The Disillusionment of the American Dream

"He stretched out his hand desperately as if to snatch only a wisp of air, to save a fragment of the spot she had made lovely for him. But it was all going by too fast now for his blurred eyes and he knew that he had lost that part of it, the freshest and the best, forever" (153).

This quote depicts the disillusionment of the American Dream because it shows how Gatsby's idea of it is fading. Gatsby has achieved what most would define the American Dream as, but he is still not satisfied. He has a wealthy and "successful" life but never achieves his main dream, winning Daisy back. Gatsby is now dealing with the discovery that his wealth and status have left him feeling unfulfilled. He longs for something that is forever gone.

"He stretched out his hand desperately as if to snatch only a wisp of air, to save a fragment of the spot she had made lovely for him. But it was all going by too fast now for his blurred eyes and he knew that he had lost that part of it, the freshest and the best, forever" (153).

"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter---tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther... And one fine morning--- So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past" (180).

This quote highlights the disillusionment of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby because it shows that Gatsby has lost his dream forever. His determination to achieve his dreams have ultimately lead him to his demise. Gatsby has high status and is wealthy, but he is still filled with a disatisfaction of his life and emptiness, emphasizing the false promises of the American Dream.

"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter---tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther... And one fine morning--- So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past" (180).

"Her name was Connie. She was fifteen and she had a quick, nervous giggling habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors or checking other people's faces to make sure her own was all right."

This quote shows the disillusionment of the American Dream because it shows the societal pressures Connie faces regarding beauty standards. Connie, like many young women, feels the need to conform to society's beauty standards. This obsession over her appearance emphasizes the desire for validation from others within the American Dream. The American Dream holds excessive standards for people, specifically women and their appearance, and Connie's obsession with it results in her death.

"Her name was Connie. She was fifteen and she had a quick, nervous giggling habit of craning her neck to glance into mirrors or checking other people's faces to make sure her own was all right."

"Connie would raise her eyebrows at these familiar old complaints and look right through her mother, into a shadowy vision of herself as she was right at that moment: she knew she was pretty and that was everything."

Similarly to the last quote from Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?, Connie's need to confrom to society's beauty standards are apparent. This shows the disillusionment of the American Dream because it displays the wish for external validation associated with it. Connie's deep focus on her appearance follows societal expectations, and the Dream's beliefs of success and fulfillment. Through Connie's experiences with Arnold Friend, she faces challenges of being a young girl in America, displaying some of the ideals of the American Dream.

"Connie would raise her eyebrows at these familiar old complaints and look right through her mother, into a shadowy vision of herself as she was right at that moment: she knew she was pretty and that was everything."

"There wasn't any gold, but now he knew that all the fine reasons for wanting it didn't mean a thing. The fact was he wanted the gold because it was gold and he wanted to own it. Free" (257).

This quote reflects the disillusionment of the American Dream because it shows that the common American Dream belief, material wealth brings fulfillment in life, is not true. Milkman searches for the gold assuming that he will feel satisfied with his life after he finds it, but this quote shows the realization that there is more to finding the gold. The fulfillment within the gold doesn't come from the material wealth, but the discovery of self-identity and his family's history.

"There wasn't any gold, but now he knew that all the fine reasons for wanting it didn't mean a thing. The fact was he wanted the gold because it was gold and he wanted to own it. Free" (257).

"He was only his breath, coming slower now, and his thoughts. The rest of him had disappeared. So the thoughts came, unobstructed by other people, by things, even by the sight of himself. There was nothing here to help him--not his money, his car, his father's reputation, his suit, or his shoes. In fact they hampered him" (277).

This quote demonstrates the disillusionment of the American Dream because it expresses the limitations of material wealth. It highlights the importance of identity and self-discovery when finding true happiness. "The rest of him had disappeared", emphasizes the emptiness found in materialism, something often associated with the American Dream. This quote depicts Milkman's realization that fufillment in life goes beyond material wealth, and his need to seek fufillment in ways he wants to, he needs to find his sense of self.

"He was only his breath, coming slower now, and his thoughts. The rest of him had disappeared. So the thoughts came, unobstructed by other people, by things, even by the sight of himself. There was nothing here to help him--not his money, his car, his father's reputation, his suit, or his shoes. In fact they hampered him" (277).

"Yesterday, word came of colored troops, dead on the battlefield at Port Hudson; how General Banks was heard to say I have no dead there, and left them, unclaimed" (June 1863, 28).

This quote emphasizes the disillusionment of the American Dream because it depicts the inequalities black people faced during the Civil War era. A belief of the American Dream is equal opportunities for all, but this quote reflects the struggle for equality black people faced throughout history. This exposes the limitations of the American Dream and shows that it failed to fulfill its promises for everyone.

"--exiles in their own homeland; the diseased, the maimed, every lost limb, and what remains: phantom ache, memory haunting an empty sleeve; the hog-eaten at Gettysburg, unmarked in their graves; all the dead letters, unanswered; untold stories of those that time will render mute" (1865, 29-30).

This quote from the Native Guard displays the disillusionment of the American Dream because it shows the inequality black people faced in history, specifically in the aftermath of the Civil War. The ideas of "unmarked graves" and "untold stories" show the silence and injustice faced by black people. This exclusion of black people in America's history proves the American Dream's promises of opportunities and equality for all to be false.

"--exiles in their own homeland; the diseased, the maimed, every lost limb, and what remains: phantom ache, memory haunting an empty sleeve; the hog-eaten at Gettysburg, unmarked in their graves; all the dead letters, unanswered; untold stories of those that time will render mute" (1865, 29-30).

“These boys, now, were living as we’d been living then, they were growing up with a rush and their heads bumped abruptly against the low ceiling of their actual possibilities." (18).

This quote conveys the disillusionment of the American Dream because it shows the lack of opportunites that black people endure. "The low ceiling of their actual possibilities" shows the constraints black people face in their lives, directly challenging the belief that the American Dream gives equal opportunities for all. These constraints reveal the harsh realities people face when expecting success because of the American Dream.

“These boys, now, were living as we’d been living then, they were growing up with a rush and their heads bumped abruptly against the low ceiling of their actual possibilities." (18).

“The darkness outside is what the old folks have been talking about. It’s what they’ve come from. It’s what they endure. The child knows that they won’t talk any more because if he knows too much about what’s happened to them, he’ll know too much too soon, about what’s going to happen to him." (27).

This quote discusses the history of oppression that black people have faced, showing the disillusionment of the American Dream because it shows the false belief of equality for all. This quote shows the silence black people faced regarding their race and inequality, showing trauma that has been passed down through generations. This trauma shows the American Dream to display false promises because black people have faced inequalities specific to their race for many generations.

“The darkness outside is what the old folks have been talking about. It’s what they’ve come from. It’s what they endure. The child knows that they won’t talk any more because if he knows too much about what’s happened to them, he’ll know too much too soon, about what’s going to happen to him." (27).