The Constant Pursuit of The American Dream: The Truth of Gatsby's American Dream The American dream is and always will be the ultimate goal for many Americans. It is this mythological accomplishment that many people pursue, but it can never be truly achieved. Problems that hinder the achievement of the American dream will always be present. In the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby is the protagonist that was always seen as a man that had the most luxurious lifestyle, yet his far-fetched dream is across the bay and will never be reached. The persona of Gatsby is a mythological character and it is a facade he taken on to hide his past. The true James Gatz is just another kid from a farm that trying to achieve his American …show more content…
Gatsby is a mythological character that was taken on by a farmer and he had gone off to war at an early age. A quote from the novel says: " Just why these inventions were a source of satisfaction to James Gatz of North Dakota, isn't easy to say. James Gatz – that was really, or at least legally, his name" (Fitzgerald, 103). This quote reflects that Gatsby was hooked by his past and he was never able to freely identify himself as 'James Gatz of North Dakota'. He would be criticized for using his original name and would never belong to the wealthy society of New York. Also, he was always hiding who he truly was because if he had shown his real identity he would be in danger especially after all the illegal activity he was involved in. As stated in the novel: "Almost at the moment when Mr. Gatsby identified himself a butler hurried toward him with the information that Chicago was calling him on the wire. He excused himself with a small bow that included each of us in turn" (51). This quote specifies that Gatsby is busy concealing and dealing with his illegal business and he does not have the freedom and time to appreciate his parties. Moreover, he had put on this persona to win Daisy's heart back after being infatuated with her in his younger days. This was shown as throughout the novel it was the day and age of partying and Gatsby's house was the …show more content…
He showed he would go to any extent to win over Daisy's love which is a very self-centered decision, he showed he does not like to think about others when it comes to his decisions in life. Also, Gatsby lacks stability in life because he was always dwelling on his past and never thinking about the future, always bringing back the memories from his childhood and adolescent years. He was never satisfied with what he had received. He was always seeking for something more in life to fill that void of stability. He was always seeking to fulfill everything he was never able to accomplish as Jay
Jay Gatsby (James “Jimmy” Gatz) is one of the main characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book The Great Gatsby. Jay was born in North Dakota and he was brought by his poor family. In order to better his life, he enrolled at St. Olaf College. He dropped out the first semester because he did not like that he was supporting himself by working as a janitor. Soon enough, he ran away from home and went to Lake Superior.
A Man is Known by the Company he Keeps The novel The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a canvas painted with lies and pretentious attitudes. The novel is based in New York during the 1920s, the gilded age, in which everything seemed to be fantastic and shinning; however, the aesthetic only covers up a seedy culture with shallow values and little empathy. Jay Gatsby, whose real name is Jimmy Gatz, is a deceitful, manipulative man who attempts to control those around him for his own motives.
Gatsby wants people to see him as the personality he puts out into the world or his illusion. He shows people a side of him that isn’t real in a production type manner. Gatsby makes people feel a certain way in order to feed into people’s perception of him as someone that is above everyone. “It understood you just so far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey.” (Fitzgerald 53).
In the story The Great Gatsby, the author F. Scott Fitzgerald shows what was The American Dream in the 1920s. Gatsby shows the American dream as obtaining wealth by any means possible. Everyone’s ambition was to accumulate enough wealth to afford themselves comfortable lifestyles. The novel explored a different idea of America. Their lifestyle was a model of the American dream in the 1920s.
Gatsby was once seen as a respectable man who was admired by the things he did with his wealth until rumors were deemed true and everyone found out how his wealth was truly gained leading to the reasoning for his death. Gatsby's fatal flaw consumed him until he couldn't hide the truth, no longer making him a lost tragic hero. Gatsby's lies consumed his character until he was no longer seen as the same character from the beginning of the book because of his tragic fall. Gatsby's lies could only be hidden for so long until they were known to all which left his character to drastically fall at once until tragedy which is why it is important to tell the truth as the reader not to repeat the flaws of
He tried to cover up his past life by giving them a false name. “ Jay Gatz - that was really, or at least legally his name” (75). This shows that Gatsby lied about his name and told them something totally different to make other people think otherwise about his name. “ The idea was that they were lying to someone that they could potentially deceive” ( The lying game). It also shows that Gatsby can somewhat not be trusted because if he will lie about his name he would lie about anything else.
“James Gatz — that was really, or at least legally, his name… The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God.... So he invented just the sort of Jay Gatsby that a seventeen-year-old boy would be likely to invent, and to this conception he was faithful to the end.” ( 99) Gatsby was just a ideal, a dream that was conceived from James Gatz , a poor boy. He changed everything, lied about his past and truly believed that he was Jay Gatsby.
Gatsby throws the biggest parties in the world and people only come for the parties and have a fun time instead to get to know the person who is hosting it. “The bar is in full swing, and floating rounds of cocktail permeate the garden outside”Page 40. So Gatsby always sits alone in his own parties and never talks with anyone like he doesn't care if people are there all he cares if Daisy shows up and it will make his day. Gatsby throws parties every day and never gets bored of it
James Gatsby, a complicated man with many traits, completely changes his life to appeal to a woman from his past. The main character, Gatsby, changes drastically throughout the novel by trying to impress Daisy. The first change he encounters is coming to wealth. Once he came to wealth, he went far enough to change his name to “James Gatz—that was really, or at least legally, his name ” (Fitzgerald 104).
He created an identity with the help of Dan Cody that got him into the finer places in life. Deceiving the people that he was not just some dirt poor farmer. He kept deceiving but had the act to back it up, he did not have to make everything true just believable, and that is what he did to win the attention of one of the most beautiful people in the world, Daisy. Unfortunately he could not continue to be with Daisy because of war and was going to come back to her afterwards but she had married and moved on. When Gatsby returned from war did everything he could to regain her attention, throwing parties the size of festivals right across the water from her house.
Gatsby is the only character in the entire novel who chases his dream and stays devoted to his cause while doing everything he can to accomplish it. James Gats was Gatsby’s original name and he was born in North Dakota. This information allows the reader to be aware of Gatsby’s true past and it gives the reader an idea of where Gatsby started and the struggles he went through.
The Facade of the American Dream The American Dream is the opportunity for all Americans to live a life of personal happiness and material comfort, but is it actually achievable? F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, is a story of characters working hard to achieve the American Dream, but ultimately they are unable to ever realize their perfect life. The novel makes a strong naturalism argument about the rigid class system in society and the disillusionment of the American Dream.
Nearing adulthood, he changed his name from James Gatz due to being ashamed of his parents and their appearance. The insecurities he faced were a huge component in the Great Gatsby. In chapter six, Nick says “I suppose he 'd had the name ready for a long time, even then. His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people—his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all.” This is talking about his rejection to a mundane farm life.
In the novel of The Great Gatsby many people didn't know about about his past. They just knew him as the rich guy who lived on West Egg, and threw parties every weekend. People from every corner of the city of New York would be at his parties and would talk rumors about him. Most people that had heard of him had never even seen him. The truth about Gatbsy was that his real name was James Gatz.
“ James Gatz - that was really, or at least legally, his name.” (Fitzgerald 98) This shows that Nicks informs us about Gatsby 's true past. Gatsby lies about his past to he can try to follow his idea of the American dream.