The Great Gatsby

Traditionally about opportunity, equality, and the pursuit of happiness

The wild behavior of the people in the 20's led to the decay of the American dream

Transformed into greed, a general attitude of cynicism, and an insatiable pursuit of pleasure

East Egg and West Egg represent the growing gap between the old and new upper classes

Nick and Gatsby represent the soldiers returning home to everyday life after WWI

Wolfshiem represents the increase of organized crime
How does
Gatsby
represent the American dream?
In what ways do the themes of dreams, wealth, and time relate to each other in the novel's exploration of the idea of America?
Gatsby is a self-made, wealthy man who is commonly known and talked about in society

Although he wanted to be wealthy, his primary goal was to win Daisy back

Gatsby is living in the past, stuck on the hope that he may win Daisy's heart with his present life-style

Even though Gatsby could be seen as the living representation of the American dream in the novel, we can see how fabricated this truly is
What does the novel have to say about the condition of the American dream in the 1920's?
Shows the Decline of the American dream

Illuminates the difference between the illusion of success and the reality that the American dream isn't only comprised of wealth

The American dream is given importance through the hopes of Americans just as Daisy is given importance by Gatsby's dreams of her

Gatsby's vision of Daisy is ruined when his expectations don't match up to reality and, in the same way, the American dream loses its worth because Americans only hope for money and pleasure
By F. Scott Fitzgerald
The American dream in The Great Gatsby
Works Cited
"The American Dream in The Great Gatsby." Acedemia.edu. University of Rijeka, 1 Apr. 2011. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.
Barbarese, J.T. "`The Great Gatsby' And The American Dream." Sewanee Review 100.4 (1992): 509. Literary Reference Center. Web. 31 Mar. 2015.
Hearne, Kimberly. "Fitzgerald's Rendering Of A Dream." Explicator 68.3 (2010): 189-194. Literary Reference Center. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.
SparkNotes Editors. (2002). SparkNote on The Great Gatsby. Web. 30 Mar. 2015.