. American dream is a belief that any individual irrespective of their background, religion, nationality, race, or economic status has an equal chance to make become successful in America. According to the proponents of the American dream, success is always measured in terms of wealth and money. The Great Gatsby followers the life of the young man, Gatsby. He overcomes his childhood challenges to gain massive wealth but with limited social cache (Kirby 1). The American society is going through a lot of transformations in political, social, and economic spheres. The 1920s is period where hollow decades started to emerge in America especially among the wealthy and the privileged. The 1920s also marked the period in which tension was rife in the United States.

The big rift between the rich and poor is evident. “He stretched out his arms toward the dark water. The story follows an ideal American family which struggles to fit into the changing global development (Coghlan 33). Black and Latino/a, especially Puerto Rican, families are more disorganized than White families" (62). This suggests how an ideal American family should reflect the values of a white family. White family is regarded as the “dream” family. However, there are many dark sides of the white family. Due to this belief, no one wants to be associated with poverty. Some people would even go to an extent of faking a lifestyle for them to appear rich and successful. Gatsby is a victim of this circumstance. He wants to be successful and powerful but he is not sure how will gain the wealth fame.

He managed to acquire a lot of money but did not solve his troubles. Literally, the valley of ashes is described using dark colors and depressing connotations (Wong 10). This symbolizes the differences between the different classes. The classes are metaphorically and physically wide-apart. The poor will never achieve what the rich have already amassed. The rich have made so much wealth that the poor can only dream of. While they appear to have class, they have manners and dignity, a quality which is evidently absent from their West Egg neighbors. However, their excesses are no different from what the West Eggs residents do. The two camps do not portray an ideal society. They only care about the riches, provided they have money, then everything seem okay for them (Smith 10). This supports the idea that the American Dream disregards values of humanity.

The description of this modern family is absolutely breathtaking. The family is comprised of, a housewife mother, a breadwinner father, few kids, and two-three pets. This is the dream for most American young couples. This ideal family has been publicized in the media. While the author describes this family as the “ideal family” according to the American Dream philosophy his indirect criticism is evident. People watch families on television and then decide to emulate what the family is doing. Television influenced American culture in the 20th century in many aspects, one of them being family. This implies that if your family is not doing what the families in the television are doing, then it is not a model family. The characteristics of a typical American family should reflect the values of the families in the media.

The model family, is nothing other the dream that Americans have. The author simply means that the art of emulation I simply not sustainable and can destabilize many families. Gatsby was born from a poor family. According to the American Dream, American is not associated with poverty. Gatsby will have to work extra hard to achieve his America Dream. The American Dream philosophy states that everyone has an equal chance to achieve their American Dream. Every family is judged according to its financial strength. Poor families are made to look like outcasts or appear like the odd ones out. At the beginning of the novel, Gatsby family is the odd one out. They cannot afford to experience what the “ideal families” are experiencing. This forces Gatsby to explore how he can break the jinx and join the ideal league.

A successful person in America is the one with a lot of money. A person who can spend extravagantly but still doesn’t go bankrupt. Many Americans want to become rich, not because of their personal aspirations, but because they want to fulfill the popular myth of individual opportunity. While the American Dream advocates for individual success, it also led to the unnecessary competition between people. Americans became self-centered when the American Dream philosophy started to become popular. Therefore, individual opportunity is just a myth thus exposing the negative side of the America Dream. Works Cited Bénabou, Roland. Comment on" Understanding the Great Gatsby Curve". NBER Macroeconomics Annual 2017, volume 32. University of Chicago Press, 2017. et al. ’Her voice is full of money’: Considering Social Class and the American Dream in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.

Lindberg, Lovisa. The American Dream as a Means of Social Criticism in The Great Gatsby.