Gatsby and the Complexity of the American Dream free essay sample

The Great Gatsby is an exploration of the American dream in modern society, in which money and prosperity are significant factors and it may not be as simple as you think; and the movie Citizen Kane is another example of the complex issues relating to the American dream. First, we will explore the American dream, in which it is to make a great deal of money because it provides for a comfortable living, and characters in the novel reflect upon this very ideal. Second, achieving the American dream of wealth is perceived to bring happiness, but that is not always the case as will examine the dream relating to the characters in the novel. Third, we will explore the American dream of Jay Gatsby in comparison to Charles Foster Kane in the movie Citizen Kane, and how they approached life differently, but both ended up with similar outcomes. FIRST, the American dream is the desire to acquire an enormous amount of fortune through the opportunities in the United States; however, to some people, the American dreams are the finer things in life other than money, such as freedom, family, health, love, and happiness. According to the novel, wealth is the central theme of the story. Most of the characters seem to revolve themselves around money one way or another. Money is important to sustain a normal lifestyle, the opportunity of working hard to earn a living, and having a representative democracy is what I believe to be the American dream. The American dream is the opportunity to make a large sum of money, in which it would provide financial security. It would change your social status; all of a suddenly, you belong with a different crowd of people in the upper echelons, an entirely different playing field. It is also the ability to attain material goods through the measure of wealth and success. The United States is a place where opportunities are available to all individuals, regardless of your social status or racial background; the land of the free, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Here are several examples of people with different social status and racial backgrounds who are living the American dream: Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Colin Powell, Jackie Chan, and Jennifer Lopez. It is rare to find people with different racial backgrounds in other countries to have the amount of wealth as the people in the United States. The vast array of resources makes this place known as the land of opportunity. The American dream, however, is not necessarily all about wealth to some people. Wealth may not necessarily bring happiness to everybody. There are many more important things to life than revolving yourself around money all the time. Some people feel that living in a democratic society with the freedom of political representation is the American dream, because there are many countries in this world that still holds a repressed society. It could also be about earning a decent living, not necessarily a lot of money, but enough, and the well being of family members. In other words, the American dream could be having a stable income enough to be satisfactory, while maintaining a loving and healthy family. There is an old saying that money cannot buy happiness. The American dream, according to the novel, portrays that money is above all things, and Fitzgerald stresses the importance of money throughout the story because money seems to be the root of all causes. It also explores the different levels of the social class, from royalty to peasants. It seems as though money builds confidence, according to the novel, in which you are perceived to be a ‘nobody’ in society without wealth and status. It seems to be about what you own and who you know. To have money is to have power and access to happiness. For example, Gatsby insisted on showing Daisy his house when they first reunited. He said to her, â€Å"My house looks well, doesn’t it? See how the whole front of it catches the light. † (pg. 95, 8-9) Gatsby is blatantly and intentionally showing off his wealth to Daisy, and she fell for it. If Gatsby did not have the wealth, Daisy would have never given him the time of the day that she has. By having money, it changes your entire life, social status, and the ability to have almost anything you want. Gatsby throws weekly parties at his house with spectacular decorations, entertainments, and world class cuisines. People don’t even know who Gatsby is, but they attend his parties because of the apparent wealth this man has to show. Everybody wants to be apart of the popular and wealthy crowd. He wanted to be accepted into the high society and these parties are a way to build his status. As shallow as it sounds, the novel seems to talk about people judging a book by its cover. In other words, the American dream to the characters in the novel is how wealthy and how much money one has. The characters in the novel reflect the very ideal of what most people perceives as the American dream, and that is the amount of money that one has. Jay Gatsby is a man who grew up with no money, but gained an enormous amount of wealth. He accomplished what most people dream of having, a life of luxury, but his only draw back is that he thought money can buy happiness. Tom Buchanan grew up with money and is a pretentious rich boy. He is living the American dream of wealth and fortune. It is his money that attracts women to his side, such as his wife Daisy and his mistress Myrtle. Tom can get almost anything he wants simply because he has money. Without it, I doubt his wife and mistress would stick around. Daisy Buchanan