Rachel- Gatsby essay

For this paper I will be discussing Fitzgerald’s belief that the American Dream has not been destroyed, but has been lost. He believes that the American dream has been transformed from the want to live your life to its fullest potential, into a shallow desire to become part of the wealthy, and elite, upper class. And in the pursuit of this, we have surrounded ourselves and, in many cases, lost ourselves behind elaborate facades, designed to fool not only our peers but our selves into thinking that we have achieved our goals.

I will discuss this view mainly looking at Gatsby’s transformation, the way Tom and Daisy can hide behind their wealth and all other references to facades made by the characters and the way it affects their lives and relationships (owl eyes, T.J. Eckleburg, the houses). Gatsby is my main focus however; the way he abandons his childhood ambitions to better himself through learning and discovery to pursue a life in the upper class, surrounded by material wealth. This is why he is so mesmerized by Daisy, because she is the symbol of class, and the moment he connects himself to her he is sucked into a spiraling vortex that leads to his ultimate corruption and downfall. This is evident in house and its elaborate façade, that makes even Gatsby feel as though he is upper class, and is purely designed to gain the favor of the elite. The tragedy of this is that, despite his fame, he has few real friends. But the friends he does have are profound because they are the only ones he can see past the façade, who see Gatsby for what he really is and what he was. I also liked the reference that Daisy and Tom could hide behind their status in the worst of situations, but I think this also brings up another point from Fitzgerald: that wealth does not guarantee happiness, in fact that the richest people are the most unhappy. Daisy is stuck, without plans or ambition, just living to survive, this is a sad existence and is as far removed from the original American dream as one can get. Hope to make the world and yourself better is what the American dream is all about, it is not about collecting material at all costs, and especially not being so focused on it that you through away yourself and all that you believe in (as Daisy and Gatsby both do). In fact our only character that retains his sense of self and ambition without compromise seems to be our narrator Nick, the poorest and least wealthy character of all. He represents the closest thing to the American dream that we have left.