The Tragedy Of “American Dream” Concept In “The Great Gatsby” Essay

The phrase “American dream” appeared decades ago and is still in use. If in life situations it might be understood in a different ways to some extent, in literature it is always associated with the famous work by Scott Fitzgerald “The Great Gatsby”. This is a story about a lot of things, including love, money, social relations, personal ideals and betrayal. Irony and tragic end contribute immensely to presentation of the author’s views concerning life of rich people, meaning of money and human feeling and their actual cost. In 2013 this story was transferred into a movie by Baz Luhrmann. Of course there are various attitudes, some critics argue, that the film is worse than the book, others accept the way how the director managed to present the tragedy of American Dream.

In spite of this criticism, the symbolism and thought –provoking message of the movie is evident. The story takes place in 20s and all the characters belong to the category of very rich and even more bored people. At the beginning the audience might feel that this is a story of love between man and woman. In reality, the key message lies much deeper. The Great Gatsby is full of symbolism, building a connection to the 1920s America the brightest period of disintegration of the notion of American dream among wealthy to an excess representatives of the society. The result of financial prosperity is the wave of greed, cynicism, moral emptiness. The great parties organized in the house of Gatsby are the vivid reflection of this life – bright on the surface and empty inside. Maybe in the movie these scenes of parties were not quite corresponding to he ones, described in the novel by Fitzgerald, but they still contributed to the understanding of the materialism and social values of America of that period. The main irony is that initially the notion American dream was related to high individualism, finding the individual happiness and discovery of self. This dream was absolutely distorted by the relaxed social values of the 1920s in America, especially on the East Coast.

People in all countries and in various historical periods certainly dream about prosperous life and realization of their dreams. However, the notion American dream, to my opinion might be applied only to people living in America, a lot of historical events led to the development of this notion as well as to complete distortion of it finally. The Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which banned the sale and consumption of alcohol, ironically was responsible for rise of bootleggers and corresponding development of underground culture.

However this movie can not be considered a simple presentation of historical flash back with the only aim to inform about life of America in 1920s. On the contrary, this is a movie for our time, with an existential hero of our time and themes actual for the modern society as well.

Overall, talking about the after-viewing effect, it is necessary to say, that not only the myth of the American dream was challenged by the movie, but the myth of relation between happiness and financial wealth was ruined; most of modern people are looking for financial comfort in the first line, but in reality they find more concerns and disillusionment with it; in spite of the sufficient role played by money in all societies nowadays, an individual can reach his happiness only vie self-realization, love and social comfort.

 

Works cited:

Fitzgerald, F.S. The Great Gatsby. New York. 2006

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
Available at:

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 28, 2024]
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