The Great Essay - 1449 Words

The Great The Corruptness of the American Dream The nineteen twenties was a decade of renaissance characterized by the American Dream- the widespread aspiration of Americans to live better than their parents. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, contains themes that continue to be relevant today. In his novel, Fitzgerald reprehends the American dream by describing its characteristics: the pseudo-relationship between money and happiness, the superficiality of the rich, and the class strife between the rich and the poor. â€Å"The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement† (Mailer 97). This†¦show more content†¦Perhaps the real problem; however, is that he felt powerless in his life. Although he was wealthy, there was one thing he did not have-Daisy Buchanan. For many years, Gatsby idolized Buchanan and found her to be completely desirable and without flaws. Buchanan was wealthy and had a lot of social power. In addition, she was very attractive. The only flaw most people would see in Daisy is that she is married. Gatsby, because of his arrogant nature, did not care that she was married. Since he believed that only his feelings were important, he decided that he would try to take Daisy away from her husband. Gatsby stated, â€Å"I don’t think she ever loved him [her husband] (Fitzgerald 159). Gatsby’s imagination and arrogance led to his decline. Gatsby’s dream was not successful. Since he did not â€Å"have† Daisy, his life was purposeless and empty. In fact, he had nothing to live for. His wealth had not brought him happiness. Instead, however, it brought him great displeasure: he had no friends and no family members to talk to. Fitzgerald used Gatsby to illustrate that wealth cannot make one happy. In fact, being excessively wealthy can actually make people miserable. Gatsby did not know what to do with his life. He decided to lie about his life to make him seem more successful and go after a girl who was married. Moreover, the superficiality of the rich is very apparent in the idea of the American Dream. Daisy andShow MoreRelatedThe Great Depression And Great Recession Essay1700 Words   |  7 PagesThe Great Depression and Great Recession were two unique events that had monumental impact on the economy. Both had similarities, and differences that made them unique. The Great Depression was caused by people living on credit, and when it was time to pay they didn’t have the money, this happened on a wide spread scale. The crashing of the stock market was what officially started the Great Depression in 1929. The great recession was caused by subprime mortgages as well, as risk taking by financialRead MoreGreat Depression And The Great Recession864 Words   |  4 PagesThe â€Å"Great Depression† and the â€Å"Great Recession† are two of the darkest times in American history. There is much debate about the cause of the Great Depression and how it differed from the cause o f the Great Recession. Many people believe that the stock market crash of 1929 played a major role the Great Depression. On the other hand, the stock market crash of 2008 drove America into the Great Recession. The causes of stock market crashes are often unforeseen, but many have detectable indicators.Read MoreGreat Recession And The Great Depression906 Words   |  4 PagesGREAT ECONOMIC TIMES IN AMERICA The Great Recession and the Great Depression are the fallout of the exact same economic problems and are only different in a few respects. 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Even though the depression affect the rest of the world, it has been called the great d epression of the US because it’s believed that the US suffered more than any otherRead MoreAlexander The Great : The Characters Of Alexander The Great1222 Words   |  5 PagesFrom the beginning of his short-lived life in Pella, the capital of Macedonia, Alexander the Great was immensely affected by the traits of his mother, father, and tutor. Philip II, king of Macedonia and Alexander’s father, was a man of great strategic ability, and gave Alexander practice in military leadership. This experience and knowledge passed down from his father became useful during his conquest across Europe. Olympias, one of Philip II’s wives and Alexander’s mother, had incredibly strongRead MoreThe Great Death of the Great Gatsby Essay741 Words   |  3 PagesThe story The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald takes you through the life of the protagonist of the novel, Jay Gatsby, who is shot to death in the end. 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