Great Gatsby Fitzgeralds Criticism Of The American Dream...

Great Gatsby: Fitzgeralds Criticism of The American Dream The American Dream, as it arose in the Colonial period and developed in the nineteenth century, was based on the assumption that each person, no matter what his origins, could succeed in life on the sole basis of his or her own skill and effort. The dream was embodied in the ideal of the self-made man, just as it was embodied in Fitzgeralds own family by his grandfather, P. F. McQuillan. Fitzgeralds novel takes its place among other novels whose insights into the nature of the American dream have not affected the artistic form of the novel itself. The Great Gatsby serves as Fitzgeralds critique of the American dream. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The Great Gatsby embodies a†¦show more content†¦nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Fitzgeralds critique of the American dream is developed through certain dominant images and symbols. Fitzgerald uses the green light as a symbol of hope, money, and jealousy. Hope signifies the center of the dream, but jealousy and lure of money pollute it. Gatsby is a noble man whose vision is fouled by his dream because he remains in a quot;wonderquot; at Daisys presence throughout the novel. He is unable to see the carelessness and self-centeredness of Daisy whose quot;foul dustquot; destroys him. Fitzgerald also uses the contrasting images of the East and Midwest to develop his critique. The East denotes the place where the corruption of the American dream has occurred. Finally, at the end of the novel, Nick decides to move back West. Nick learns that this place of dishonesty, lack or morale, and lack of values is not the place for him. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In the novel, The Great Gatsby, Scott F. Fitzgerald gives some severest criticism of the American dream ever written. That dream has been destroyed and polluted by the pursuit of material success. Fitzgerald is successfully able to identify the deficiencies of the American vision itself. Fitzgerald shows that the secret of life happiness is toShow MoreRelatedThree Symbols in the Great Gatsby1429 Words   |  6 PagesSymbols in the Great Gatsby Fitzgerald wrote â€Å"The Great Gatsby† to criticise America from straying from the â€Å"American Dream†. Typically the American society tries to follow the American Dream, which is a dream of a society that allows everyone, no matter what economic class they were born into, to be able to accomplish whatever they want with hard work. With this principle no matter their social class Americans should be able to accomplish anything. Fitzgerald thought that the American society wasn’tRead MoreDepicting the Unattainable American Dream in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald1740 Words   |  7 Pages The Great Gatsby, a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, depicts that the American Dream is unattainable. The novel portrays the ignorance of society after the war. The Great Gatsby was published in 1925 after World War I had ended. Americans, at the time, lived in an illusion to try to forget about the war, thus, the American Dream was very appealing to America ns. The American Dream set an illusion that allowed Americans to believe that one could change the past and â€Å"re-do† the mistakes all overRead MoreHumanities Through the Arts: Artistic Criticism Essay examples1063 Words   |  5 Pageson self-indulgence and happiness like never before. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is the ideal portrayal of this time era. In a time shortly after war, this novel captures the audience, forcing them to participate in the setting and with the characters. Jay Gatsby, the focal point of this novel, is used as a representation of this era in American history and as an example of the pursuit of the American Dream. Fitzgerald uses vivid diction that captivates the reader and his symbolismRead MoreEssay on The Great Gatsby1404 Words   |  6 Pagesprosperous decade of the 1920’s, traditional American lifestyles and principles were interjected by the new superficial and materialistic beliefs closely associated with â€Å"The Roaring Twenties.† Undoubtedly, the 1920’s were a decade of change. Deteriorating moralities and optimistic beliefs of overnight wealth replaced strict traditional views on religion, family structure, and work ethics. In an era of such high optimism, the pioneering spirit of the American Dream was revitalized. The nouveaux richesRead MoreThe Great Gatsby as a Criticism of American Society1538 Words   |  7 PagesThe Great Gatsby as a Criticism of American Society In the novel The Great Gatsby, author F. Scott Fitzgerald criticizes American society through the eyes of his narrator Nick Caraway, as he watches the downfall and pathetic lives of what most consider achievers of the American Dream. Fitzgerald’s criticism of American Society is more prominently proven by his Harsh view of America’s materialistic standard of living, the tragic death of Gatsby, the negligence displayed by Gatsby’s friendsRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1472 Words   |  6 Pagesnoble to suffer. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald comments on this concept with the characters Tom and Gatsby. By comparing and contrasting Tom and Gatsby in The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald develops his critique of the class structure of 1920s America that allows corrupt characters to thrive while punishing sympathetic characters for striving for their dreams. Fitzgerald contrasts Tom’s and Gatsby’s old and new money statuses to display the corruption of the American Dream that sustains society’sRead MoreEssay about Corruption of the American Dream1127 Words   |  5 PagesCorruption of the American Dream The Great Gatsby is a novel based off of the American dream, which is something that everyone strives for. The author of the book F. Scott Fitzgerald has his own American dream to become a well known writer, and to have the girl of his dreams, and throughout the novel this dream reflected in The Great Gatsby within in the characters Gatsby and Daisy. Fitzgerald had developed the character Gatsby by incorporating some of his own dreams. For example Gatsby has a forbiddenRead More Criticism of Capitalism in The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald Essay1520 Words   |  7 PagesCriticism of Capitalism in The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald      Ã‚  Ã‚   In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald creates an artificial world where money is the object of everyones desire.   The characters, the setting, and the plot are very deeply submerged in a Capitalism that ends up destroying many of them.   Fitzgeralds criticism of Capitalism can be seen as a move to subtly promote Socialism, an ideology in which value is placed on the inherent value of an object rather than its market value.   InRead MoreMarxist Criticism Of The Great Gatsby1588 Words   |  7 Pages Haga American Literature 14 April 2015 Marxist Criticism of The Great Gatsby Society has evolved to the point where money is the biggest factor in our lives. People spend an incredible amount of time at their workplace for that miniscule pay raise. Money also plays a role in our relationships with the people around us, seen in the fact that people of similar economic status tend to congregate. This desire to gain more money causes conflict, mainly between people who have a great deal of money, andRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald893 Words   |  4 Pages Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby tells the story of a nouveau-riche man chasing his dream in the midst of the prohibition. The story is told from the perspective of the narrator, Nick Carraway. Nick recounts the summer he spent with Gatsby as Gatsby tries to attain the American Dream, which he has personified in his past love, Daisy Buchanan. Fitzgerald presents two contrasting responses to the American Dream through his characterization of Nick as cynical and Gatsby as hopeful. Nick’s cynical