F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Critique of The American Dream in The Great Gatsby

“The Great Gatsby” is a tragic love story on the surface, but it is most frequently understood as a discouraged critique of the American Dream. This novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925 portrays the American Dream as wealthy individuals who work effortlessly towards wealth and fame due to their families having ‘old money’. The Great Gatsby is a novel that displays events that took place during 1920 and shows Jay Gatsby overcoming his poor past trying to achieve what is to be known as the American dream, only to be rejected by the ‘old money’ crowd. Because Jay Gatsby worked and earned for his own money he was rejected and was grouped into the ‘new money’ crowd. Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald uses symbolism to amplify the story’s themes and characters, as well as a specific purpose.

The American Dream is the belief that anyone regardless of their race, gender, nationality or what class they were born in, that they can be successful no matter what. This success is achieved by hard work and sacrifice to achieve what you really want in life. Fitzgerald uses a variety of literary devices to portray The American Dream. One example of this is the relationship between the two, Jay Gatsby and Daisy. Through the novel, it shows Jay Gatsby was poor from the start and for that reason Daisy did not stay or marry him. Coming from the complete opposite families Jay Gatsby grew up in a poor family but after coming back from the war he saw what he thought his love of his life to be with someone else. He needed to change so he started working hard for what he wanted, to be rich and well respected and a different future. In the beginning of the novel, Nick talks about when he saw a figure, who we found out to be Gatsby at the end of the West Egg side dock reaching his hand out towards a green light on the other side of the lake. In Gatsby's mind, this green light represented his hopes and dreams for a life and a future with Daisy while Fitzgerald related this green light back to portray the American Dream. When Gatsby starts to tell his knowledge of the green light to Daisy after reuniting with her, Nick notices “Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of the light had vanished forever. His count of enchanted object had diminished by one.” For Gatsby, this green light started to disappear as soon as he began to rekindle with Daisy this making him think that he would have her back in his life as well as it also symbolising with money and wealth and the thought that he will be able to win Daisy back off her Husband Tom. Fitzgerald created this green light for Gatsby to represent the American Dream as he comes from the lower class and worked his way up to the top. While it does appears that Gatsby has achieved the American Dream, in reality he was still getting mocked and grouped into the ‘new money’ crowd and he would never be able to change from that as well as not ending up with the girl.

In chapter two, Fitzgerald introduces the Valley of Ashes which are between the West Egg and New York City, and is made up of long stretch of deserted land created by of all the industrials ashes being dumped. The Valley of Ashes represents poverty and socials decay that results in pursuit of wealth and symbolises the unfortunate situation of the poor, like George Wilson and his soon to be wife, Myrtle who both live surrounded by dirty ashes. The lower class such as Myrtle, has hope and longs for a perfect picture and wealthy type of life but can’t unfortunately leave. This demonstrating that the American Dream is impossible to achieve. This longing for a perfect picture life is what temps her into having an affair with Tom and ends up leading her problems with her marriage and death with the loss of happiness. Throughout the novel, it is shown that myrtle loves reading gossip magazines which represent her hope for the rich and famous life. When first getting married to George Wilson, she was appalled that he had to borrow somebody else’s suit to get married in and that he couldn’t buy one himself. This showing how materialistic Myrtle can be all because George couldn’t afford to buy himself a new suit to get married in. Although she isn’t rich she wants and expect for her husband to be rich. Because of this, she looks at Tom differently as she knows that he would be able to afford whatever he wants. This trait and appearance is what attracts Myrtle to him. She believes that Tom is the flawless ideal man that everyone looks for that represents the advertisement of the American Dream.

At the end of the novel, Nick states that “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.” F. Scott Fitzgerald has tried to show the audience through words that the American Dream’s most significant quality is its inaccessibility, a dream is not a reality.