“The American Dream has always been one of the foremost issues in the literature of this country. It originated in the colonial period and developed in the 19th century. With the discovery of the North American continent, thousands of people with different ideas and a desire to establish the primacy of capitalism and pro-Western thinking poured into the new land. All of these factors combined to form the American Dream.
The term “American Dream” first appears in 1931 in writer James Traslow Adams’ book, The Epic of America. He says that “The American Dream is the desire to find a land in which life is brighter, better and richer, in which everyone can find opportunities for himself according to his skills and knowledge.”
In fact, the term American Dream can be interpreted both more broadly and more narrowly. Broadly speaking, the American Dream refers to equality, freedom, and democracy in the United States. More narrowly, it is a certain belief that everyone in the United States is destined for a better life in which all their dreams will come true, regardless of class or family heritage, just by making the appropriate effort and by not resisting hardship. In other words, one’s destiny depends directly on one’s diligence, courage, creativity, and focus on one’s own prosperity, while waiting for outside help leads down a dead-end road. Everyone must take responsibility for his actions and grasp every chance for his own prosperity, granted by fate through determination and hard work.
Considerable economic freedom distinguishes the United States from other countries in many ways. The role of government in these processes is limited, facilitating greater mobility of the population. In fact, anyone can move up and succeed financially, it just depends on diligence and effort. This is why many Americans believe in their Dream.
Connotations of the American Dream at different times
Like a kind of sprout, the American Dream has been cemented in the minds of Americans over the years. As America has evolved, human values have undergone significant changes. The old ways have been broken and replaced by a new generation of change. This is why the concept of the American Dream was not the same in different social and historical periods, hence different people had different ideas about the American Dream. Of course, the ways in which this dream was achieved were also different. Therefore, there are many connotations over time.
The American Dream between the 18th and 19th centuries
Europeans in AmericaThe American dream of this period can also be called the “golden dream.” Between these centuries, the nobility in Europe had still not fallen into oblivion. As a consequence of rigid social hierarchies, unfair distribution of wealth, and brutal religious persecution, many pioneering Enlighteners, such as Montesquieu and Descartes, began to look toward the United States as a truly magical land. Thus the “American Dream” gradually spread among vulnerable groups. The first immigrants from Europe in the 18th century were just such groups. They were passionate about political equality, so “Equality” became the connotation of the American Dream for European immigrants.
The American Dream after Industrialization
During the Civil War a period of industrialization began in America. Every day more and more Europeans docked off the shores of the American continent. At this stage, a new connotation of the American Dream was born. At that time there were many commercial and industrial giants in America, united by one important characteristic: poverty. But soon they were able to achieve tremendous success through hard work. A prime example was Henry Ford’s automobile industry. A period of rapid economic expansion began in the States. Now the connotation of the Dream takes on the meaning of democracy and ascendancy.
The American Dream in the 20th Century
America after World War IThe First World War had a much weaker impact on the United States than on the other parties to the conflict, so after it ended the country began a period of economic prosperity. Thanks to industrialization and the active use of electronic inventions, life for the average American changed dramatically. The advent of machines and their unconditional incorporation into daily life also had a significant impact on the way of thinking. Unprecedented industrial growth and widespread consumer demand went down in history as the “Turbulent Twenties,” an age of material prosperity and spiritual depravity. Greed and corruption were the foundation of the American Dream of that time. The manifestation of all the connotative forms can be seen in Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
Gatsby’s American Dream.
The American Dream originated at the time of the birth of American civilization. The pioneers insisted that the United States was a true paradise of youth, energy, and freedom, where everyone had equal opportunity to make their own dreams a reality. Thousands of young Americans pursue their “American Dream,” and they believe that once they receive their coveted prize, they will automatically, as if in addition, be endowed with power, status, love, and happiness. Undoubtedly, Jay Gatsby is one of those people. Besides, the example of Benjamin Franklin, “the father of all Yankees,” has inspired thousands of such dreamers, including Gatsby.
GatsbyGetsby believed that everyone was capable of becoming rich, and the consequence was the ability to buy happiness with wealth and influence. His type of aspirations refer to just the “golden dream,” but his American Dream is not strictly material. For him, wealth serves as a tool to achieve the real American Dream: Daisy’s love. She is a young girl who once loved Gatsby, but is now married to a rich man. Gatsby’s reality is that he is unable to marry her because of the huge difference in social status, so he decides that his only chance for happiness is to rise to the top of society.
The American Dream of the other characters
Nick, the narrator in the story, is also on a quest, albeit a more rational one. He is a representative of traditional American morals. He is a typical Midwesterner beckoned by the wealth and beauty of Long Island.
Tom, Daisy, and Jordan were all born into affluence. Tom and Daisy are among those carefree and depraved dreamers. They don’t care about anything, they show no respect for anyone! Tom’s arrogance is a real family heritage that allows him to dominate two women at the same time, and who knows how many more in the future.
Daisy, too, has a rich background. She is sweet on the outside, attractive, and romantic, but empty on the inside. “What are we going to do this morning?” is probably her only concern. All she aspires to is a rich and comfortable life.
Jordan is characterized by pronounced indifference and fixation only on her own path. She is “incurably dishonest,” but Nick is drawn to her in a sense. On the whole, though, Jordan is a very cold person, she is not ready to take responsibility, and therefore is forever lost in her American Dream.
