Essay: Analysis of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby

Many people believe that money is the answer to all problems, that money equals happiness. The American Dream, to start with nothing and through hard work and determination achieve wealth and happiness. This is evident in the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Jay Gatsby certainly believes in the American Dream and that wealth can buy him happiness. Gatsby looks up to the American dream and follows it so he can be the picture perfect man that every girl desires. He runs into trouble when his plan is spoiled while falling in love with a wealthy girl named Daisy. Gatsby was however not wealthy and could not acquire Daisey while being poor. Gatsby would then pursue wealth to revive his relationship with Daisy.
Fitzgerald critiques the American Dream by showing Gatsby’s fatal flaw, throughout the novel there are many symbols that show Gatsby’s love for Daisy and how he thinks his wealth and status will attract her back. Gatsby’s home really shows his love for her with his over the top approach. Everything from decorations, clothes, location, and parties are all directed towards Daisy in hope he will gain her back through his status. Gatsby is an example of what the Amercian Dream represents (Hearne) through the people’s view. Although it may seem like Gatsby has it all, his real desire is to win back the girl he loves, Daisy. Through Fitzgerald’s eyes the American Dream is unattainable. Even though they become close, none of the characters in Fitzgerald’s book achieve their American Dream.
In “The Great Gatsby”, there are many different types of symbolism shown in the book. One author states that most of Fitzgerald’s plot was “achieved through motif and symbol” (Barbarese). As a symbol, the green light provides Gatsby with hope in reviving his relationship with Daisy as she lives just across the bay. “Gatsby believed in the green light” (Fitzgerald 189) giving us an example how Gatsby believes his American Dream is still attainable with Daisey. The main theme for people in east and west egg is how they are seen, they are very materialistic. “Striving for wealth has become a way for Americans to ease their consciences, while one’s morality is often measured by the ability to acquire material possessions” (Pidgeon). It is shown in the book when Benny McClenahan “always arrived with four girls,” (Fitzgerald 67). The Great Gatsby is regarded as a brilliant piece of social commentary. Fitzgerald carefully sets up his novel into distinct groups but in the end each group has its own problems to contend with. Leaving a powerful reminder of what a precarious place the world really is. By creating social classes old money, new money, and no money Fitzgerald sends strong messages about the characters running throughout every strata of society.
The first and most obvious group Fitzgerald attacks is the rich. However, for Fitzgerald placing the rich all in one group together would be a bad idea. The rich seem to be unified by their money, but they are actually split up into two different groups of rich people. There is old money and there is new money. Gatsby is part of “new money” it shows that he doesn’t know how to handle money when he “bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay,” (Fitzgerald 83). However, Fitzgerald reveals this is not the case. In The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald presents the two distinct types of wealthy people. First, there are people like the Buchanans and Jordan Baker who were born into wealth. Their families have had money for many generations, hence they are “old money.” As portrayed in the novel, the “old money” people don’t have to work and they spend their time amusing themselves. Daisy, Tom, Jordan, and the distinct social class they represent are perhaps the story’s most elitist group, imposing distinctions on the other people of wealth based not so much on how much money one has but where that money came from and when it was acquired. For the “old money” people the fact that Gatsby has only just recently acquired his money is reason enough to dislike him. In their way of thinking, he can’t possibly have the same taste they have. Not only does he work for a living, but he comes from a low-class background which in their opinion means he cannot possibly be like them.
In many ways the social elite are right. The “new money” people cannot be like them and in many ways that works in their favor those in society’s highest are not nice people at all. They are judgmental and superficial failing to look at the essence of the people around them. Instead they live their lives in such a way as to perpetuate their sense of superiority however unrealistic that may be. The people with newly acquired wealth though aren’t necessarily much better. Think of Gatsby’s partygoers. They attend his parties drink his liquor and eat his food never once taking the time to even meet their host. When Gatsby dies, all the people who frequented his house every week mysteriously became busy elsewhere abandoning Gatsby when he could no longer do anything for them. One would like to think the newly wealthy would be more sensitive to the world around them after all it was only recently they were without money and most doors were closed to them. As Fitzgerald shows however their concerns are largely living for the moment steeped in partying and other forms of excess.
Just as he did with people of money Fitzgerald uses the people with no money to convey a strong message. Nick although he comes from a family with a bit of wealth doesn’t have nearly the capital of Gatsby or Tom. In the end though, he shows himself to be an honorable and principled man which is more than Tom exhibits. Myrtle though is another story, she comes from the middle class at best. She is trapped as are so many others in the valley of ashes and spends her days trying to make it out. In fact, her desire to move up the social hierarchy leads her to her affair with Tom and she is decidedly pleased with the arrangement.
Because of the misery pervading her life Myrtle has distanced herself from her moral obligations and has no difficulty cheating on her husband when it means that she gets to lead the lifestyle she wants if only for a little while. What she doesn’t realize however is that Tom and his friends will never accept her into their circle. Myrtle is no more than a toy to Tom and to those he represents. Tom is living his American dream while he has Myrtle and Daisy at the same time. With the death of Myrtle, Tom cries as he loses a part of his American Dream.
Fitzgerald has an eye and in The Great Gatsby presents a harsh picture of the world he sees around him. The 1920s marked a time of great post war economic growth and Fitzgerald captures the frenzy of the society well. Although of course Fitzgerald could have no way of foreseeing the stock market crash of 1929 the world he presents in The Great Gatsby seems clearly to be headed for disaster. They have assumed skewed worldviews mistakenly believing their survival lies in stratification and reinforcing social boundaries. They erroneously place their faith in superficial external means while neglecting to cultivate the compassion and sensitivity that in fact separate humans from the animals.
The American Dream is now dying down, becoming more of a desire than an actual goal. “The pursuit of wealth came to have a meaning transcended the mere desire to be more comfortable” (Pidgeon). As people soon realized, “America has great potential and promise, but no guarantees” (Hearne). Many Americans have chased their dream, just like Tom, Myrtle, Gatsby and others in the book, only in the end to come up short. In some cases they do reach their goal, for instance Gatsby did work his way out of poverty just as he planned, but he wanted more. He needed to have Daisey to finish his dream. Tom needed Myrtle for his American dream consisting of multiple women. Ultimately, Fitzgerald never lets his characters fully grasps their American Dream.