The Death of American Dream in the Great Gatsby

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Nick’s narrative, the 1920 America was dark, gloomy, full of hatred. People believed that they could get rich through continuous hard work, but they were just constantly interrupted by various factors like the extreme income inequality that the people like the easterners had brought to them, and bullied by the power abuse from the rich authorities. After all, the New York city in Nick’s eye was just the opposite of what American dream should have looked like.

When Nick was in town partying with Tom, Myrtle and the couple, he mentioned he was within and without, as if he was corrupting and watching people corrupt at the same time.

This unique feeling explained why Nick was disgusted for the first time after this party, he was aware that there were hard working people out there watching these rich people partying and having fun, believing this day will eventually come to them if they work hard enough, but at the same time, as Nick actually attending the party himself, he also figured out that the rich, partying people actually don’t earn money through hard work, they are just using others’ hard work to gain benefits for themselves. As Nick saw through the actual backstage of the hopeful American dream and found out American dream was actually a lie, he was disgusted.

Also, between the long island and the New York city, there sat a farm called the valley of the ashes, as described by Fitzgerald, “a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses…(p.21)” Fitzgerald portrayed an extremely dirty, gloomy image, it formed a strong contrast with the beautiful mansions in the long island. Unlike the elegant outfits all the easterners had, people work on this farm were all covered in ashes, and when comparing them together, the farm people seemed so menial

This dusty farm and the menial people working inside the farm symbolized the corruption, dehumanization and inequality which American dream had brought to the society. In addition, the valley of the ashes was where Daisy hit one of the dream chasers, this was where the tragedy began. Which further enhanced the metaphor that the valley of the ashes is a tomb of the American dream. All these add up together is evidently enough to say the novel had a negative and lifeless atmosphere. If the American dream was working the way it should then the whole mood of the American society would be positive and vibrant because everyone was getting what they wanted through continuous hard work, but all these pieces of evidence pointed that the atmosphere of this novel was all negative and lifeless, which contributed to demonstrate the death of the American dream.

The death of American dream was demonstrated through a few different angles, the dream chasers died because of a disaster started by some born rich people, the rich people had fled without consequence, at last, the overall mood of the novel was all gloomy and dusty, symbolizing corruption and death.

Bibliography:

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Oxford university press, 1998.

“Bernie Sanders Quotes.” BrainyQuote, Xplore, www.brainyquote.com/quotes/bernie_sanders_714842?src=t_american_dream.