The Importance Of Happiness In The Great Gatsby

“Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” a doctrine established by our founding fathers and adopted by the United States as the original meaning of the American Dream. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates the dissent of the American Dream. As time progresses the meaning of the American Dream became lost, but it still has pertinence to the present. The Declaration of Independence set the basis of what the American Dream meant and why it still has relevance to its people’s live today.

The only thing Myrtle achieves was a changed personality as the narrator Nick Carroway states, “ The intense vitality that had been so remarkable in the garage was converted into impressive hauteur.” Myrtle did not know how else to obtain the American Dream she believed that if she acted like the rich people of East Egg she would be treated as one. This is not the case as Barry Edward Gross a critic wrote, “In trying to be something she is not, in immersing herself in her blatantly material world, Myrtle loses the best part of herself, her sensuous vitality.” If Myrtle would have stayed herself and not tried so hard people would have liked and appreciated her more, following the American Dream changed her whole perspective on life, giving it a new meaning. It is ironic that Myrtle and Gatsby’s dreams are similar, Fitzgerald did this to prove that the American dream is flawed.

Wealth vs. Happiness The Roaring 20s’ represented a time of economic prosperity and the introduction of new values. In places like New York City, tycoons and promiscuous women lead the social class pyramid as shown in novels such as The Great Gatsby. The novel, which involves the disregard of prohibition, new social issues, humongous fortunes, and a tragic death, serves as a collection of lessons that apply to modern-day society. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, Daisy and Gatsby’s wealth ultimately shows the reader that money does not equal happiness.

To begin with, Myrtle is ashamed of her class and pretends to be rich and high class in order to impress Tom. In Tom’s apartment in New York, she bought an expensive dress that people from her class typically cannot afford, and talked rudely to the servants that are also of the same class as her: “I told that boy about

What she doesn't understand, in any case, is that Tom and his companions will never acknowledge her into their circle. (Notice how Tom has an example of picking lower-class ladies to lay down with. For him, their frailty makes his particular position considerably more prevalent. Strangy, being with ladies who seek to his class improves him feel about himself and enables him to sustain the dream that he is a decent and imperative man.) Myrtle is close to a toy to Tom and to those he speaks to.

While Myrtle plays pretend while she is with Tom, the American Dream for her, is entirely unachievable as she cannot rise through the societal ranks of class and wealth to attain

It has long been said that money can’t buy happiness, but still people continue to use it’s acquisition to try to make themselves happy. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, the title character struggles with this realization. The book is set in New York during the ‘Roaring 20’s’, a time famous for its parties and lavishness. The book examines the attitudes toward money within the upper particularly through the lense of the new-money title character, Jay Gatsby. Gatsby dedicated his life to the acquisition of money with the goal of eventually acquiring the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan.

The American Dream Doesn’t Equal Happiness If the phrase “money can’t buy happiness” was written into a full story, that story would be The Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby is written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and has countless examples of the phrase “money can’t buy happiness” suggesting that the American dream and loads of money doesn’t suddenly make your life perfect and all your problems are gone, in fact, the story suggests the complete opposite. In the story, F. Scott Fitzgerald shows that every character who has money or character that is around the people that have money end up in more trouble and having more problems than the average person.

Myrtle Wilson’s husband is named George Wilson, unfortunately, she is miserable being married with him. She is having an affair with Tom, “There is always a halt there of at least a minute and it was because of this that I first met Tom Buchanan’s mistress.” (Fitzgerald ## ) Nick Carraway implies that Myrtle is having an affair with Tom. Myrtle married George Wilson because she thought that he had money so she married him, later she discovered that he is not wealthy and married Myrtle with a borrowed suit. She feels better that she cheats on him with Tom Buchanan.

The characters in the novel pretend that they have their lives all figured out, but through their successes their downfalls and emptiness can be seen, to prove that money cannot buy happiness. Jay Gatsby is the newest and upcoming star in New York during the 1920’s. Through his business and inheritance he is one of the richest men of his time. One may think that his abundance of wealth would lead him to be eternally happy, but he is the opposite. Gatsby longs for his love of Daisy, which is his personal American Dream.

Additionally how Fitzgerald uses precise diction with describing Myrtle’s movements intensify her characterization. “But immediately she turned sharply from the window and leaning forward tapped on the front glass. ‘I want to get one of those dogs,’ she said earnestly.” Myrtle seems to feel entitled to things because she wants them. Her character grows much throughout this passage, particularly into a woman that does not like the life she has, so she does anything in her power, even having an affair, to change that.

Francis Scott Fitzgerald once stated, “The loneliest moment in someone’s life is when they are watching their whole world fall apart and all they can do is stare blankly.” Throughout his famous work, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald portrayed the American Dream. Contrary to the ideology of the “Roaring Twenties” society, he described the American Dream as a delusion. People of the era focused on materialism in order to boost their wealth and status and forgot the importance of their relationships. Several characters within the novel sought to gain a higher status in society.

Just like Daisy, Myrtle chooses money over love. She cheats on her husband George with Tom. Myrtle was a woman from the lower class who desired to be a part of the higher class. Tom spoiled Myrtle and gave her the lifestyle she always wanted. She belittles her husband and talk bad about him because he is not at the top of the social ladder where Tom is.

Does money make the characters in the Great Gatsby happier? In the book The Great Gatsby, Gatsby was dating Daisy, who he truly loved then he had to go fight in World War I so then Tom took advantage of that and married Dasiy who was using tom only for his money. Will Gatsby and Daisy's love be the same as before when Gatsby went to war?

Through the character Myrtle the reader can see the portrayal of the low and ignorant class of America. Myrtle is the wife to George Wilson,