Metaphysics

AMERICAN DREAM IN GREAT GATSBY.

INRODUCTION :  this essay is concerned with concept of american dream in Great  Gatsby. This novel is wriiten by F. Scott Fritzgerald.

Birth of American dream:

·         Many people believe that the concept of American dream can be traced back to the founding of America.

·         It was first created by settlers who came to America in in search of spiritual and material freedom.

·         What attracted settlers to America was that it was the land of natural resources.

But, as time passed, this  dream became free of religious overtones.

·         Historian James Truslow in his book Epic of America mentions” it is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely,but a dream of social order in which each man and woman shall be able to attain to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are,fruitious circumstance of birth or position.”

     

·         Symbols of proper american dream was :-

– money

-A car

–  A big house

– A happy family

·         With the passing of time the basic concept of American dream changed, it accuqired more materialistic aspect.

·         the orginal search for settlement and freedom evolved into a continous struugle for accuiring more and more material pursuits.

·         This continuous desire for more materialistic wealth led to its corruption.

·         The first world war greatly affected america.

·         After the first world war” America was the embodiement of boredom and provincialism for young people, but at the same time it left an open space for unobstructed money making through prohibition.”

·         The 1920,s or the roaring twenties contributed  fully in corrupting the American dream.

·         Author Roalnd Marchand in his book “ Advertising the American Dream” writes about a figure living american dream in 1920,s era.

·         He writes “ not only did he flourish in the fast – paced moern urban milieu of skycrapers, taxicabs,and pleasure – seeking crowds ,but he proclaimed himself expert on the latest crazes in fashion, contemporary lingo,and popular pastimes.”

       American dream in American literature:

         

·         American dream is an ideal that has been present since the onset of American literature.

·         But the materialistic aspect of American dream can be seen in the writers  of 1920,s.

·         Most notable among them are E.hemingway, E.E Cummings, f. Scott Fritzgerald and Arthur Miller.

Most notable works that deal with American dream is Arthur Miller,s  “Death of a Salesman” and Fritzgerald,s “Great Gatsby.

       Concept of american dream in Gatsby:        

·         Few writers are closely associated with concept of American dream as Fritzgerald is.

. Many of his works acts as a time capsule giving readers a glimpse of that time in which the work is set.

.Great Gastby also stands true to this belief.

. Published in 1925, it revealed the latest pessimism of his time  and illustrated the decay and eventual death of American dream in 1920,s, which was corrupted by the vuglar pursuit of wealth.

       American dream illustrated in the setting of Gatsby:

·         The setting of Gastby is in New york city,on long island,on two areas known as “West Egg” and “East egg”.

·         East Egg is more wealthier and has more class than west egg.

Even if gatsby has money (new money), he still resides in west egg ,so the thing that sprates him from daisy is  class.he still has not been able to complete his american dream, that is to marry daisy and live with her is east egg, the transfomation is still incomplete.

       

·         Also the new york city is itself a representation of corrupted and hollow american dream ,cuz one can see that how city is used for all the ill- doings.for ex. Tom meets myrtle in city and gatsby also discusses his shady dealings of shady business with meyer wolfsheim in city.

.Besides this one can also see a total different setting : that is, the grey valley of ashes , It is very different from fro the world of eggs yt it joins them . Its  more grim and dark , maybe a reprsentation  of how indulging in excesses  can lead to a much more darker and grimmer life.

       Aspect from american dream in characters of great gatsby:

·         As we know the ideals  of american dream is represented by the people of america . So each distinct individual has his or her own distinct  implication or idea about american dream .this also stands  true for the characters of the novel Great Gatsby.

So now , lets discuss our protagnist (Gatsby) and his idea of american dream and how it changed during the course of the novel………….

     Jimmy Gatz/ Jay Gatsby,s concept of American dream:

·         First , as he is the protagnist and the novel is about him he is the best candidate to discuss about American dream.

Jay Gatsby is not really Jay Gatsby.He was born as Jimmy Gatz.He was a rural farm boy from North Dakota.he was poor , no money , and no education.

