Perhaps you may have heard someone talking about Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, or have read the book yourself. This literary work is considered an American classic, due to the popularity it obtained posthumously. Originally published in 1925, The Great Gatsby is a book that perfectly represents what we all know as "The American Dream". What is this exactly?
It's said that the creator of the original "American Dream" was James Truslow Adams in 1931, with his book Epic of America. Truth is, he just popularized the term that Fitzgerald had already created. The American Dream is all about power, control, success, and money. Throughout the years this concept has had its modifications, but its meaning is still the same. The American Dream could be defined as something all Americans live to pursue and obtain, which is mainly wealth and success in life.
In the Great Gatsby, the American Dream is represented by the "green light", which is something that Gatsby wants to reach; it's the path to conquer Daisy, the love of his life. However, this ends up being impossible for Gatsby. Even though he had all the riches in the world (and maybe more), Daisy ends up leaving him. This symbolizes that the American Dream is, indeed, unattainable.
You may be asking yourself, "unattainable? Why?" Well, achieving the American Dream is rather unlikely. Society makes this kind of things impossible for us. For example, people believe that in order to be successful, it is necessary for a person to get a proper education. College education is getting more and more expensive each year, making less people able to afford it.
What I stated in the previous paragraph is just one of the many factors that makes the American Dream unreachable. However, while the American Dream is viewed as having money and success, some people feel they have reached the American Dream because they are content with what they have. In my opinion, the American Dream consists on the person's point of view, and what wealth and success mean to them. If Gatsby would have ended up with Daisy, he would have obtained his American Dream.
Sources:
The Real Meaning Of The "American Dream". (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.planetizen.com/node/30899
Is the American Dream unattainable? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.debate.org/opinions/is-the-american-dream-unattainable
Fitzgerald, F. (1950). The great Gatsby. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books.
It's said that the creator of the original "American Dream" was James Truslow Adams in 1931, with his book Epic of America. Truth is, he just popularized the term that Fitzgerald had already created. The American Dream is all about power, control, success, and money. Throughout the years this concept has had its modifications, but its meaning is still the same. The American Dream could be defined as something all Americans live to pursue and obtain, which is mainly wealth and success in life.
In the Great Gatsby, the American Dream is represented by the "green light", which is something that Gatsby wants to reach; it's the path to conquer Daisy, the love of his life. However, this ends up being impossible for Gatsby. Even though he had all the riches in the world (and maybe more), Daisy ends up leaving him. This symbolizes that the American Dream is, indeed, unattainable.
You may be asking yourself, "unattainable? Why?" Well, achieving the American Dream is rather unlikely. Society makes this kind of things impossible for us. For example, people believe that in order to be successful, it is necessary for a person to get a proper education. College education is getting more and more expensive each year, making less people able to afford it.
What I stated in the previous paragraph is just one of the many factors that makes the American Dream unreachable. However, while the American Dream is viewed as having money and success, some people feel they have reached the American Dream because they are content with what they have. In my opinion, the American Dream consists on the person's point of view, and what wealth and success mean to them. If Gatsby would have ended up with Daisy, he would have obtained his American Dream.
Sources:
The Real Meaning Of The "American Dream". (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.planetizen.com/node/30899
Is the American Dream unattainable? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.debate.org/opinions/is-the-american-dream-unattainable
Fitzgerald, F. (1950). The great Gatsby. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books.
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