Jay Gatsby and the Decline of the American Dream

Jay Gatsby and the Decline of the American Dream Free Online Research Papers Jay Gatsby and the Decline of the American Dream English Essay The American dream is viewed as the success one attains through hard work and perseverance. The traditional view of the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries is that any person, regardless of social rank, has the opportunity and ability to be all that they are meant to be. In stark contrast, Jay Gatsbys idea of attaining the American dream in the early twentieth century is through illegal money that was not acquired by hard work. This traditional idea does not support materialistic wealth as the only indicator of success; whereas Gatsbys only key to success is through his materialistic wealth. Gatsby accepts a free ride to the top of society instead of striving to reach his full potential through hard, honest work. What he reaches may seem like the real American dream to outsiders, but in reality he is just as miserable as before he acquired his fortune. Gatsbys dream is â€Å"doomed† because he â€Å"tries to buy his way into a society that will never accept him.† (Taylor 1) He, like Nick, is â€Å"trying to accomplish the great American project of remaking himself† (Truby 1). The catch is that Nick understands that one cannot remake oneself using only petty items with no hard work. His house and all the outrageous things in it are prime examples of how badly he desires to fulfill his own personal dream, and how skewed his way of achieving it is. One main point in this corruption of the American dream is how Gatsby actually made his money. â€Å"Gatsby gets his fortune through the illegal sale of alcohol, or bootlegging† during the prohibition era of the 1920‘s (study world 1). When he finds out that Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan, Gatsby’s efforts to become a part of the rich society become stronger. He disregards his morals to become whatever he thinks she wants in a man. Since he c ouldn’t marry her when he was a poor boy, he believes that he can marry her as a rich man. He buys objects of great monetary value, hoping to give the impression of being totally content. However, Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay (Fitzgerald 83), and throws gaudy and elaborate parties in hopes that she will show up one night. He thinks that by fitting in with the society Daisy is in, he will win her heart back for good. The only problem is that he really doesn’t belong, and the so-called American dream of his is nothing but loads of money covering up his loneliness. Gatsby thinks that he can make an impact on Daisy by merely â€Å"the possessions he owns† (Taylor 1), such as his vast assortment of shirts. When Daisy sees the shirts, she reacts by replying, It makes me sad because Ive never seen suchsuch beautiful shirts before. (Fitzgerald 98) Gatsby indeed impresses her with these shirts, but does not realize that he cannot merely show off his pretty things and expect her to fall right into his arms. Another pride of Gatsby’s and, ironically, what turns out to be the death of him is his new car. He buys a new, flashy yellow Rolls Royce, only of course to show off his wealth and impress Daisy. Gatsby’s car is the recipient of many ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs,’ and from a distance Gatsby appears to be happy, especially when riding with Daisy Buchanan. His car alone, however, does not save him from a most tragic death. Daisy, the object of Gatsby’s every desire, kills someone in this ornamental Roll s Royce, and Gatsby is eventually killed for it. The lack of real value and moral in Gatsby’s dream trickles down to even the guests at his weekend parties. Of course, they know who the infamous Jay Gatsby is. But a very small percent of the hundreds of guests Gatsby has every single weekend have ever spoken to the host of the party. These drones of guests sweep in and out of the parties week after week without really being invited, much less personally wanted there. Gatsby has house guests but still no real friends until Nick comes along, whom he uses only to get closer to Daisy. When Daisy finally reveals her affair to Tom, Gatsby urges her to tell Tom that she never loved him. He insists that she say it, but Daisy cannot bring herself to say that she didn’t ever love him, because â€Å"I loved him once but I loved you too.† (Fitzgerald 132) When she says this, it makes Gatsby realize that he will never have his picture-perfect version of the American dream, where Daisy’s thoughts have always been about him. Gatsby is demanding that Daisy declare her love for only him instead of doing things the proper way and waiting for her to willingly come to him. He would not wait for her, and work for her love; instead, he sacrificed values for selfishness. After Gatsby dies protecting the woman who will never really be his, his dream is still being decimated. The only people at Gatsby’s funeral were Nick and his Father. The hundreds of people who took the time to utilize his house during weekend parties didn’t show up to the man’s funeral. Daisy, Gatsby’s only reason for doing anything, didn’t show up to his funeral. His other almost-friends, Meyer Wolfsheim and Jordan Baker, didn’t show up to his funeral. This last step in his life makes his failure in life truly shine through. Though from the outside he had everything anyone could ever want, strangers couldn’t see that everything in his life was superficial, down to his friends. 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Vietnam5 essays

Vietnam5 essays Vietnam is one of the most famous wars that America has taken place in. It is also considered by some to be the most controversial. Many say that America did not belong in the fight and that it was a waste of money, man-power, and time. Others say that it was important to show that the U.S. will not stand by and let a country or territory be taken in the wrong way. Vietnam lasted from 1959 to 1975. It involved the North Vietnamese and the National Liberation Front or NLF. It also included the U.S. and the South Vietnamese forces. From about 1946 to 1945 the Vietnamese had struggled for independence from the French during the first Indochina War. When the war ended the country was split into two creating North and South Vietnam. North Vietnam soon came under the control of Vietnamese Communists who really hated France and were looking to unite Vietnam under Communist rule. South Vietnam was controlled by Vietnamese leaders who favored the French. The reason that the U.S. entered the Vietnam War was fear of the Domino Effect. The Domino Effect is the term used to explain that if one country falls under Communist rule than soon after the countries in that area will soon fall also. If Vietnam became a Communist state than it was likely that more could fall also. This is also why the U.S. supported South Vietnam. The U.S. didnt send troops in until 1965. They were sent in to keep the South Vietnamese government from collapsing but in the long run they eventually failed. When Ngo Dinh Diem came into power he used very repressive measures. These measures led to growing organized opposition within South Vietnam. Another problem was that Diems government represented a small minority of Vietnamese who were mostly businessmen, Roman Catholics, large landowners, and others who were pro-French. At first the United States helped South Vietnam military advisors and financial assistance. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution...

Black Americans suffers ater war Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Black Americans suffers ater war - Essay Example ime differences between the pre-war and post-war rights of the Black Americans were that after the war, they were able to cast vote, hold their own offices and also go to schools. In addition to these three differences, societal norms and practices had also altered in favor of the Black Americans. In 1867, one of the most integrated Southern cities, New Orleans distorted the long-prevailed segregation in the street cars, elected 95 black representatives and 32 black senators for the state from 1868 till 1896. Thus, more Black Americans were in politics than ever before. â€Å"African Americans so dominated the catering business that they formed the United Public Waiters’ Mutual Beneficial Association† (â€Å"After the Civil War†). Moreover, interracial marriages were also legalized. Nevertheless, life of the Black Americans in the South was yet quite imperfect in spite of all these changes. In the days of Reconstruction, opportunities for the black Americans were limited by the Black Codes according to which, Black Americans that went into professions other than agriculture were supposed to pay taxes. The Black Americans were also not allowed to possess guns or rent the land. Immediately following the Civil War, numerous anti-black agencies had surfaced one of which was the Ku Klux Klan. Lynching is the term used to refer to the illegal execution of an individual that is accused of a crime by the mob. This was originally used by White Americans to punish the Black slaves. Not just the slaves, even members of the White community that expressed their consent against lynching had had their lives put in risk. Alton Observer’s Editor Elijah Parish Lovejoy was assassinated by the White Americans on 7 November 1837 due to his criticism for lynching and consent for the eradication of slavery (â€Å"Lynching†). In the post-war era, lynching was frequently used by the Ku Klux Klan to execute the Black Americans. The period between 1868 and 1871 was when the lynching