Distortion of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby Essay

In the past the American Dream was an inspiration to many, young and old. To live out the American Dream was what once was on the minds of many Americans. In The Great Gatsby, the American Dream was presented as a corrupted version of what used to be a pure and honest ideal way to live. The idea that the American Dream was about the wealth and the possessions one had been ingrained, somehow, into the minds of Americans during the 1920’s. As a result of the distortion of the American Dream, the characters of F. Scott Fitzgeralds novel, The Great Gatsby along with many others, lived life fully believing in the American Dream, becoming completely immersed in it and in the end suffered great tragedies.†¦show more content†¦Jay Gatsby believed that to live a happy life he had to have money and a high status. Gatsby however fails to overlook the fact the fullest kinds of pleasure come from the understanding of accomplishments(Fahey 70) and not the flaunting of the re sults of his success. Gatsby foolishly tries to get the approval of every one around him but fails to see that it was slowly guiding him towards failure. Gatsby used the American Dream as a way â€Å" to create a new self as though the self is all surface and appearance,†(Leone 127) which was a way the dream was twisted in the 1920’s. Gatsby was a man who did not wish to live his familys life, a man who wanted to go above the level of his parents. Jay Gatsbys legal names was James Gatz, he had it changed at the age of seventeen at the specific moment that witnessed the beginning of his career(Fitzgerald 104). By doing this Gatsby was trying to put as much space between him and his parents who were shiftless and unsuccessful farmers. To escape his family’s life of poverty hr became the right hand man of Dan Cody. He managed to accomplish this feature by earning his trust slowly throughout the five years that Gatsby was with Cody. Dan Cody was a man made of money. His family was there for every metal rush since the seventy- five, and from him Gatsby learned the proper education of a high society man. Gatsby by doing this left his parents behind to become a newShow MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby Analysis992 Words   |  4 Pages- Artistry and Quality (Argumentative) In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, there is a distortion in the story and that was living the American dream and matrimony. Fitzgerald has implemented many examples that are clearly shown that distort these two concepts. The American dream was a common goal many people wanted during this literary period in which this story was written. One major concept of living the American dream was being wealthy and having wealthy items in your possessionRead MoreCamille Yang. Mr. Engle. English 3. 20 April 2017. Distortion1147 Words   |  5 Pages2017 Distortion of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby The novel The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald is a tragedy. 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