THE FAILURE OF THE AMERICAN DREAM

THESIS

• The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a literary work depicting failure of the American. The novel illustrates that the American Dream is dead through to the emphasis on materialism, consumerism/capitalism, a hedonistic view of society, corrupt values of the main characters, and unattainable personal goals.

GATSBY; FALSE PROPHET OF THE AMERICAN dREAM

• Written by Roger L. PearsonMakes many religious comparisons.
• American Dream as a prophecy of the Old Testament, Gatsby's failure of the Dream as the New Testament.
• Gatsby as the "Son of God", a materialistic God which corrupted his ideals and his dream.
• Warped sense of the American Dream makes it unattainable.
• Gatsby as a "rejected messianic" figure in his failure of the Dream.
• The American Dream is "not so much a dream as it is a nightmare."

AN ADOLESCENT VIEW OF THE AMERICAN DREAM

• Michael Vincent Miller compares Gatsby to Hester Prynne in their tragic love stories.
• Gatsby did not have the compassion and forgiveness to redeem himself after losing his love. He was a "more limited creature spiritually"
• Being "limited" to his downfall, as he could not grasp the full concept of the American Dream.
• Also felt he could go back and retrieve something from the past
• Talks about the Darwinian society of America in which Gatsby was not fully fit to survive, he was too idealistic.
• Says everybody in Gatsby fails and that the Dream is dead, and it is due to American culture.
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ALFRED KAZIN AND THE FAILURE OF THE AMERICAN DREAM

• Gatsby lived and died by the American Dream.
• Gatsby's dream of wealth has no meaning if one deos not take into account his dream of Daisy.
• When Daisy leaves his dream dies, and he goes with it.
• He never achieved his true goal, and all that is left of his dream is the memory that Nick has of it.
• Compared Gatsby to Fitzgerald due to their failed dreams.
• "...all the lights of Fitzgerald's golden time went out with Jay Gatsby."
• Implies the American Dream is all an illusion.

THE GREAT GATSBY AND TEH AMERICAN DREAM

• Written by James Nagel.
• States the original American Dream was defined by John Winthrop and has since been corrupted.
• Gatsby and Nick only understood the part of the Dream that was about money.
• Gatsby's true motives were Daisy.
• Writes about the corruption of the other characters.
• Tom, rich in money, poor in character.
• Daisy, emotionally unfulfilled and cynical.
• Jordan, lies and cheats.
• Nick realized the corruption around him and rejected it, causing him to move back home.

SOURCES

• Roger L. Pearson, "Gatsby: False Prophet of the American Dream"
• Michael Vincent Miller, "An Adolescent View of the American Dream"
• Alfred Kazin, "Alfred Kazin and the Failure of the American Dream"
• James Nagel, "The Great Gatsby and the American Dream"