F. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby - 1160 Words

The numerous possibilities of the 1920s led to the creation of America’s new definition of prosperity. This term, the American Dream, defined the migration towards New York City for innovation and creation that had capabilities to prosper into the wealthy â€Å"American Dream City.† Exploring these opportunities, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby portrays the unattainability of this dream through the fantasies of Jay Gatsby’s character as well as the underlying judgmental tones of society. Gatsby portrays the unattainability of the American Dream through his love for Daisy. As shown in Novels for Students, â€Å"[Daisy] becomes the embodiment of the American Dream for [Gatsby] instantly†(Telgen 70). Gatsby has held onto his fascination of†¦show more content†¦Before hitting Myrtle, Tom’s lover who lives in the Valley of Ashes, Daisy refuses Gatsby’s offer to run away with her if she tells Tom that she loved Gatsby the whole time they were married. However, Daisy runs off with Tom the day Gatsby is killed by Myrtle’s husband. (Fitzgerald) Daisy’s stunt shows us that Gatsby’s love for Daisy was not enough to make her stay and eventually shows that her love for Gatsby was more materialistic than actual love. The unattainability of the American Dream can also be parallel to the unattainability of Gatsby’s personal dream. Novels for Students explains â€Å"Jay Gatsby is a self-created personage, the embodiment of t he American Dream†¦his loyalty to his dream and idealism mark him as one of the tragic heroes in American literature† (Telgen 70). Considering how loyal Gatsby is to both his dream and the American Dream, it is only appropriate that we consider all of the possible advantages to his loyalty. According to Bloom, Gatsby’s dream is essentially a mere extension of the American Dream due to his resort to material acquisition (28). As Gatsby decides to continue his dream through the acquisition of materialistic goods, he crosses over into the properties of the American Dream. Of course, as time goes on, Gatsby began to realize how impossible this dream is. The downfall of this dream was also the downfall of his dream of gaining Daisy. â€Å"Gatsby, like the young men who perished during World