Cebollada 1

Javier Cebollada Desentre

Professor Mnica Calvo
Literatura Norteamericana III
June 13, 2014
The falling off The Great Gatsbys American Dream
One of the most notable elements in Fitzgeralds novel The Great Gatsby is the
conception of the American Dream; a well-known term whose appearance is very
present throughout the story. Despite being a non-mentioned term in the novel itself, the
author still conveys the idea of the American Dream through the employment of a
brilliant sociological approach. Yet, although there is not any consistent or universal
definition, the idea of American Dream might have different meanings to different
people and its achievement is what most Americans have looked for through history. It
could be considered as an idea of ones own prosperity and happiness, with some
common factors as hard work, good ethics and equality for all. In fact, these general
factors may not be very clear for the reader when penetrating into the cultural and
historical context of the novel, due to its constant evolution through history. In this text
the purpose of the essay is to analyze Fitzgeralds conception of this American
Dream, finding out in what manner this conception has evolved or changed, and having
a look in the way it is represented on the main character, Jay Gatsby, who apparently
achieves that dream of becoming a wealthy man, but at the same time fails to reach
Daisys love, giving some similarities between the author and the construction of the
novel.
Given the historical situation the reader is then obliged to delve into Americas
The Jazz Age of the 1920s, a post-war and chaotic period in which American society
was being transformed, a time of moral decay, loss of old values, where corruption was
the order of the day. All these elements are going to be reflected in relation with the
pursuit of success. This transformation is a sort of degradation of ethical values where
morality is no longer possible. Besides, this period full of sumptuous parties,
clandestine alcohol, and entertainment with lack of morality was the perfect scenario in
which the same Scott Fitzgerald would be moving himself. He took part in the moral
decadence which is criticized in his books. Apart from that, it should be noted the fact

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that Fitzgerald was one of those writers who belonged to the Lost Generation
characterized for that sense of loss of faith and hope in humanity.
Therefore, the reader can find more similarities between his life and novel than
those who apparently seem to be. Among all these similarities, there are some more
relevant (I'm not going to mention all the similarities because it would take me another
essay). For instance the setting of the novel, more concretely Great Neck, was one of the
many areas where Fitzgerald partly lived, and it served as an inspiration to locate the
map of the novel. Another aspect was his extravagant lifestyle; alcohol had become a
major part of how Fitzgerald lived his life, and it is shown in the novel throughout the
lavish parties at Gatsbys house, who is so obsessed with this materialistic vision of
luxurious dependencies which surround him that he does not realize these things cannot
bring him love or happiness. This deals in depth with the concept of Materialism. The
hard work and good ethics is replaced here by immoral activities which lead to the
quickly increasing of material possessions; and the social decadence of moral values can
be easily tangible.
But probably, the most influential aspect which embraces the whole novel is an
anecdote which happened to Fitzgerald. There was a girl called Ginevra King; she was
considered F. Scott Fitzgeralds first love, and it is told that Ginevras father once told
Fitzgerald, Poor boys shouldnt think of marrying rich girls (Mangum). This phrase
is going to be reflected very deeply into the novel's argument, a question of class
equality. Gatsby comes from humble origins, and he has turned himself into a newly
rich man, unlike the high-status American aristocracy, he lacks of sophistication, and
he will never be accepted by this old money upper class and consequently by Daisy.
Then, the sense of equality which constitutes one of the fundamental elements in the
American dream is lost here.
Then, as means of explanation, we should take the American Dream as a key
element which moves every character in the story, and all the characters in the story are
then aspiring to move upwards in their pursuit of dreams, each in their own way and
especially Gatsby. Here the protagonist attempts to progress and achieve all his goals at
all costs. His means of achieving wealth and fame are progresses in vain; useless in the
quest of his unique dream he aspires: Daisys love. So, as Fahey points, Gatsbys goal
is a nave dream based on the fallacious assumption that material possessions are

