The Great Gatsby Research Paper

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The idea of the American Dream plays a huge role in the novel of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Before the 1920s the true meaning of the American Dream was the promise that all men are created equal and that they are born with the inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, which is stated in the Declaration of Independence. However, the American Dream became a problem by the 1920’s because it failed to keep its promise; people began to value money over justice, love, and everything that truly mattered. Because the 1920s is frequently overlooked at and remembered as the great economic boom, instead of people striving for equality amongst all, they instead strived to get as rich as they could. Ultimately, The…show more content…
However, he achieved this goal by participating in organized crime, including distributing illegal alcohol. Gatsby’s fortune symbolizes the rise of organized crime and bootlegging. Moreover, the passage of the 18th Amendment in 1919, which banned the sale of alcohol, created a thriving side business for Gatsby designed to satisfy the massive demand for bootleg liquor among the people. The access to this easy money corrupted the true meaning of the American Dream. Though Gatsby had always wanted to be rich, his main motivation in acquiring his fortune was his love for Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby was greedy in the way he obtained his wealth which resulted in falsehood. Like Nick, Gatsby did not understand that money and power could not buy him love or happiness. Gatsby sacrificed everything in order to fulfill his dream for a girl that he thought was the love of his life. Essentially, Gatsby’s dream of loving Daisy was ruined by the difference in their respective social statuses, and the luxuriant materialism that characterized her lifestyle. In the end his dream and life ended when Daisy choose Tom and his wealth, which shows that love is a problem all in itself. Ultimately, although Gatsby was great for making his dreams reality, his dream failed because he went about it for the wrong reasons rather than for truth, honesty, and individualism like Nick. In conclusion, the shallowness and materialism of the 1920’s serves as a historical example of the destructiveness of selfish behavior in

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