Great gatsby and the american dreamIn humanities, we are learning about elements of the American Dream and if it is still a reality. We are reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and we're seeing how different the 1920's was compared to the 2010's. We've been asked if Jay Gatsby - the rich and flamboyant subject of the book - is living the American dream and meeting all of the proper criteria. Along with that, we looked how the American dream has changed over time and how it was different in the 1920's.
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is gatsby living the american dream?A·mer·i·can dream
noun noun: American dream; plural noun: American dreams
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To this question, I say no. No he is not. We each wrote an essay on why we think the answers we gave. I wrote mine here:
Diego Diaz 5-1-2016 Humanities Gatsby In His Dreams Some work their entire lives to have a family, be comfortable, be wealthy, and make an honest living. These are what generally constitute the American dream. In the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The rich Jay Gatsby has not achieved the American dream despite his enormous wealth because he has not reached his own goals and until then, his life proves to be unsatisfactory. Part of the American dream is being satisfied with life and being comfortable with everything you have and Gatsby’s life goal is to woo Daisy - a girl who lives across the bay. Gatsby and Daisy met 5 years ago and immediately fell in love. Gatsby can’t be happy in his life without accomplishing his goal which is to have Daisy love him. To be closer to her, Gatsby moved in just across the bay. The narrator of the book, finds Gatsby at the the end of a dock reaching towards a light and he notes, “he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward-and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock” (pg.24) We later find out that the the light on the dock, is on the the dock to Daisy Buchanan’s house. Gatsby reaching towards Daisy’s docks symbolizes Gatsby reaching towards Daisy herself. Her light was just across the bay and just out of reach. He was not satisfied without her and as I previously stated, one of the the elements that constitute the the american dream is being satisfied with life. Another issue that was not previously noted, was that Gatsby also did not have a family which is a common part of the the American dream, Gatsby bought his house to be closer to Daisy so when he reaches out, he is reaching towards his goal. Another reason that Gatsby was not fulling living the the true American dream was shown on page 166 when Nick receives a mysterious phone call coming in on Gatsby’s phone. “‘This is Slagle speaking’ ‘Yes’ The name was unfamiliar. ‘Hell of a note, isn’t it? Get my wire?’ ‘There haven’t been any wires.’ ‘Young Parke’s in trouble,’ he said rapidly. ‘They picked him up when he handed the bonds over the counter. They got a circular from New York giving ’em the numbers just five minutes before. What d’you know about that, hey? You never can tell in these hick towns ——’ ‘Hello!’ I interrupted breathlessly. “Look here — this isn’t Mr. Gatsby. Mr. Gatsby’s dead.’” After Nick clarified his identity, the phone went silent and after an awkward few seconds, the caller hung up as to not get “caught” by Nick. This clearly implicates Gatsby in criminal activity and apparently, one of the criminals who was working for him was arrested and his partner called for Gatsby. Part of the the traditional American dream is to make an honest living which furthers my case on how Gatsby is not living the the true American dream. According to the “American dream criteria,” Gatsby does not fit in. He was not satisfied or comfortable with his life that he established through illegal activities. Instead, he longingly hoped for Daisy to notice him, and until she did, he would remain unsatisfied with his life. Gatsby was quite wealthy, but wealth is the only factor that he and the American dream had in common. |