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synonymous with happiness, harmony, and beauty (70). Thus, there is also a romantic
idealization of Daisy which is not reflected in reality. Unlike Nick, who eventually sees
her as superficial, selfish and careless, Gatsby still sees her as the perfect woman he met
some years ago in Camp Taylor. This idealism and extraordinary gift for hope
(Fitzgerald 4) leads him to have a distorted reality, as Hermanson suggests: Gatsby
seems committed to an idea of Daisy that he has created than to the real woman she is.
Nonetheless, it is paradoxical the way Gatsby stares at his dreams, represented
by the green light, from his mansion in West Egg, to the East Egg. This approximation
to his dreams is somehow opposite in direction to that of the traditional American
Dream, which was looked from east to west, as well as the reaching of American
frontier and the westward expansion. This also represents a kind of degradation and
displacement in the notion of the American Dream, maybe a suggestion of Fitzgerald.
There are no possibilities at this point for Gatsby to reach his goal, and the reader is
allowed to see an evident failure, evidence of the degeneration and corruption of the
American dream itself in a decadent society which will lead him to his own tragedy. So,
the unreachable green light that Gatsby observe from his mansion implies the
impossibility of reaching Daisy, even though he is very close to his goal.
The reader can eventually distinguish between the American Dream itself from
the conception of the American Dream in the 1920s, in which hard work and good
ethics, two fundamental principles which had constituted the American dream, are no
longer visible. Instead, the dream has been degenerated to materialistic and immoral
levels. The Great Gatsby as a whole is somehow a harsh critique of a society immersed
in materialism and the consequences it has in ones hopes and dreams; and it is also
seen as a portrayal of the Jazz Age in a sociological manner.
As a way of conclusion, it would be useful to highlight the importance of the
1920s societys transformation. A crude reality in which American Dream is perceived
with a typical touch of the Roaring Twenties, prevailing the excess on materialism and
the lack of morality. Although the fact that Gatsby had succeeded in reaching wealth
through unfair activities such as gambling and bootlegging, his mind seemed to remain
untouched by the corruption and decadence of the society; and his romantic vision of
reality in which he was immersed places him out from that society; Nick perceives this
and he eventually states: Theyre a rotten crowd... Youre worth the whole damn bunch

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put together (164), putting Gatsby above that shallow and superfluous upper class.
Somehow or other Fitzgerald manages to convey an image of perishing dreams,
whatever the kind of dream. His pessimistic vision of failure in the quest of the
American Dream is inevitable, inasmuch as nothing can be as perfect as one could
imagine. Just as Ryan explains that although the American Dream is admirable, it is
impossible to achieve eternal satisfaction(1) and after all, the American Dream is
just that, a dream.

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Works Cited

Bloom, Harold. Modern Critical Views: F. Scott Fitzgerald. New York: Chelsea House
Publishers, 1985.
Changizi, P. and Ghasemi, P. Degeneration of American Dream in F. Scott
Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby. Education Research Journal. 2012 Vol. 2(2):
62-65. Shiraz University,

Iran.

resjournals.com

June

2014.

<http://resjournals.com/ERJ/Pdf/2012/Feb/CHANGIZI%20and%20GHASEMI.
pdf>
Fahey, William A. F. Scott Fitzgerald and the American Dream. New York: Thomas
Y. Crowell Company, 1973.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Macmillan , 1986.
Hermanson, Casie E. The Great Gatsby: Major Characters, Time, Ambiguity and
Tragedy. Novels for Students. Ed. Marie Rose Napierkowski. 1998 Vol. 2.
Detroit:

Gale.

Jan.

2006.

eNotes.com.

June

2014.

<http://www.enotes.com/great-gatsby/major-characters-time-ambiguitytragedy>
Mangum, Bryant. An introduction to the Novels of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Virginia
Commonwealth

University

Files.

11

June

2014.

<http://www.people.vcu.edu/~bmangum/fitznovels.html>
Ryan, Devan. The Great Gatsby-Term Papers. StudyMode.com. 2011. 9 June 2014.
<http://www.studymode.com/essays/The-Great-Gatsby-636485.html>