The Great Gatsby, the Perverse American Dream Essay

The American Dream is an ideology that through hard, honest work and determination, you can achieve success in The United States of America. In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald alludes to the concept of The American Dream in a time just after World War 1 and he achieves this through many characters and the environment in which they live and interact in. The main character of the novel has often been characterized as a clear representation of The American Dream, which is a false statement for many concrete rationales. The fact that Gatsby accumulated his wealth from the bootlegging of alcohol at a time period where it was considered illegal; the true and main reason for Gatsbys love of money was because it represents Diasy†¦show more content†¦His main motive for becoming wealthy steams from one thing, which is to be with Daisy again like before the war. ‘You cant repeat the past. ‘Cant repeat the past?Â… ‘Why of Course you can!(Fitzgerald, 106) Gatsbys thinking process is distorted by his love for Daisy; he truly believes that the past can be recreated exactly how it was before. The true fact is that now there are too many implications in Daisys life. Daisy has a husband and a child to whom she is bond to no matter how they can both justify it. Jay Gatsbys wealth is simply a desperation attempt to woo Daisys past love to an inevitable negative end. Her voice is full of moneyÂ… That was it. Id never understood before. It was full of money Ââ€" that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals song of itÂ… High in a white palace the kings daughter, the golden girl. (Fitzgerald, 115) Nick and Gatsby both come to the realization that Daisys voice is full of money, which is a metaphor for the shallow and worthlessness that she possesses. The atmosphere around her though is of money and that one thing puts men in an aura of desire. Near the end of the book after Gatsby has been murdered, The American Dream reveals its true self and Daisy and Tom Buchanan live as if nothing ever happened. Their indulgence of their wealth keeps them hollow and careless. 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