also grew up with money and her social status is important to her. Even though she loved Gatsby, she could not compromise her social status to marry a poor boy who suddenly became rich. She rather stays with a man who has wealth his entire life because ‘old money’ is considered a higher class than ‘new money’. Myrtle Wilson is a lady who loves to live a life of luxury, but she married a guy who cannot afford the lifestyle that she wants. She thought the man she married had money, but found out later he had to borrow a suit for their marriage. She became infatuated with Tom Buchanan simply because of his wealth and how he can offer her a chance to live the American dreams. She had mentioned to Catherine at a party with Tom â€Å"I married him because I thought he was a gentleman. I thought he knew something about breeding but he wasn’t fit t lick my shoes†, referring to her husband as being poor who doesn’t even deserve to lick her shoes (pg. 39, 8-10). This woman is all about the money. George Wilson and Nick Carraway, on the other hand, are different than the other characters. They are not as money crazy. George is a hard working man who runs a gas station and trying to provide for his family. Money doesn’t seem as important as long as he and his wife are happy. Carraway has a stable desk job and a decent place to live. To some people, that is the American dream. The American dream is about golden opportunities to make a large sum of money, but to some people money is just a form of survival. Others perceive the American dream as a lifestyle of freedom, freedom from a repressed society. The novel displays that social status is very important, which ultimately goes back to having money. To the characters in the novel, the American dream is that money is the most important factor to life, with a couple of exceptions who sees money as not important as the other characters make of it. Money is important, but the American dream is not necessarily about wealth all the time. There are other important factors to life other than acquiring a large amount of money. Making a large sum of money would solve many financial burdens, but it may not resolve the intangible problems, such as love and happiness. SECOND, as we mentioned earlier, the American dream is the chance to make a great deal of money, which is perceived to bring happiness; but wealth and happiness does not always go hand in hand, it can also lead to other problems, such as distress and loneliness. Having money can be a good thing, but it is also the root of most causes. We will examine the consequences of the American Dream on the characters in the novel; Jay Gatsby has wealth, but he wasn’t able to reach the happiness he desired. Daisy Buchanan was born wealthy, and in the end she chose money over love and happiness. Nick Carraway was not wealthy, but he was happy with his life. When there is money involved, it comes with many non financial problems. A consequence of the American dream on the character Gatsby was that he built a tremendous amount of wealth for himself in a short period of time, but his wealth indirectly killed him. It began with him trying to buy happiness with his fortune. As soon as Gatsby became rich, he started planning for his happiness, which is to rekindle his love with his former girlfriend, Daisy Buchanan. He utilized his wealth to throw fancy parties that cost a fortune only to gain social status and be accepted in high society, at the same time strategizing to get reacquainted with Daisy. When Gatsby saw Daisy for the first time since their adolescent years, he was already showing off his wealth and status to her hoping that his fortune would attract her back to his side. Wealth is only important to Gatsby because it gives him status in society, which he needs to get Daisy back. By buying his way into the upper class, he thought it would bring happiness to him simply because his status was comparable to Daisy. When Daisy chose his husband over Gatsby, suddenly Gatsby’s money became powerless because money could not buy him the love that he wanted. In the end, it was love that Gatsby was searching for and his wealth cost him his life. His expensive car was easily identified as the car that ran over Myrtle Wilson after Gatsby had a furious feud with Tom and Dasiy. When Myrtle (Tom Buchanan’s secret affair) saw the fancy car approaching the gas station owned by her husband George Wilson, and while assuming it was Tom’s car, she ran out to the streets thinking that it was Tom going to take her away. She was run over by the car and died. Gatsby was blamed for her death. Therefore, George wanted to avenge the death of his wife, so he shot Gatsby in the pool of his backyard. The point being is, Gatsby’s wealth indirectly killed him rather than giving him the happiness he was searching for. Another consequence of the American dream on the character Daisy was that she was born to wealth, and money seems to be her first priority, above love and happiness. She married Tom Buchanan, who also grew up with money. They shared a very similar background, both rich with upper class status. Daisy was in love with her ex-boyfriend Gatsby, but she was also attracted to Tom’s wealth and status in society. He bought her a very expensive jewelry when he proposed. To her, money and status were above the love she had for Gatsby. Gatsby grew up poor and Daisy could never bring herself to marry someone with a social status below her. She would compromise love for money and status, something in which her husband has an advantage over Gatsby. Tom was not a one lady man; he cheats on Daisy behind her back. Daisy was not