American Dream

“We talk about the American Dream, and want to tell the world about the American Dream, but what is the dream, in most cases, but the dream of material things? I sometimes think that the United States for this reason is the greatest failure the world has ever seen.” -Eugene O’Neil

Through various pieces of literature, including F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the words of Eugene O’Neil are undeniably and vividly illustrated valid on innumerable occasions. The American Dream, dissected to its bare skin and bones, is all about prosperity and the relentless pursuit of happiness through material possessions. However, what does the dream evolve into once the ideals and goals have been fulfilled? The protagonist of Fitzgerald’s novel, Jay Gatsby, receives a first hand lesson that the fulfillment of those ideologies rarely leads to inner happiness. A strive for fulfillment may parallel directly to a never ending cycle, in which greed overtakes happiness, and one where an individual reaches for a dream that results in little satisfaction. Eric Liu depicts this idea in his piece “A Chinaman’s Chance”: “The poet Robert Browning once wrote that вЂ?a man’s reach must exceed his grasp- else what’s a heaven for” So it is in America.” These various works of literature depict exactly what the once admirable American Dream, turned to materialistic greed, ultimately leads to; that being failure.

The American Dream, specifically portrayed in Fitzgerald’s work, was dramatically affected and altered by the time period and the events that surrounded the work while it was written. The 1920’s, known to many as the “Jazz Age” or the “Roarin 20’s”, was a period in which the dream decayed and truly centered on material happiness, especially through wealth. World War I had swept the nation and essentially created a disillusioned society, in which America saw the decline of social and moral values. The economic boom after the war only led to an even greater desire for money. Easy money completely corrupted the dream, as vividly illustrated through Gatsby’s swiftly obtained wealth. Fitzgerald displays Gatsby as man who came from nothing, with an unrelenting passion to obtain material success, or the 1920’s American Dream. Radical transformation was one of Mr. Gatsby’s most outstanding characteristics, taking his desire to change from the once impoverished man to the point of changing his name. Certainly Gatsby possesses admirable traits, as his will power is once again displayed through the longing for his lost love, Daisy. The misconceptions of the time period are illustrated as Fitzgerald displays that Gatsby’s underlying desire for money is to win over Daisy through impressing her with his wealth. Within Adam Cohen’s piece “Jay Gatsby Is a Man for Our Times”, Cohen discusses the worthiness of Gatsby’s goal: “The callow Daisy, whose voice is вЂ?full of money,’ may not be a worthy goal. But Gatsby’s longing for her, and his willingness to sell his soul to pursue her, are the purest thing in this sordid tale.” Essentially, Fitzgerald demonstrates that Gatsby, nor his relentless will to succeed, are not the issue. It is the time period, along with the misconceptions of a dream, which corrupt the character. Gatsby’s wealth is obtained through unethical ways, like many others who followed the path of easy money. The corruption of bonds does bring Gatsby the wealth he had always longed for, along with extravagant and lavish parties at his mansion. Consequently, we learn that reaching the goal of obtaining wealth ultimately does not lead to success or happiness in Gatsby’s case. The era of the Roarin’ 20’s brought about new ideals, which decayed the American Dream into a strive for materialistic success; when this success is obtained, true happiness and accomplishments are not guaranteed.

The radical change of the decayed American dream during the 1920’s ultimately led to failure, as exhibited through characters within Fitzgerald’s work. Jay Gatsby lives out the materialistically and financially successful lifestyle, all in hopes of luring his beloved Daisy back into his arms. His single motive behind the greed and hunger for financial success lies in Daisy, his dream of what he believes is love and perfection.