Dreams in the Great Gatsby

The Broken Ameri peck Dream of the 1920s An entire name for the 1920s is the roaring twenties. This was a decade full of soci fitted transformation and industrialization. Through this shift, a degradation in social example occurred. A victim of this shift is the character J. Gatsby in F. Scott Fitzgeralds The coarse Gatsby. Gatsby is corrupted by values and attitudes that he holds in joint with a society that destroys him(44). Through this mutual and obscured social moral, Gatsby seems to obtain a withering view of his Ameri give the axe Dream.Where the American Dream one time consisted of the precept that people of talent in this land of opportunity and plenty could middling aspire to material success if they adhered to a well-defined set of behaviors(Trask). These behaviors were actions such as works weighed level, staying h geniusst, and better educating ones self much same the reheel that Gatsby made as a young boy. scarce with the boom of industrialization, came a tr cease of bootlegging and get comfortable quick schemes and unfortunately Gatsby became a victim of the era. As a matter of fact, Gatsby is non the stiffly one who has suffered from this time of moral deterioration.Daisy Buchanan, Gatsbys object of obsession, also is a victim of a society that wholeows her to not take responsibility for her actions. Daisy hides behind her populace facade and her innocent carefree charm. Her husband tom Buchanan has also manipulated the covetousnessy, ungenerous social society that exists on East egg. tom has no dreams or aspirations and seeks excitement first in sport, then in infidelity, seeking indistinguishability in a book of racist political philosophy(Wershoven). In a time of moral peril, each character is corrupted by a societal intellect that taints their master of the American Dream.During Gatsbys adolescent years, he has a clear and healthy headlandset most what he wanted to accomplish in his life. Gatsby was self-motiv ated to make something of his life. unless at once he meets Daisy, Daisy be recognises the embodiment of his dreams and the object of his obsession. As a young boy, outgrowth up in North Dakota, Gatsby was motivated to be successful. Gatsbys mystify said Jimmy was bound to get ahead. Even as a young adult, Gatsby refused to think of himself as an average person. Gatsbys parents were unambitious and unsuccessful and Gatsby neer re all last(predicate)y accepted them as his parents at all. alternatively Gatsby had a schedule of each day that would help him to attain his wealth. As Trask says, He early decided that he could contemplate future glory. first on Gatsby embodies the basels of society before the 1920s he is determined and caliber to work hard to independently reach success. This is until he meets Daisy, the root of Daisy is what sways Gatsbys dreams get through the right path. Gatsby met Daisy as a young man and hopelessly fell in contend with her. However i n the end, Daisy broke it off with Gatsby since he was not financially suitable for maintaining her lifestyle.It seems as though Gatsby never recovered from getting his heart broken by Daisy. As nick says, Gatsby had a extraordinary gift of hope- a romantic readiness such I have never found in either another(prenominal) person and which is not likely I shall find ever once more(2). Nick also says Gatsby turned out alright at the end it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily unlikeable out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-wind elations of men(2). Indeed, it was the idea of lovable Daisys love that drove Gatsby to his success.It corrupted his earlier ideas of working hard and saving his cash now he had to make gold lush and resorted to bootlegging. Gatsby reverses frantic at the idea of coming wealthy and instead of belatedly climbing up the success latter, he desperately and quickly makes money in any way he can so he can win Daisy back off as quickly as possible. Gatsby became consumed with the idea of winning Daisys affection and rekindling their past romance. This is apparent when Gatsby describes their first osculation His heart beat faster and faster as Daisys tweed face came up to his own.He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his abominable visions of her perishable breathe, his mind would never romp again like the mind of god. So he waitedThen he kissed herand the incarnation was comp permite(112). Gatsby is brought down by Daisy and the refusal to see the nature of his own dreams(Wershoven). Nick sums up Gatsbys debacle perfectly when he says that perhaps Gatsbys dream must(prenominal) have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in the vast obscurity. What nick says is square, Gatsby was so blinded by love that he could not see Daisys flaws and Gatsby ended up give the ultimat e price . As Trask says, Daisy could never become a sure actualization of Gatsbys illegitimate dream(Trask). Among those who have distorted dreams, Daisy Buchanan susceptibility perhaps be the worst. Daisy is a selfish, rich girl who has never been held accountable for her actions, for she embodies the pure freedom of endless choice without consequences(Wershoven). Daisy has never had to concern herself with troubling about money or mercenary(a) things.Daisy has always gotten things handed to her and would not want it any other way. Daisy takes advantage of the fact that she lives in a society that has put her on a pedistal, and allows her to smash up things without any consquences. Her attractive nature and charm has helped her support this type of lifestyle. Daisy cannot withal permeate the idea of having to work for something and therefore she has a sense of entitlement to everything that is given to her. At first Daisy seems harmless and bored as she mindlessly wonders ou t chintzy what she will do with the rest of her days.But as the novel goes on, it becomes sort of clear that Daisy is not what she seems. Daisy has become a master of manipulation in order to maintain her consume lifestyle. She knows exactly how to agree with what society expects of her and knows how to reduce and maintain her appearance. But despite her warm and inviting appearance, Daisy is quite cold and superficial. Daisys saints of wealth and money lead her to live a superficial and nonmeaningful life that wreaks havoc in the lives of the other characters. It is this love of money that take here to marry her husband turkey cock Buchanan.Instead of waiting for Gatsby to buffet to the war, Daisy just decides to marry turkey cock because of his wealth and promise of a lavish life. tom even gives her a three-hundred thousand-dollar pearl necklace. Even this amount of money is not enough to ensure Daisys fidelity. As currently as Gatsby comes back into town, she begins to have an mathematical function. Even