In ‘the Great Gatsby’ Fitzgerald Reveals the Ultimate Emptiness of the American Dream”. to What Extent Do You Agree with This Statement?

In ‘the Great Gatsby’ Fitzgerald Reveals the Ultimate Emptiness of the American Dream”. to What Extent Do You Agree with This Statement?

  • Submitted By: ellie565
  • Date Submitted: 10/25/2010 7:39 AM
  • Category: English
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The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
“In ‘The Great Gatsby’ Fitzgerald reveals the ultimate emptiness of the American Dream”. To what extent do you agree with this statement?

The American Dream can be understood in a number of ways. Some may interpret an idyllic version in which the dream represents passion, limitless possibility and a belief that anything is possible if you strive and work hard to achieve it. Others may understand a materialistic and arguably shallow side of the dream where the vision includes nothing more than pushing for monetary wealth, possessions and power as they allegedly amount to happiness.
The most common interpretation of the American Dream would be a mixture of the two. Money often easily becomes entangled with the hope and passion of the dream, replacing it and destructing the honourable drive of the American Dream, instead making it materialistic and shallow.
F. Scott Fitzgerald exploits the tensions between the two variant definitions of the American Dream. On the whole the American Dream Fitzgerald reveals to us in ‘The Great Gatsby’ primarily includes the craving of assets and riches as often demonstrated through Gatsby’s extravagant parties. He does therefore reveal an ultimately empty American Dream; however, although on a much smaller scale, he does at the same time also display the less empty and selfish side to the dream involving hope, opportunity, romance, optimism and drive for self improvement.

Fitzgerald was a satirist, often writing in a manner where he mixed critical attitude with wit to comment on mankind. As a satirist his main goal would have been to point out the hypocrisy of the target, in this case the 1920’s and the American Dream, in the hope that the audience will return to the real following of the dream. Irony and exaggeration are techniques involved in ‘The Great Gatsby’, Fitzgerald shows exaggeration

A number of the main characters in The Great Gatsby desperately attempt to attain...

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