british and american literature

British and American Literature Gatsby and the American dream Major：administrative management Student ID：41525034 Name：zhangchengzhen 张承振 Contents 、What is the American dream and Gatsbys American dream .3 、Gatsbys Struggle for American Dream 3 、The Failure of Gatsbys American Dream 4 、Conclusion 4 、Works Cited 5 Essay questions: How does Gatsby represent the American dream in the 1920s? Gatsby and the American dream 、What is the American dream and Gatsbys American dream The so-called American dream, is that Americans are convinced, as long as through the efforts of unremitting struggle to get a better life. It means people must be through their own hard work, courage, creativity and determination to move towards prosperity, rather than relying on a particular social class and other assistance. The great Gatsby is a typical American dream story: A poor man at the bottom of the society, have nothing at all, but have the courage and dreams, by their own hard work to get wealth and status, into the upper class society. From his early youth, Gatsby despised poverty and longed for wealth and sophistication. Though Gatsby has always wanted to be rich, his main motivation in acquiring his fortune was his love for Daisy Buchanan. Daisy promised to wait for him when he left for the war, but married Tom Buchanan in 1919, while Gatsby was studying at Oxford after the war in an attempt to gain an education. From that moment on, Gatsby dedicated himself to winning Daisy back, and his acquisition of millions of dollars, his purchase of a gaudy mansion on West Egg, and his lavish weekly parties are all merely means to that end. 、Gatsbys Struggle for American Dream Becoming wealthy is the most important for love affair. Large fortune cannot have been obtained honestly. Gatsby does business with Wolfsheim, a gambler and he makes lots of money also from distributing illegal alcohol and trading in stolen securities. After earning money, Gatsby gets luxurious possessions. Also Gatsby makes him famous around New York. He holds elaborate parties every weekend at his mansion. The party is almost unbelievably luxurious, “looks like the World Fair.” He makes friends with who are famous. When Daisy goes to his party and exclaims, “I never met so many celebrities” (Fitzgerald 86). Of course, to win his love, Gatsby makes him elegant and noble too. He studied in Oxford University. 、The Failure of Gatsbys American Dream From the point of view that American political ideals conflict with the actual social conditions that exist, whereas American democracy is based on the idea of equality among people, the truth is that social discrimination still exists and the divisions among the classes cannot be overcome (Wenku). Gatsbys failure is related to his idealism, his faith in lifes possibilities. Undoubtedly, his desire is also influenced by social considerations. Daisy, who is wealthy and beautiful, represents a way of life which is remote from Gatsbys and therefore more attractive because it is out of reach. However, social consciousness is not a basic cause. Gatsby struggle to fit himself into another social group, but his attempt is more urgent because his whole career, his confidence in himself and in life is totally shattered when he fails to win Daisy. His death is almost insignificant, with the collapse of his dream, Gatsby is already spiritually dead. Fitzgerald goes on to state the failure of hopes and dreams, the failure of the American Dream itself, is unavoidable, not only because reality can not keep up with ideals, but also because the ideals are in any case usually too fantastic to be realized. The heroic presentation of Gatsby, therefore, should not be taken at face value, for we cannot overlook the fact that Gatsby is innocent, impractical and over sentimental. It is this that makes him attempt the impossible, to repeat the past. There is something pitiful and absurd about the way he refuses to grow up. 、Conclusion The American dream is that one can pursue their goals in life through hard work and moral righteousness. But in 1920s, as this novel The Great Gatsby published, the American economy soared. People began to spend and consume at unprecedented levels. The unrestrained desire for money and pleasure surpassed the other more noble goals. The various social climbers and ambitious speculators scramble for wealth greedily. The writer F. Scott Fitzgerald of The Great Gatsby portrays the 1920s as an era of decayed social and moral values, roaring jazz age, evidenced in its cynicism, greed, and empty pursuit of pleasure. Like 1920s Americans in general, fruitlessly seeking a bygone era in which their dreams had value, Gatsby longs to re-create a vanished pasthis time in Louisville with Daisybut is incapable of doing so. When his dream crumbles, all that is left for Gatsby to do is die; all Nick can do is move back to Minnesota, where American values have not decayed. Gatsbys dream is ruined by the unworthiness of its object, just as the American dream in the 1920s is ruined by the unworthiness of its object money and pleasure. But Gatsby is a young man who has his own dream, although he is poor and plain. To face the cruel reality, he does not surrender to the fate and he still struggle for his ambition. His passion and persistence inspire us to pursue our dreams. Dream is one of the most shining things of our life, which stimulates the steps of life. When we meet some difficulties in our study and life, Gatsbys spirits stimulate us to surpass ourselves. All in all, whether it is material or spiritual, the American Dream has not brought any results. Because there is still poverty, discrimination and exploitation under the material progress and prosperity, and in the moral and ethical values, there is hypocrisy, corruption and repressi