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Jay Gatsby and the American Dream

The Great Gatsby is one of the finest examples of literature in America and
contains within it not only exquisite writing, but also superb examples of one particularly
complicated concept; the American Dream. Kimberly Hearn in Fitzgeralds Rendering Of
A Dream describes the American Dream as ambiguous, contradictory, romantic in
nature, and undeniably beautiful while at the same time grotesquely flawed (1). There
is no simple way to represent the Dream, however the author succeeds in this selection.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, in his book The Great Gatsby, exhibits the American Dream in the
character of Jay Gatsby.
Along with Gatsbys own eventual corruption, Fitzgerald describes a deeper
darkness in the American society of the 20s. In a land built upon equality and the
promise of a better tomorrow, there is a remarkable amount of injustice. Racism,
classism, and sexism run rampant, and while its certainly an improvement than the
times before, the idea that anyone can succeed by hard work alone simply does not
apply.
Take, for example, the difference between West and East Egg. West Egg is
new money, where those like Gatsby who have created their own fortune live. East
Egg is old money, and its populated by people who have had large sums of money
their whole lives. Despite the fact that the people of West and East Egg may be worth
the same amount financially, East Egg looks down on the West, as if they are still a
lesser class. Even Nick Carraway, the narrator and part of the middle class, defines
West Egg as being the less fashionable of the two (Fitzgerald 10). Fitzgerald
describes the houses in East Egg as white palaces glitter[ing] along the water (11),
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which seems to elevate those who live there into royalty. Unfortunately for Gatsby, the
only way to join this new world royalty is to be born into it.
Even from a young age, Gatsby, formerly James Gatz, is desperate to
better his place in society. He comes from shiftless and unsuccessful farm people
(Fitzgerald 89) and seems to resent his parents for that. Fitzgerald goes so far as to
describe James Gatz as never really accept[ing] them as his parents at all (89). He is,
to himself anyway, a son of God (89) and he refuses to be dragged down by his
familys poverty. And so, when he rows out to Dan Codys boat, he has already left
James Gatz behind and begun his new life as Jay Gatsby. As Fitzgerald portrays it, It
was James Gatz who had been loafing around along the beach but it was already Jay
Gatsby who pulled out to the Tuolomee, and informed Cody that a wind might catch
him and break him up in half an hour (89).
For five years, Gatsby acts as steward, mate, skipper, secretary, and even jailor
(Fitzgerald 90) to Dan Cody. Cody repays Gatsby by teaching him about yachting and
the manners and lifestyle of the upper class. He also intends to bestow upon Gatsby an
inheritance of twenty-five thousand dollars, however Gatsby never receives the money.
After Codys death, Gatsby is again left penniless, only now he has the knowledge and
mannerisms of a gentleman. At this point, Gatsby vows to earn his fortune on his own.
While Gatsby eventually achieves great wealth and success, it comes at a steep
price. Not even his incorruptible dream (Fitzgerald 136) can keep his path to fortune
from becoming tainted. His obsession with Daisy and their former love leads him into
relationships and businesses that are far from legitimate. For example, he is essentially
mentored by the man who fixed the Worlds Series back in 1919 (Fitzgerald 67),
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Meyer Wolfsheim. Gatsby makes his money as a bootlegger, buying up drugstores and
selling grain alcohol over the counter (Fitzgerald 119). By the end of the book, its
painfully obvious that Gatsby has a mindset equivalent to the ends justify the means.
Hes determined to gain wealth by any means possible in order to win back Daisy.
The Great Gatsby tells a tragic story of a man following the American Dream. He
succeeds, although he does so in ambiguous fashion. The American Dream itself is
complex and can be difficult to truly describe, however Fitzgerald has done a
magnificent job of representing the darker side of it. Jay Gatsby represents all of the
Dream at once- the idealized, romantic ending, as well as the questionable means to
that ending.