Jermyah Granados

ELA Mrs. Paulakis

The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is a novel that demonstrates “The withering of the American dream”.

The Great Gatsby shows multiple themes about wealth, lifestyle, love, and the pursuit of

happiness impacts. The novel can impact the reader on interpretating the “The withering of the

American dream”. Also, the roaring was a time to remember about the parties, entertainment,

illegal underground speakeasy, and the desire to become wealthy. Most characters had been

passed down wealth known as old money and others gaining or achieving wealth known as new

money. Anyone willing to achieve the success and happiness, will put their self in a position in

upward mobility and closer to the “American dream.”

Characters were always thinking about how to become wealthy or to have upward

mobility. Most characters had to make opportunities for themselves. Jay Gatsby had to make

opportunities for himself to give him a chance to move up in social status. “His parents were

shiftless and unsuccessful farm people-his imagination had never really accepted them as his

parents at all.” (Fitzgerald, 98). Jay Gatsby never accepted his parents was because they didn’t

give him an opportunity for upward mobility, his parents couldn’t do that in such a way despite

them not being able to shift up and having success in farming. “For over a year he had been

beating his way along the south shore of Lake Superior as a clam-digger and a salmon-fisher or

in other capacity that brought him food and bed. His, brown hardening body lived naturally

through the half-fierce, half-lazy work of the bracing days.” (Fitzgerald, 98). This shows Jay

Gatsby has taken steps to becoming the person he always dreamed he could be. Although, he

hasn’t taken the biggest steps he still has a desire.

 Having wealth, lifestyle, love, and purist of happiness there will be different characters

viewing each other success on these topics. Nick viewed Gatsby as a wealthy man who had it all.

Nick got invited to a Gatsby party where he witnessed the wealth, pursuit of happiness of people

and what kind of lifestyle everyone was about. “Until the air is alive with chatter and laughter,

and casual innuendo and introductions forgotten on the spot, and enthusiastic meetings between

women who never knew each other’s names.” (Fitzgerald, 40). “I was immediately struck by the

number of young Englishmen dotted about; all well-dressed.” (Fitzgerald. 42). Nick viewed

Gatsby lifestyle and wealth because he never had it before being that Nick wasn’t poor nor

wealthy.

The characters in the novel go after wealth, lifestyle, love, and pursuit of happiness. Jay

Gatsby is a great character who chased after “The withering of the American dream”. Gatsby

wealth and lifestyle of throwing the parties shows us the readers that any can achieve and have

upward mobility. Even though the novel was set in the roaring twenties, it doesn’t mean that it

isn’t unattainable in today’s time. A person willing to have a desire to chase “The withering of

the American dream” can have success.