Disillusionment Theme In The Great Gatsby

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The American Dream is a belief that has become part of the American identity. It follows that as long as people were willing to work hard they could overcome any struggle or hardship they might face and achieve success. Because of the great power within each individual to achieve this “success,” everyone's opportunities or lack there of related directly to their willingness to work to overcome all odds. In the novel “The Great Gatsby,” F. Scott Fitzgerald expresses many themes. However, the most central one is that of “The American Dream,” or rather the disillusionment of this “dream,” which can be reflected through story’s setting, as well as its characters’ words and actions, all of which demonstrate the idealism, corruption and disillusionment…show more content…
It represents American Dream’s idealism and unrealistic as people just believe blindly that the structure of society in the US can bring success to everyone. As the result, the initial idealism is finally corrupted into another dream, which is to gain wealth and power by fair means or foul. The idealism and hard capitalism the mansion represents is bought at a questionable high price. Gatsby deeply believes that buying this mansion will be the key to achieve his romantic goal, showing how the American Dream leads people to spend money irresponsibly. When Nick leaves West Egg after hearing of Gatsby’s death, he looks at “that huge, incoherent failure of a house,” manifesting the failure of his American Dream. Just like so many American dreams, the idealism is obviously not sufficient enough to make the dreams happen, but leads them to dark corruption and tragic endings. As well…show more content…
Gatsby, Nick, Tom and Daisy all have their different American Dreams. Gatsby’s American dream is to have much money to recapture the love of Daisy whom used to live a luxuriant life when they first met. He spends his whole life in gaining money and statues as he can even makes every illegal means, holds parties every weekend and does everything that Daisy requests him to do. However, Daisy chooses to run away with her husband after Gatsby is murdered and no one turns up for his funeral. These characters actions and Gatsby's death represent the failing of his American Dream and its pathetic corrupt ending. Similar to Gatsby, Nick Carraway is another dream seeker as he comes to the Midwest and wishes to make his fortune with “bond business” in Long Island. However, by witnessing Gatsby’s tragedy, he realizes the corruption and emptiness of the American Dream due to his traditional moral behavior. By the end, he moves back home and leaves all his connections to wealth and power he used to want behind. Compared to Gatsby, Tom and Daisy, who were born with wealth and statues without any life goals, represents the corruption of the American Dream. This can be perfectly shown when Daisy says “What will we do with ourselves this afternoon?” “And the day after that, and the next thirty
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