Compelled to Destruction
Will the society of America fail, just as Gatsby's?
The struggle to achieve what is believed to be the "American Dream".
What is your definition of the American Dream? The actual American Dream is hard to define, as it is a separate idea for every person and almost always a false sense of reality. The “dream” creates a false sense of what is real, and this is clearly portrayed by the upper class in the Great Gatsby. The idea of following the dream can cause any society to fail because many of the ideas put into the dream have the wrong intentions. Our society is based on the American Dream as well, which to many people, means money and success. In Gatsby society and the present day society, the American Dream is a tunnel for peoples failed attempts on their dreams, and the idea of success that people follow only to end in destruction.
Can you survive buying into the American Dream?
Look at the Great Gatsby, a book that gives a look into the American Dream as it was for the characters. There is a baseline to compare to them, which would be the idea most common of that era. That would consist of; obtaining wealth, having a stable profession, purchasing material objects, being married and having a house with a family. Sounds familiar doesn’t it? We live our lives based on the same ideas. The life style of both of our eras makes it immensely popular to believe in the American Dream. We look up to material things, things like the Kardashian family. Kim Kardashian, 32, was paid millions to have her wedding shown on television for the world to see. Sadly, 4.4 million envious viewers tuned in to watch her look and act perfect. Needless to say, a lot of women wish they were her. But why? What is so perfect about a marriage that lasts 72 days?
What makes YOU happy?
Porsche Carrera GT - $440,000
Gorgeous car, but is it necessary to have when it is almost half a million dollars? Expensive cars are just material objects that people think they're supposed to have, just because it is a part of their idea of what the "American Dream" really is.
4 Million Dollar Mansion
Everyone wants to have the perfect home, but could it be that people purchase homes that they don't really need, just because they are obsessed with their view on the American Dream?
All the money you could ever want.
The more money you have, the happier you are! Right? Or wrong? Many people in the Great Gatsby and in today's world believe that the more money you are, the happier you are. Is that true? Or is that just something we have grown up to believe?
False Love
As an individual everyone can have their own idea of what they want to get out of their lives, but it’s some of the evil in the ideas that can cause a society to fail. In our society and Gatsby’s, it is a time of massive opportunity to pursue all your hopes and dreams. Many of us have dreamt to go to best colleges out there, to get the highest paying job available, and to start a family with a “soul mate” Sadly, the ideas that shape the American Dream and how we would successfully get all of those things are only obtainable when sacrificing happiness. The objects and lifestyles that we believed to be coveted are that of no importance towards happiness. They are ideas of false love, material objects, and making a name for yourself. These mixed priorities are clearly seen in Gatsby’s society as well. With Daisy’s outstanding desire for material wealth she says, “It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such-such beautiful shirts before.”(Fitzgerald 92) She is astonished by Gatsby’s wealth and it completely changes her perspective on her marriage with Tom. Many people marry for money and for looks, and it destroys societies. What are all the good people supposed to do, conform to the fake reality? False love and the idea of being in love can really change your outlook on what you are inspired for in your life. This is most plainly seen with Gatsby, in his obsession to impress and become reconnected with Daisy. This shows examples of how the people of the era really abused the idea of the “American Dream” in a similar way to that of manifest destiny in an attempt to put reason behind their actions. The American Dream should be based on happiness and feeling accomplished through hard work. The wrongful ideas of the “dream” forced the society to collapse because it purely sucks away the true identity of people and makes them invisible.
Does money = happiness?
Wealth and status on the social scale are both important factors during the twenties and today, but do not ultimately lead to happiness. Just because you own the biggest house and the fastest car that doesn’t mean you’re happy. The world and the story are filled with people who have lots of money being old money, through sports careers, and achieving wealth illegally. The most common misunderstanding that goes into play in both of our worlds is the false sense of the “American Dream” is that happiness is created by money. Societies can be crushed by swindlers and cheats that will do anything for money. Even today, towns are crippled because of the greed and the idea that money makes everyone happy, for example, the city of Detroit. The characters with lots of money in the novel are all plagued with the fast pace lifestyle that surrounds and encompasses them. They are living in a fictional world, and eventually when reality catches up to them, and their society has already collapsed. Money is a barrier for real dreams to be completed; it was a big factor in why the society failed, and why our society will fail as well.
Shown in the novel, dreams can not permanently turn into reality. The American Dream is plainly a set of ideas around the most popular material and lust. If everyone bases their lives on the idea of the American Dream, it will destroy our societies even more. People try too hard to achieve something that cannot be achieved and the only reason they try so hard is because they have this idea in their head that it is the right way to succeed. The characters of the story all put up failed attempts on their own wishes, only to come to realization that they are living unrealistically. The ideas that go into the shaping of the dream are those of wrongful insight not leading to happiness. And, the wrongful notion that money is the most important factor in happiness. With the idea of the “American Dream”, being what we base our lives on, and what they based their lives on, it is clear that the want for money and material objects only leads to problems within in a society. The society failed because people cared too much about themselves succeeding and they lost direct relationship with each other. If we refrain from material objects and try to find true love and happiness in each other, rather than money, our society might just have the chance to succeed.