The American dream promises prosperity and fortune for those who have the will. Yet, the men who work the most demanding physical jobs end up with the least. The American Dream is the most widespread illusion. Workers feel if they work harder they can become rich, but that is far from the truth. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses The Great Gatsby as a man to convey the death of the American dream.
Gatsby from an onlooking perspective Gatsby is the American dream, he is what any man working in the valley of ashes could hope to be. From gatsby’s yellow car to his castle that hosts NewYork’s largest parties every week.'He was balancing himself on the dashboard of his car with that resourcefulness of movement that is so peculiarly American'. Every man that crosses his path is captured by Gatsby’s Personality. 'an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself'. Gatsby's personality is so surreal that everyone fabricated rumors for his unimaginable life. The man with owl-eyed glasses noticed how unreal Gatsby seemed to and checked his books to see if they were even real. Nick is unable to physically describe Gatsby's appearance. Nick can not feel what he looks like, but he can feel he is being composed. “as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes 10,000 miles away.Nick can not feel what he looks like, but he can feel relaxed. The explanation also reveals that from a great distance Gatsby is able to do things. He is able to meet and communicate with new people around the world. In this book, personification is also used to make inanimate objects feel alive. Nick can not feel it, but he can feel relaxed. The explanation also reveals that Gatsby can do things from a great distance. He can meet new people around the world and communicate with them. Personalization is also used in this book to make inanimate objects feel alive. This can be seen when Gatsby's car is mentioned'swollen here and there with its monstrous length...terraced with a labyrinth of windshields that mirrored a dozen suns' . That description makes his car feel more alive than Gatsby himself. It is possible for Gatsby because he is the American Dream, a concept that lives in most Americans. The American Dream was criticized by Tom Buchannan, he is a member of the social elite and the lower class's success does not want to undermine his standing. Tom's elitist point of view also extends to racism. He wants to retain white supremacy as he says 'It’s up to us, who are the dominant race, to watch out or these other races will have control of things'. Tom also claims this theory is very scientific, so it is clear that he sees the world differently from most Americans. For Myrtle, Tom has strong feelings, but he would never marry her because it would lower his picture in society. He is also a rich and powerful individual and, by upsetting the status quo of society, he does not want to sacrifice his power or wealth. The American Dream was something to aspire to for the working-class citizens of the 1920s . It gave Americans hope that all their dreams would come true if one worked hard enough. Tom is against this idea of success for the working class and as such, is against Gatsby. If Gatsby is the American dream, Tom is the reality of what the American Dream has become, a lie.
How the American Dream is not real is the heart of this book. The ashes valley is a town of people of the working class and is described in a depressing manner where ashes take the form of houses and people“This is a valley of ashes--a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens”. George Wilson is a man who is shown to be working hard for his wife at all times. Myrtle Wilson has an affair with Tom Buchannan trying to accomplish her wealthy dreams. They both die in the book, showing their failed dreams. Gatsby represents this false dream's values. Made in a poor household, he became rich with his relentless dedication. Gatsby's vision of receiving his love has not been fulfilled, and by Tom's deceit he ends up being murdered by George Wilson. Before Gatsby died he told nick the truth that he illegitimately earned his money and his previous story was false, he came from nothing.“I am the son of some wealthy people in the Middle West — all dead now. I was brought up in America but educated at Oxford, because all my ancestors have been educated there for many years. It is a family tradition”.Gatsby never truly was the American dream yet Gatsby's death is the death of the American Dream.
The notion of working hard, doing good to others, and believing that something can be achieved sounds like a fantasy because it's just a dream. The book is trying to explain that not everyone can get the American Dream. Gatsby was a great man who embodied the American Dream's ideals. The American Dream's equality and hope died with Gatsby, leaving the social elite's careless people to thrive in their absence. Gatsby lived this dream's life by raising himself from the working class, becoming wealthy, getting so close to gaining his true love, and then losing everything with his death. It indicates the American Dream's true image is nothing but a lie.
