Period 5

In "The Demise of the 1920s American Dream in The Great Gatsby" the author notes that, "During the 1920s, the perception of the American Dream was that an individual can achieve success in life regardless of family history or social status if they only work hard enough." There was a real "pull yourself up from your boot straps" attitude during this period. Now Gatsby does work hard to attain his wealth, but he does it in a wrong way. He is a bootlegger. Fitzergerald is critiquing the way people would do anything, even if it was illegal and morally wrong to achieve the American Dream

Wealth is basically the basis of the American Dream, and this what Fitzgerald critiques. The fact that people will do anything so they can attain wealth. Then use that wealth to buy material things and try to buy happiness. Fitzgerald is pointing out the fact that wealth has become an obsession because of the American Dream. Daisy's love for wealth and money is what kept her away from Gatsby in the first place, because he did not have enough of it.

Not only is the American Dream about attaining wealth, it is about attaining love and happiness. Again Fitzgerald critiques the morally wrong way Gatsby and Tom go about to try and achieve this. Tom cheats on his wife, and Gatsby wants Daisy to leave Tom for him. All so that they can achieve a feeling of love and happiness.

Throughout the book Fitzgerald uses Gatsby to show how the American Dream has made people selfish. All they do is think about themselves. Let Me attain wealth so that I can be happy, so that I can be the best. Gatsby through the whole story was thinking about how can get Daisy back so that he can be happy, and he didn't care if he had to tear apart her marriage. He was just thinking of himself.

Alessandra in her article "Rise and Fall of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby" takes notice that Fitzgerald in the book portrays that ," Materialistic possessions determine success which shows corruption has taken root in society." It does not matter what you do with your life, what matters is what you have. This why Gatsby had many luxurious things, like his mansion and his car. That was what impressed people. Fitzgerald here is critiquing how material things have started to define the importance of people.

Having more things meant you were more important, which equaled a higher social status. This was very important to Gatsby as he was from West Egg and Daisy was from East Egg which meant that their was a social divide between them that Gatsby needed to fill by moving up the social ladder. Through this whole situation Fitzgerald is critiquing how the wealth that comes with the American Dream causes social divides.

Fitzgerald portrays in his book that even if achieve aspects of The American Dream it will never be enough. There will always be a portion of you that is empty like a half empty glass of water. For Gatsby that half empty portion was love, he had wealth and materialistic stuff, but it wasn't enough and it would never be enough.

“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch our arms further . . . And one fine morning—

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”


The American Dream is unattainable, no matter how hard you try.

Fitzgerald critiques the American Dream as a corruption of human morals to achieve wealth, happiness, and luxury materials that will never be enough because The American Dream is not fully attainable.