The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald - 1588 Words

Fitzgerald saw the 1920s as a time of declining social and moral values which caused the American Dream to be corrupted by greed as well as materialism. The decline of the American Dream was a main theme highlighted throughout The Great Gatsby where Fitzgerald managed to successfully show the brittleness and superficiality the society aspired to live in. However, the passage alone is not enough to be considered as the key to the entire novel, only along with other passages are we able to see what Fitzgerald is trying to convey to his audience in regards to the American Dream. This essay discusses how other passages are also key to the novel and their relevance to Fitzgerald’s idea of the American Dream. The passages convey the manner in†¦show more content†¦In addition, although the American Dream was something which seemed distant for normal people to achieve, instead of being phased by it, people in society were in fact more motivated to work hard to achieve it. At the same time, green is commonly associated with the idea of envy. Faithful followers of the American Dream are often spurred by the envy they had towards what others had therefore they are willing to work hard in hopes of reaching the same level as well. While the American Dream brings about hope for them, Fitzgerald felt that members of the society were constantly in search of their dreams which in reality were very difficult to achieve and even appeared to be unattainable due to how â€Å"minute and far away† (pg. 25) they were. The stretch over the huge distance further emphasized on people’s astonishing ability to dream. In addition, due to the elaborate lifestyles present in the society during the 1920s, many people’s moralities became corrupted. On this point, the American Dream became something out of hand due to the lack of control in morality, people became willing to do anything just to achieve their dream just like how Gatsby succumbed to illegal met hods of acquiring his wealth. Therefore, Fitzgerald wanted to critique the way people tried to achieve their dreams. The American Dream has turned into a materialistic dream. The original idea and impression of the American Dream has evolved into one of materialism due to the decaying social