Question

In The Great Gatsby, what does F. Scott Fitzgerald suggest about the state of the American Dream, the people who pursue it, and the impact of that pursuit through his depiction of Jay Gatsby and the people in Gatsby’s life?

Answer 1

F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays the decline of the American Dream in his book The Great Gatsby. The American dream was first manifested in the Declaration of Independence in the early days of American settlement. Most immigrants were poor and the notion of the American Dream promised hope, happiness and equality. In the book, the values have shifted towards people getting as rich as they can and this can be observed in the behaviors the characters. No doubt, this new type of American Dream fails several times. It shows that there is still inequality and social discrimination as in the car-reselling scene between Tom and Wilson. Jay Gatsby is filled with hope to win the love of his life Daisy through this new kind of American Dream. He struggled hard to attain the status of the upper class. However, it failed tremendously.