Failure of the American Dream Demonstrated
"I don't dream at night, I dream all day; I dream for a living." These words of Steven Spielberg echo the idea of the American Dream, where virtues of hard work and ambition can take one anywhere. Generically defined, the American Dream means someone starting low on the economic or social gamut working really hard to turn prosperous or famous. Although such rags-to-riches stories take root in the deepest parts of many of our hearts, we must use reason to realize the inherent illogic behind the American Dream. How many of us can't dream? How many of us don't have an ambition? And how many of us don't work hard? Are we ALL who we want to be right now? No! While chivalrous and quixotic, the pursuers of the Dream usually fail to take into account other factors of society as well as reality that will eventually foil their wishes. That last statement will be considered heretical by many, but there are those who agree; Francis Scott Fitzgerald would be one. In his book, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald touches upon the lower parts of the social spectrum, where most of the Dream lives on. During the discussion of the lower classes, Fitzgerald connects them ultimately with failure, telling us morbid
Through this, Fitzgerald shows us that the American Dream couldn't even live up to moderate degrees. Using reason, Fitzgerald wants to dispel this deep-rooted belief because the American Dream doesn't truly function as he demonstrates throughout The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald furthers this tragedy through George's action, ". Fitzgerald writes of Daisy's lack of love for Gatsby by showing her admitting and then retracting her statements, " 'I never loved him [Tom, her husband] ,' she said, with perceptible reluctance. It was all very careless and confused. He did not know that it was already behind him. After a night of partying, he is speaking with Mr. sitting on the edge of the wasteland, a sort of compact. Furthermore, the quote mentions Beauty and the Beast, inferring to the upper class. Fitzgerald extends that idea by referring to Tom as a child. Furthermore, the upper class displays conservatism in which they don't want change, unlike the ideals of the American Dream.
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Acceptance Essays
