The American Dream as Shown Through Jay Gatsby Essay

Jay Gatsby becomes so enthralled in his American Dream and the immoral means that he would use to obtain it, however, that he could not see foreboding events around him. He acts in a manner of obliviousness when many of the people whom he associates with mock him, such as when and an unnamed woman in Gatsby’s house in Chapter VI gives an insincere invitation for Gatsby to come to dinner and, after Gatsby naively accepts the invitation, Tom ridicules him by asking Nick, â€Å"Doesn’t he know she doesn’t want him?†(Fitzgerald 103). Such an honest reaction, however, could only be expected from the man who went about his business of illicitly acquiring money differently than he did his personal life. Despite reservations of the narrator, readers†¦show more content†¦Traditionally something that would be attained through morality, honesty, meaningful drudgery, and respectability, the American Dream for Jay Gatsby was a pursuit doomed to futility from t he moment when it lost its virtue by relying on achieving success by bypassing the necessary labor and ingenuity needed to make an honest living. Therefore, Gatsby’s version of the American Dream would only lead to corrupted results because of its unscrupulous foundations. When taken as a whole, this information leads to Indeed, so engrossed was Jay Gatsby in his version of the American Dream throughout the novel that he deliberately blinded himself to circumstances or facts that contradicted his hopes; his passion so overpowered his power of reason that he was unable to comprehend the true precariousness of his situation and the futility of his chase for the love of a woman who, in her inconsequential, meaningless, and depravity-ridden life, could never fulfill the elated expectations that Gatsby never faltered in obstinately regarding as already being hers. The very fact that Jay Gatsby, one of the most indispensable characters in the novel, acted in accordance with such a contorted view of the American Dream emphasizes the cumulative role that Gatsby was intended to fulfill. If there is any character in The Great Gatsby who is the primal example of the downfall of the American Dream, then that character would be theShow MoreRelatedAspirations And Greatness : F. Scott Fitzgerald s The Great Gatsby 1436 Words   |  6 Pagesand Greatness; The Case of Jay Gatsby Dedication and tenacity are examples of attributes that allow one to accomplish a societal label for effort shown towards attaining goals and dreams. Through his work The Great Gatsby, F.Scott Fitzgerald used the protagonist, Jay Gatsby, to demonstrate the American Dream and greatness. Gatsby was a mysterious character, commonly mistaken as a mere criminal; but actually, he was a victim of his perseverance and the American Dream. Despite his criminal activitiesRead MoreThe Death Of A Salesman By Arthur Miller1497 Words   |  6 Pagesprotagonist Willy stops at nothing to achieve what he believes is the American dream in spite of encountering many costs. 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