But he had this american dream of escaping his circumstances,and make a name for himself by working hard( the original pure American dream ).He even had plans for all this, infact a well- laid plan.When Gatsby,s dad arrives at his funeral , he brings his plan with himself, which Nick reads as :

·         “On the last fly- leaf was printed the word SCHEDULE, and the date September 12, 1906. And underneath:

Rise from bed—————6.00 A.M

Dumbell exercise and wall- scaling ———–6.15-6.30”

Study electricity ,etc.————–7.15-8.15

Work————8.30-4.30 P.M

Baseball and sports———4.30-5.00”

Practice elocution , poise andhow to attain it—— 5.00 -6.00”

Study needed inventions————7.00-9.00

GENERAL RESOLVES

No wasting time at shafters or[ a name ,indecipherable]

No more smoking or chewing

Bath every day

Read one improving book or magzine per week

Save $5.00[crossed out] $ 3.00 per week

Be better to parents “

·         Gatsby’s dad interprets his American Dream for us . He says”Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always hd some resolves like this or something”.

So James  Gatz believed in concept of American dream., that a individual can really work his way up through hard work.

But james Gatz dies the moment he meets Dan Cody and rows his boat . Jay Gatsby borns that very moment .And Jay has everything that James dreamed of( fame, money , car ,big house).

But as soon as he has has everything his concept of American Dream changes too. He learns that it really doesn’t works that way. For him hard work and success only gains him ill –gotten gains  and leads him to path of ultimate destruction , that is death.

·         In  trying to reclaim daisy his concept of American dream changes too, it becomes corrupted .

For reclaming daisy he  mostly relies on money.He even organises lavish parties for the only sole of attaining her.suddenly his dream is to attain Daisy and live with her in east egg.

The green light or the bay of water that is between east egg and west egg symbolizes  the gap or space that he has to cover for attaining his American dream.

Finally , indulging in excesses or chasing this  corrupted aspect of American dream leads to destruction and death, Gatsby is killed by Myrtle’s husband George Wilson.

Now , after Gatsby another important charcter to understand the concept of American dream is Myrtle Wilson.

    Myrtle Wilson’s American dream :

·         Myrtle and Gatsby are somewhat similiar ,  both  had aspirations to rise above their social class. She is also not happy with her class, in which she lives .

She always had this sort of complaint  that she married beneath her class.

“ I married him because I thought he was a gentleman….. But he wasn’t too fit to lick my shoe”.

But the only thing that makes Gatsby great and different from Myrtle is that he does everything for love, while Myrtle does it for greed.

      Daisy Buchanan’s and Tom Buchanan’s concept of American Dream:

·         Daisy is someone around whom Gatsby’s life revolved, and she is the wife of Tom.

Unlike Gastby , they are born into higher class( people with old money).Their life was full of wealth and prosperity.

Both are someone for whom social acheivement is more important then genuine qualities like love and relationship.

Tom and Daisy’s marriage represents the new American dream.The one who  has lost its true values.

Nick notes “ they were careless people .Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and retreated back into their money or vast carelesseness, or whatever it was t hat kept them together,and let other people clean uo the mess they had made…….”

       Nick carraway’s  concept of American’s dream:

·         Nick is very different from other characters in the novel. And he is not consumed by the corrupted concept of american dream. He has common  sense and does not run ater material and excesses ,he is somewhat of a traditionalist,and thus represents the the traditional as well as original American dream.

    Understanding American dream through symbols present in novel:

·         The Green light:

Green light is something that is visible from Gatsby ‘s mansion. It comes from Daisy’s dock.Gatsby gazes at it wistfully , it signifies his “unattainable dream” the “dream that must have felt so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it”.

·         The colours ; Yellow and Gold:

Gold is symbolic of old money, the authentic, traditional old money, not the new dollar paper notes .Daisy is often described as “ golden girl”and Jordan too has “slender golden arms”.While yellow is different , yellow is not alluring as gold is. Gatsby has a yellow car – a symbol of his desire and , failure to enter into east egg.    

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conclusion:

·         So Fritzgerald in his novel , has extensively dealt with  the concept of American dream,  it being a major theme  pervades the whole novel . Traces of it are visible in characters, setting , plot as wll as symbols present in it.so , American dream is not something unattainable or impossible, it is within the reach of American individual , but the condition should be it should not be corrupted with greed and extremism. If its corrupted that it will only lea to hopelesses , death and destruction.