Term Paper on "Great Gatsby the American Dream of Self-Creation"
Term Paper 3 pages (1174 words) Sources: 1+
[EXCERPT] . . . .
Great GatsbyThe American Dream of Self-Creation through Wealth
Finding Identity in the Great Gatsby
Start him! I made him!"(133). Despite this proclamation from one of the shady characters Jay Gatsby knew while he was making his fortune, this not really the case. The title character of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel the Great Gatsby is a work of his own creation. More than any other character in the novel, either Daisy Buchanan or the narrator Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby embodies the confusions of the American Dream and its false promises. Gatsby begins life as a poor person in obscurity. Believing in the American gospel of wealth equaling happiness and because he aspires to make himself worthy of the love of Daisy Buchanan, Gatsby resolves to change his entire identity. He hopes that he can buy class, just like he buys a closet full of new shirts, and that Daisy will admire him the way she admires his shirts. But money cannot buy happiness -- or Daisy -- for Gatsby ("The Great Gatsby," Study Guide. Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District, 1999)
Gatsby falls for the lie promised by American Dream that anyone who works hard and makes money can buy class and respect ("Who Wants to be a Millionaire: Changing Concepts of the American Dream," American Studies Online, 2007). But Gatsby's new self is founded upon deceit and crime. He makes his money illegally, through bootlegging during Prohibition. He buys a beautiful house that looks like an old, wealthy estate, but everyone knows that it is new, not rooted in old money. True, on the surface, Gatsby seems to have realized his aspiration of attaining both money and social status,
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Because Daisy does not love Gatsby, at least not enough, Gatsby ends the novel feeling miserable and unfulfilled, as if his hard work meant nothing. In some ways it is unclear if Gatsby originally desired Daisy because she represented social success and financial fulfillment, or if Gatsby aspired to financial success and social status to win Daisy. Of course, he would say that he did everything for Daisy. But whether Gatsby is being honest with himself is ambiguous. Even at the end, he cannot see Daisy for what she really is: "You must remember, old sport, she was very excited this afternoon. He told her those things in a way that frightened her -- that made it look as if I was some kind of cheap sharper. And the result was she hardly knew what she was saying" (118). Notice how even at the end, Gatsby pretends he is from high society, as he uses the slang of the upper class like 'old sport.'
Daisy is a much less complicated character… READ MORE
Quoted Instructions for "Great Gatsby the American Dream of Self-Creation" Assignment:
“This is the rubric for this paper:
According to Mathew J. Bruccoli, *****the 1920*****s were primarily an era of possibilities and aspirations*****”a dominant Fitzgerald theme*****(x). Select any three of the novel*****s primary characters and do the following two things:
1) Determine those things to which each character aspires.
2) Assess the extent to which the achievement of these aspirations is possible.
Primary characters you may wish to consider include: Jay Gatsby, Tom Buchanan, Daisy Buchanan, Jordan Baker, Nick Carraway, George Wilson, and Myrtle Wilson. Keep in mind that most of the primary characters aspire to more than one thing. Also keep in mind that it is possible for a character to only partially fulfill their aspirations.
Paper Parameters
- All papers are due at the start of class Tuesday, April 24
- All papers must consist of three pages of text.
- All papers must have a cover sheet which includes:
o A thoughtful title
o The author*****s name
o The date
o The class (11th Grade English)
o The teacher*****s name
- The thesis statement must be bold typed and underlined.
- Each body paragraph must contain at least one, bold typed quote taken from the text.
- All quotes must be bold typed and documented internally using the MLA form.
- All papers must end with a Works Cited listing.
-thanks
How to Reference "Great Gatsby the American Dream of Self-Creation" Term Paper in a Bibliography
“Great Gatsby the American Dream of Self-Creation.” A1-TermPaper.com, 2007, https://www.a1-termpaper.com/topics/essay/great-gatsby-american-dream/655413. Accessed 28 Sep 2024.
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