American Nightmare
In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, the reader is exposed to a privileged society where adherence to morals is seen as an immaterial part of the daily functioning of such a society. The novel presents the characters' American Dreams and asserts that achieving that dream leads the individuals in higher society down a road of moral bankruptcy. Jay Gatsby is an example of how the lust for dreams ultimately leads to the corrosion of morals. Gatsby starts out as James Gatz and relying on his illustrious connections with people, he ultimately amasses a large fortune. Gatsby's wild extravagant parties and the shallowness and aimlessness of the guests exhibit the moral decadence present in society: the party guests "arrived at twilight . . ." (111) and would stay until daybreak, and "sometimes they came and went without having met Gatsby at all, came for the party with a simplicity of heart that was its own ticket of admission" (45). Through his displays of wealth and influence, he attempts to rekindle his relationship with Daisy, a married woman and has absolutely no qualms about such a rendezvous. Although, Gatsby has a chivalrous and romantic premise behind his accumulation of wealth, he does so without regards for ethics, morals
down a string of polo ponies from Lake Forest" (10). Both Myrtle, a middle class citizen, and Jordan, an athlete, are unable to escape the clutches of moral decay due to their association with the upper class and their quest for the American Dream. Eckleburg that overlook the valley of ashes, represent God's ever-present and all-knowing glare. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him and I wasn't far wrong," (141) in reference to Gatsby. He does achieve wealth but to no avail, as he fails to realize his dream of being with Daisy. Those who do attain the American Dream, find themselves unable to relate to people outside of it and this leads to the impotence of morals in higher society. She is a professional golfer who is known to have cheated on an important tournament. Tom epitomizes the role of the morally inept aristocrat who has access to everything he desires. Daisy's tainted vision of the American Dream includes fun, money and influence. The reader sees her as a superficial character whose notion of happiness is more tangible and less of a mental state of mind when she says, "that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool" (21). He has an extra-marital affair with Myrtle, one of several during his marriage to Daisy. Both Daisy and Tom do achieve their dream but in their pursuit for maintaining that standard, they are so restricted that they are unable to relate to people outside of their society.
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Acceptance Essays