completely innocent herself; she would secretively have meetings with Gatsby behind Tom’s back. Daisy was aware that Tom was having an affair, yet she could tolerate it. Daisy also knew that Gatsby would do anything for her, yet she was not satisfied because of his upbringing. In the end, she chose Tom over Gatsby simply because Gatsby was considered new money, while Tom was considered old money. â€Å"She vanished into her rich house, into her rich, full life, leaving Gatsby-nothing†. (pg. 156 28-30, pg. 157 1) She was a careless and uncaring person, in which money was the guidance of her life. She was selfish and doesn’t care about other people’s feelings, simply because she knew she had the wealth to back it up, so she could act however she pleases, like a spoiled brat. So, the American dream of Money once again proves that having a large sum of money is not necessarily a good thing, because having money doesn’t give you the power to hurt other people. A third consequence of the American dream on the character Carraway was that he valued money because he knew the true value of a dollar. Money was never handed to him, unlike the other characters, such as Tom and Daisy. He was brought up with the importance of hard earned money through examples oh his parents, and he is someone who practices the same ideals, yet he was fascinated with the lifestyle of Gatsby who spent money like it grows on trees. Carraway liked how Gatsby can make you feel like you are the center of attention. He is very observant of Gatsby, â€Å"On week-ends his Rolls-Royce became an omnibus bearing parties to and from the city†¦.. Every Friday, five crates of oranges and lemons arrive from fruiterer in New York†¦. † (pg. 43 8-19, pg. 44 1-12) He would love a lifestyle of the rich, but he realized he was content with his life. He knew what it was like to rise and fall back down. Therefore, he was not as money crazy. Carraway was not rich, but his lifestyle was certainly not too shabby. Although he was surrounded by wealth and money from relatives and friends, he seemed to have a solid head on his shoulders. He experienced and became a spectator of how wealth can be the root of all evil. He saw what had happened to Gatsby in search of his love by utilizing his wealth. He learned that money cannot buy love and many other things. He saw what money can do to a person and marriage, that was with selfishness and betrayals between his cousin Daisy and Tom. They both had affairs behind one another. Even though Carraway has wealthy friends, he doesn’t get too caught up in the getting rich scheme. He kept it simple, he dated, he had a decent career, and he had a decent place to live with an ocean view. His simple lifestyle seems far less complicated than the lifestyle of the wealthy people. Carraway learned that money is great, but money cannot buy love, happiness, and many other things. So, according to the American dream, money brings happiness, but one can be happy without the need to be extremely wealthy. Many people want to live the American dream of wealth and riches, but they don’t realize that it may not necessarily bring happiness into their lives; it could potentially turn out to be lonely. Gatsby, Daisy, and Tom had money, but they were not able to live the happiest life. Carraway, on the other hand, was not rich, but he was happy with his life. So, to say that living the American dream of wealth and money would bring happiness may not necessarily be true because happiness is a problem that money may not be able to solve. The novel of The Great Gatsby and the movie Citizen Kane share a common bond of what it is like to live the American dream. THIRD, Gatsby and Kane were a mere reflection of each other in several ways, in which they both lived the American dream, and finding out in the end that it is not as pleasant as originally thought; but the way they got their was quite different. Living the American dream of money and power were of importance to both Gatsby and Kane because it brought superiority, in which it was the access to everything in life, but also lead to unhappiness. They were both unsuccessful with their love lives because they neglected to think that money may not have been able to buy love and happiness. Gatsby and Kane were trapped in a place with the idealistic view that money could buy everything and disillusioned that money could buy the intangible things as well. Let us explore the comparison of Gatsby and Kane. Gatsby and Kane both viewed money and power as an important part of their lives because they could utilize the money and power for their own personal gain. They were both born to struggling parents, but were able to fulfill the American dream of wealth and luxury. The difference is that money was important to Gatsby because it upgraded his social status in society, which was the only way for him to get the attention of the love of his life; otherwise, money would not be important to him at all. As we mentioned earlier, money is the root of all causes, thus money caused Gatsby his life. He could have been able to live a full life if it wasn’t for money. On the other hand, money is important to Kane, but for a different reason. Kane was a pleasant young man, with great aspiration to run a successful newspaper business. He worked hard and aimed high to succeed in that industry. His urge of wanting money and power side tracked him for selfish reasons; hence the scene of which there were dancers and he was the center of attention with a feeling of superiority; this was the beginning of his greed. All of a sudden, he viewed money as the single most important goal: Here is a dialogue