... , and it appeared that the American dream was about discovery, individualism and the search of happiness, like Gatsby's dream of getting Daisy back in to his life, but in reality his dream is ruined by the hunt for wealth and materialism. First, Gatsby's dream and hope is to win Daisy back, as Daisy appears to Gatsby as the perfect girl for him, so ... orders George Wilson to shoot Gatsby. Third, Jay Gatsby appears to be a rich, gorgeous man who studied in Oxford and earned medals for being a war hero, but in reality he lies about his education and past life when he says that he "was bro...

• Word Count: 1313
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... . Within the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses Jay Gatsby to illustrate the corruption and eventual downward spiral of the American Dream to the vulgar pursuit of wealth and materialism in the 1920s. The transformation from James Gatz, the ambitious janitor from North Dakota, to Jay Gatsby, the epitome of the self made man, exemplifies Gatsby's lifelong pursuit of his aristocratic ... eventual downfall and that her fervor for only the finest aspects have life, have corrupted his destiny of reclaiming his aristocratic roots. Gatsby's life is much like the American Dream, i...

• Word Count: 1786
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... self-made. During the "roaring twenties," however, an economic boom triggered a frenzy of capitalism that adulterated this dream into being wholly based on materialism and social merit. Throughout F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby, the author lives the corruption of this dream through Tom and Daisy (the ... , social merit and materialism blind the aspirator of basic moral behavior. It is now evident how three distinct characters, all at different stages of the American Dream, are demoralized by it in one way or another. Although The Great Gatsby pointed out social disorder in...

• Word Count: 1366
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... human relationships. Having a lot of material possessions is not what makes human beings happy. The characters of The Great Gatsby, like many in America today, were preoccupied with the pursuit of private wealth. Jay Gatsby flaunted his material possessions in order to impress Daisy, but even though he was incredibly wealthy, he was profoundly unhappy. Even if he had lived and won Daisy ... to buy their happiness, it is our hopes and dreams and having personal goals and standards that give life its purpose and meaning. The corruption of the American Dream by materialism is almost inevit...

• Word Count: 1321
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... of the American dream to greed and materialism during this time period. And with the distinct divisions between West Egg and East Egg, Fitzgerald shows the social divisions in American society, even at the upper class, a fact still relevant to today's America. New York itself symbolizes immigrant America, where immigrants used to and still do flood into America's shores in hopes of a better life. Nick himself ... cede into the temptations of corruption, they still hold dear to themselves their capacity to dream. And it is through these dreamers, like Gatsby, that America keeps its dream...

• Word Count: 1599
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... past cannot be relived by saying, "Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can!- (116). This shows the confidence that Jay has in reviving his relationship with Daisy. For Jay, his American Dream is not material possessions, although it may seem that way. He only comes into ... the world around them. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald suggested the moral decline of the period in American history through the interpersonal relationships among his characters. The situations in the lives of the characters show the worthlessness of materialism, the futile quest of Myrtle and Gatsby, and how Am...

• Word Count: 1405
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School