Disappointment in the American Dream
Jay Gatsby’s American Dream consists of two parts: the “lust for wealth” and the “lust for love. Therefore, his disillusionment with the American Dream must also be shared.
Disillusionment with Wealth.
Named James Getsby at birth, Jay Getsby takes a pseudonym after meeting the elderly millionaire Dan Cody. Gatsby’s parents were ordinary farmers, but his mind refused to identify himself with them in any way. Rather, he was Cody’s son, and so he was to inherit his cause: to serve the rich, the corrupt and the mishmash of beauty. Cody was the one who changed Gatsby’s life by drawing him into the illegal business. This is how his life vector was formed, directed toward money. But it does not matter at all how rich Gatsby was, for he is still trying, to no avail, to join the high circles of society of which he has dreamed so much, but which still do not take him for their own because of his rather humble origin. The bitterness is that class discrimination still exists, and it would be foolish to deny it. Idealism collapses under the onslaught of realism and pragmatism. As a result, it becomes merely the object of ridicule and gossip by all those unknown celebrities. Not a soul was sincere with Gatsby, which is eventually confirmed at his funeral. The eerie contrast between the desolation and loneliness at the burial and the exuberant joy at his parties leaves an indelible scar. But why exactly like that! After all, they have been to his parties by the thousands! All he did was never get the recognition of high society.
Disappointment in Love
As stated above, Gatsby longed for wealth for the sole purpose of winning a previously lost love. In Jay Gatsby’s mind, luxury literally adorned Daisy like a noble princess, thus shielding her from a submissive lifestyle. The opportunity to be with Daisy greatly consoled the vanity of the offspring of an ordinary farmer. Thus, in order to win her favor, the young man decides to organize an illegal business, because he must offer her something and be able to provide. His love for the rich girl gave him the courage and strength to keep fighting, and the young lady herself did not ignore his exertions. But it is worth admitting that Daisy did not feel the same deep, and sometimes even blind, love for Gatsby. In the end, Daisy chose a more comfortable and familiar option for her, it suited her better to stay in the golden cage! This led to the death of Gatsby, who as a result was almost never remembered.
disappointment in the American dreamGetsby’s disappointment is that after winning Daisy’s affections again, he realizes that her love is not as sincere as he had imagined it to be. But he does not give up, for for him to give up is to fail on the road to his ideals. From this we can conclude that the determination and motivation with which Jay acted was not the fruit of fond memories of his past with Daisy, but rather the perseverance with which he longed to realize his dreams. In this respect, Daisy embodies the “dream of love” that Gatsby cherished. He gave the image of this girl the status of his own dream and may have been mistaken in his choice. Daisy is nothing but a windy person who values money, a rich life, and status above love feelings. Therefore, she symbolizes a certain illusiveness and worthlessness. She cannot be the embodiment of love and happiness, nor can she bring meaning to Gatsby’s life. And the saddest shade of the story is the indifference with which Daisy treated the young man’s death. Along with his death also passed away the wealth and love that was his dream.
The Collapse of Nick’s Dream
Nick, in search of his dream of wealth, heads east to conquer the investment business. After attending a Gatsby party, he realizes that all of his guests belong to a completely different class. They are all rich materially, but poor spiritually. For himself, he realizes that in their society it is extremely difficult not to remain lonely. As Nick delves deeper into the tragedy of Gatsby, he understands the essence of the American Dream. Eventually he realizes that this is the story of the West. Gatsby, Tom, Jordan, Daisy are all children of the West, but there is no way they can get along in the East because they all have the same flaws. As for his love for Jordan, it hardly brought him anything more than moral oppression.
The collapse and disillusionment of the American Dream
Social Causes
As one reads the work, one cannot help but be aware that disillusionment with the American Dream becomes inevitable for each of the characters, and this disillusionment is undoubtedly related to many social aspects. Love and friendship hold on to a fragile foundation, woven of money and material goods. Since everyone starts to care only about his or her own well-being, one can forget about relationships that are noble and mutually beneficial.
The Jazz Age and the Lost Twenties
The Jazz AgeThis is a separate page in American history after World War I, when the Great Depression was still unfolding. The spirit of the time was clearly colored by a sense of disconnection from reality and pre-existing traditions. People found themselves only in pleasure. The development and industrialization of all society overshadowed everything else. Fitzgerald thought it was a marvelous century, but at the same time painfully mocking. The great writer called it the Jazz Age. The firm belief in individualism and the pursuit of happiness turned into its own chimerical version of the pursuit of money. It was during this period that the American Dream underwent an indelible transformation.
Perhaps American culture, more than any other, is founded on the pursuit of individuality, freedom and democracy; hard work and the struggle for success and one’s honor. At the center of everything is one’s own individuality: the self at the head, the search for personal happiness and pleasure, the self-wrestling, the self-study… This approach certainly has its advantages and disadvantages. Under such conditions a person feels more motivation to keep moving forward. The whole nation benefits as well. But on the other hand, there are always people who go beyond the limits of what is permissible in their aspirations, they undertake absolutely everything, including immoral methods, which leads to their spiritual exhaustion. But where there is life, there is always room for dreams, and everyone must base their expectations on reality. The main thing is to never give up!