after years of leading Gatsby on, she let off breaks his heart when she says that she loves them both. This is when it comes apparent that Daisy will never leave gobbler.For Daisy, even true love is not enough to make her change her lifestyle. Her love of money has made her cold and bold when it comes to love. Another example of Daisys reckless nature is when Toms mistress, Myrtle Wilson, is killed. Daisy is perfectly content with allow Gatsby take the exceed. Not one time does she even contemplate the idea of coming forward to take responsibility. Instead she hides behind her wealth and her appearance. As Wershoven puts it, society helps to cover up the deed. Daisy is an insatiable girl that has no quest for validation by others.Daisy wants things and people but, there is no space interior her that can be filled, no unfinished part of her can be completed by another(Wershoven). Therefore, Daisy views people as at her disposal. This is in the long run the attitude that is responsible for Gatsbys death. Daisy is so caught up in the materialistic enquires of that time that she cannot value anything e else. She views everything she has as an accessory even her own daughter. Were as most parents feel defined by their childrens lives, the reader almost forgets that Daisy even has a daughter at all.She only interacts with her child when it is convenient for her and when it looks good in front of company. Daisys husband, Tom Buchanan is an ex- football star from the same college that Nick attended. Nick describes Tom as one of those men that reach such an acute limited integrity at twenty-one that everything afterwards savors anti-climax(10). Tom falls victim to avarice and cannot satisfy his need for more. As Wereshoven says Daisy and Tom are always facial expression for something, something new and better, for they are bored with the things they already bought.Daisy wonders what theyll do each day, and the next da y, identifying the dilemma of people who can have whatever they want, as soon as they want it (Wershoven). Tom is in a perpetuating cycle of greed in which he notwithstanding cannot find satisfaction. He seeks thrills through sports, belles-lettres and even infidelity and all fall short of the glory he had back in college. He shares the same kind of entitlement and ignorance as Daisy. Toms idea of good literature are books like the The Rise of the Colored pudding stone and even expresses to Nick his distress over the submersion of the white race.But even Toms attempts at sounding intelligent fall short and he ends up sounding ignorant and pretentious. Another express thing about Tom is the way he treats the women in his life. period he appears to be happily married to Daisy, he still is having an affair with Myrtle Wilson. For months, Tom brings Myrtle to his apartment in New York and for months, Tom knowingly leads her on. Tom showers her with gifts and even buys her a dog and an expensive leash. However, Tom has no intention of ever leaving Daisy for Myrtle someone of begin social status than him.But yet Myrtle is under the neurotic impression that Tom will leave his wife for her and she will at last be part of the social network she dreams of. Myrtle is so in love with this idea that in turn, she despises the life that she lives without Tom including her husband, George Wilson. Tom is also the ultimate hypocrite. While he the first one to point out Daisy and Gatsbys affair, he himself is having an affair. When Tom finds out about Daisys affair, he confronts Gatsby and says I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let Mr.Nobody from Nowhere make love to your wife. Well, if thats the idea then you can count me out (137). He even claims that their affair is a metre toward inter-racial marriage. Tom condemns his wife for her infidelity but describes his own as once in a while going on a gratify making a fool out of himself, but he has always com e back, and in his heart he loves her all the time. Not only is Tom cheating with George Wilsons wife, but he also acts as a bully toward George. George Wilson is an honest, good-hearted man and Tom just toys with him.Tom promises George that he will sell his car to him but he really never has any intention of doing so. George Wilson is depending on that money so he can start a new life out west and all Tom is doing is giving him empty promises. When George tries to bring up the subject to Tom, Tom gets offended and says Very well then, I wont sell you the car at all Im under no obligations to you at all And as for your bothering me about it at lunch time I wont stand for that at all (122).Tom tries to find satisfaction by making George look like a fool and is amused by how easily he is able to do so. Just like Daisy, Tom has no remorse for the perturb he inflicts in others. Overall the characters in The Great Gatsby, all body forth ideals that were emphasized in that time. Wome n were viewed as accessories and not yet contributing members of society. Women were still in charge of maintaining the home, especially in wealthy households, and concerned themselves with the handsome things. Daisy takes full advantage of this attitude and successfully gets away with murder.It is Daisy who corrupts J. Gatsbys ideal of his American dream and instead of working hard, and pulling himself up y his own bootstraps, he resorts to crime in order to become rich quickly so that he can win Daisy back. Instead of working hard for his own self-success, he chases this idea of Daisy. And finally Tom, was a victim of his own insatiable appetite that he could not fulfill. In every aspect of his life, Tom wanted more. Tom held an ideal that was very common throughout the 1920s that his money and high social class would be able to buy him anything in life.The idea of the American dream is lacking more for ones own life and becoming successful by hard honest work. All these charact ers shared the same sense of wanting more. But the had immoral ways of fulfilling their needs. Gatsby resorts to criminal activity in order to become wealthy. And Tom and Daisy resort to affairs in trying to satisfy their need for love. Unfortunately Gatsby is the one that pays the price in the end. Work Cited Trask, David F. A whole step on Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby. University Review. 3. 3 (Mar. 1967) 197-202. Rpt. in Novels for Students. Ed. Diane Telgen. Vol. 2. Detroit Gale, 1998. 197-202. literature Resource Center. Gale. 12 Oct. 2009 http//go. galegroup. com/ps/start. do? p=LitRC=a04fu Wershoven, Carol. Insatiable Girls. Child Brides and Intruders. Bowling jet-propelled plane Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1993. 92-99. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Linda Pavlovski. Vol. 157. Detroit Gale, 2005. 92-99. Literature Resource Center. Gale. 12 Oct. 2009 .