How Does the Novel Portray the American Dream?

Author: Martin Munyao Muinde
Email: Ephantusmartin@gmail.com
Website: https://academiaresearcher.com/

Introduction

1. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is often regarded as one of the greatest critiques of the American Dream, an ideal that has shaped the social, political, and economic landscape of the United States since its inception. The novel is set during the Roaring Twenties, a period of rapid economic growth, consumerism, and societal change. It explores the complex interplay between wealth, class, social mobility, and moral decay in the pursuit of success. Through the lives of its central characters—especially Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, and Tom Buchanan—the novel examines how the American Dream, as traditionally understood, becomes corrupted and unattainable.

This essay will analyze how The Great Gatsby portrays the American Dream by focusing on its definition, its impact on characters, and its ultimate disillusionment. By exploring the novel’s themes of ambition, wealth, and social class, this paper will demonstrate how Fitzgerald critiques the ideals of the American Dream and offers a profound commentary on its inherent flaws.

The American Dream in The Great Gatsby: A Brief Overview

The concept of the American Dream is rooted in the belief that every individual, regardless of their social background, can achieve success through hard work, determination, and initiative. In its most optimistic form, the American Dream promises the possibility of upward mobility, wealth, and personal fulfillment. This ideal is central to the identity of the United States, particularly during the early 20th century, as Americans looked toward a future of prosperity following the industrial revolution and the expansion of the American economy.

In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald portrays the American Dream as a deeply flawed and unattainable ideal. Through the character of Jay Gatsby, the novel explores the tension between the aspiration for success and the reality of achieving it. Gatsby, born James Gatz to poor farmers in North Dakota, rises to wealth through hard work, ambition, and, notably, illegal activities. He embodies the self-made man, the epitome of the American Dream, yet his success is tainted by dishonesty, deception, and moral compromise.

However, Gatsby’s eventual downfall reveals the inherent contradictions within the American Dream. Despite his wealth, Gatsby cannot transcend his humble origins, nor can he achieve his ultimate goal of winning Daisy Buchanan’s love. His tragic end symbolizes the collapse of the American Dream and highlights the illusory nature of the promises it offers. As critic Matthew Bruccoli (2007) notes, “Gatsby’s dream, like the American Dream itself, is built on false hopes, a combination of materialism, idealism, and illusion” (Bruccoli, 2007). Through this portrayal, Fitzgerald critiques the notion that success can be achieved purely through individual effort, suggesting that social class and moral integrity are just as important as ambition.

The Role of Wealth and Materialism in the American Dream

One of the central themes in The Great Gatsby is the relationship between wealth and the American Dream. For Gatsby, achieving wealth is synonymous with achieving success. His entire life is dedicated to amassing wealth and using it to create a persona that will attract Daisy Buchanan, the woman he loves and the symbol of the social status he desires. Gatsby’s mansion, extravagant parties, and luxurious possessions are all part of his attempt to embody the ideal of the American Dream and win the approval of the old-moneyed class.

Fitzgerald’s portrayal of Gatsby’s wealth serves as a critique of the materialism that pervades the American Dream. While Gatsby’s wealth brings him a level of social recognition, it does not grant him true happiness or fulfillment. His parties, for instance, are attended by people who are more interested in the spectacle and excess than in genuine human connection. The guests at Gatsby’s parties are often described as superficial and empty, highlighting the emptiness that accompanies materialism and the pursuit of wealth. In Chapter 4, Nick Carraway reflects on the nature of these gatherings: “People disappeared, reappeared, made plans to go somewhere, and then lost each other, searched for each other, found each other a few feet away” (Fitzgerald, 2004). This sense of fleeting interaction and lack of genuine relationships underscores the emptiness that wealth and material success cannot fill.

Through Gatsby’s character, Fitzgerald illustrates the failure of the American Dream to provide meaningful happiness. Despite all his wealth and the lavish lifestyle he creates, Gatsby remains unfulfilled, chasing a dream that ultimately proves unattainable. His desire for Daisy, which is intertwined with his pursuit of wealth, exemplifies how the Dream is rooted in illusion, not reality.