of Kane commanding his employees to follow his orders: Charles: Now look, Mr. Carter, heres a front-page story in the Chronicle about a Mrs. Harry Silverstone in Brooklyn whos missing. Now, shes probably murdered. Heres a picture of her in the Chronicle. Why isnt there something about it in the Inquirer? Carter: Cause were running a newspaper. Carter: Theres no proof that that woman is murdered, or even that shes dead Its not our function to report the gossip of housewives. If we were interested in that kind of thing, Mr. Kane, we could fill the paper twice over daily. Charles: Mr. Carter, thats the kind of thing we are going to be interested in, from now on. (Citizen Kane) This sounds like a decent man turned into a tyrant because of money. Even though money did not cost Kane his life, there was nothing meaningful about it. He had no true friends and family to spend his life with because of his greed with money and power. Gatsby and Kane, although rich and powerful in the American way, were unsuccessful with love and happiness. Gatsby was unsuccessful with love because he did not achieve what he set forth to accomplish, which was to be with the love of his life, Daisy. Gatsby did everything in his power to be with Daisy. He treated her with the utmost respect, putting her as the number one priority in his decision making. He catered to her every whim. In the novel, Gatsby fired all his servants: â€Å"My Finn informed me that Gatsby had dismissed every servant in his house†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg. 120, 20; pg. 121, 1-2) Gatsby fired all his servants for the sake of Daisy because he feared that people would see her leaving his house and would give her trouble. Despite his gentlemanly efforts, Daisy chose another man in the end. On the other hand, Kane was also unsuccessful with love because the two marriages he was involved in fell apart. He cheated on his first wife, and drove his second wife away. He was too self-centered, wanting everything his way or no way. In a relationship there should be compromises, but Kane offered nothing remotely close to a compromise. His actions signified that if you have money, your words were final; thus, the words from Kane himself, â€Å"People will think what I tell them to think†. (Citizen Kane) He assumed that by having money and power, love was inevitable; but he was very wrong. Money cannot buy friendship, romance and happiness. Kane’s last word before his death was â€Å"Rosebud†. (Citizens Kane) Not a single person could explain the meaning of this word, even those who thought they knew Kane well. This indicated that he had no family and true friends that eventually lead Kane to a lonely death. Gatsby and Kane were both trapped in a world of idealism and disillusionment. They were idealistic about money and power, in which it would provide for everything in this world; but they were disillusioned that money can buy the intangible things as well, such as love and happiness. Gatsby was very idealistic about money and power, that he could have anything he wanted if he had a tremendous amount of wealth, and a tremendous amount of wealth he had indeed. He was disillusioned that money could buy the love of Daisy and the happiness of his life, thus the intangibles. Gatsby said to Nick, â€Å"I’m going to fix everything just the way it was before,†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ She’ll see†. (pg. 117, 3-4) He thought that his money could fix all his problems, but he thought wrong. Daisy chose her husband over Gatsby. In the end of the novel, we found out that money could not buy just anything, certainly not love and happiness. Kane was idealistic about money and power because of the notion that it would provide for everything in this world. He was disillusioned that money would empower him to do as he pleased, and with that, happiness would follow. He was disillusioned that money could buy the intangibles of friendship, love and happiness. It could have started when he was taken away from his parents at a very young age because his mother thought Kane would live a better life if he had money. This could have had a negative repercussion on Kane when his parents were willing to give him up; and because of his parents giving him up for money, he could have grown up with the idea that money as being the most important factor. Gatsby and Kane lived the American dream, but it was the dream of money that led to the conclusion of their lives. Gatsby and Kane both lived the American dream of wealth and luxury, but it was money that defeated them in the end; Gatsby lost his life, while Kane lived a lonely life. Even though romance existed in their lives, neither one of them were successful in maintaining a loving and lasting relationship. They were both idealistic about money and its value, but disillusionment that money could buy everything, which includes love and happiness. The American dream comes with many other unforeseen problems, as Citizen Kane is anther example of the complications of the American dream. In summary, the American dream provides hope for people who are ambitious. To have money would relieve many financial burdens, but it may not necessarily bring the happiness you are searching for, as we saw with the characters in the novel. The characters in the novel had a great deal of money, but in the end were something less than happiness. Another example is Citizen Kane, in which money may not necessarily bring happiness. In conclusion, the novel portrays that money is the root of most causes, because it is the focal point of the American dream; Citizen Kane is another example of this cause.