The Role of Social Class and Status in Achieving the American Dream

While the American Dream promises upward mobility and success based on merit and effort, The Great Gatsby reveals how social class and inherited privilege continue to play a significant role in determining one’s place in society. The characters of Daisy and Tom Buchanan are a direct contrast to Gatsby. While Gatsby is self-made, Daisy and Tom belong to the old-money class, and their wealth and social status come from family inheritance rather than personal ambition.

This distinction between the old-money class and the new-money class is central to the novel’s critique of the American Dream. Despite Gatsby’s immense wealth, he is never fully accepted into the world of the Buchanans. Tom Buchanan, for example, dismisses Gatsby as an outsider, referring to him as a “new money” upstart. He sees Gatsby’s attempt to integrate into their social circle as an affront to the traditional values of inherited wealth and privilege. Tom’s reaction to Gatsby’s wealth highlights the social divisions that persist, despite the ideal of equal opportunity promoted by the American Dream. In Chapter 6, Tom remarks to Daisy, “I may be old-fashioned in my ideas, but women run around too much these days” (Fitzgerald, 2004). This statement reflects his disdain for the social mobility that figures like Gatsby represent, revealing how entrenched class distinctions are in the narrative of the American Dream.

Gatsby’s inability to transcend his origins, despite his material success, emphasizes the limitations of the American Dream. The novel suggests that no matter how hard one works or how much wealth one accumulates, the entrenched social hierarchy remains difficult, if not impossible, to overcome. The idea of merit-based success becomes increasingly hollow as the story progresses, as Gatsby’s dreams continue to be thwarted by his social status.

The Illusion of the American Dream: Gatsby’s Tragic Fate

Gatsby’s tragic death at the hands of George Wilson, Daisy’s husband, underscores the novel’s disillusionment with the American Dream. Despite achieving material success, Gatsby never realizes his ultimate goal: to rekindle his romance with Daisy and create a life that aligns with his ideal vision. Daisy, who is central to Gatsby’s dream, chooses to stay with Tom, reaffirming her commitment to her established social position and exposing the limitations of Gatsby’s aspirations.

Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s death to symbolize the ultimate failure of the American Dream. Gatsby’s dream, like the broader concept of the American Dream, is based on illusions and unattainable ideals. He believes that by acquiring wealth, he can overcome his humble beginnings and win the love of Daisy, yet these efforts lead to his destruction. As Nick Carraway reflects in the novel’s final lines, “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us” (Fitzgerald, 2004). The green light, located at the end of Daisy’s dock, represents the American Dream: an ever-receding goal that one can never fully attain.

Through Gatsby’s demise, Fitzgerald critiques the notion that the American Dream is a viable path to fulfillment. The Dream, built on the ideals of material success and individualism, is revealed to be inherently flawed. Gatsby’s tragic end suggests that the pursuit of wealth and status does not lead to true happiness or moral fulfillment. Instead, it leads to corruption, disillusionment, and ultimately death.

Conclusion

In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald offers a scathing critique of the American Dream. The novel portrays the Dream as an illusion—an ideal that promises success and fulfillment but ultimately leads to corruption and despair. Through the character of Jay Gatsby, Fitzgerald explores the tension between ambition and morality, illustrating how the pursuit of wealth and social status can distort one’s values and lead to self-destruction. The novel also critiques the rigid social class divisions that continue to shape American society, suggesting that the Dream is not equally accessible to all, regardless of effort or ambition.

Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy, his idealized vision of the American Dream, and his tragic demise serve as a powerful commentary on the emptiness of materialism and the failure of the Dream to provide true happiness. The Great Gatsby is not just a critique of the American Dream but also a timeless warning about the dangers of pursuing success at the cost of personal integrity, genuine relationships, and moral clarity. Fitzgerald’s portrayal of the American Dream remains a relevant and thought-provoking commentary on the American ethos and its discontents.

References

Bruccoli, Matthew J. Some Sort of Epic Grandeur: The Life of F. Scott Fitzgerald. University of South Carolina Press, 2007.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Scribner, 2004.
Mizener, Arthur. The Far Side of Paradise: A Biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Houghton Mifflin, 2008.
Perkins, David. A Reader’s Guide to the Great Gatsby. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990.