The American Dream as a Tool for Social Criticism in The Great Gatsby

This essay analyzes F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby' and its portrayal of the American Dream as a tool for social criticism. The essay argues that the novel reveals how the pursuit of wealth and social status can corrupt individuals and lead to moral decay. The character of Gatsby, who comes from humble beginnings and amasses wealth to win back Daisy, embodies the distorted version of the American Dream. The essay explores themes of love, wealth, class, and morality, and how the characters' actions and fates reflect the societal flaws inherent in the pursuit of the American Dream. The essay also examines how the novel critiques the values of the wealthy elite and the consequences of prioritizing material possessions over genuine human connection. Through Gatsby's tragic story and the behaviors of other characters like Tom and Daisy, the essay demonstrates how the American Dream, once a symbol of opportunity, has become a means to social criticism.

Surname 1
Name
Institution
Course
Date
The American dream as a means to social criticism
Executive summary
The meaning of American dream has greatly changed with time. Its proposers may
have good intentions but the meaning of American dream may not be living to the intentions
of its founders. The character Gatsby in ‘The Great Gatsby’ novel is a great testimony to this
apparent change. Despite coming from humble beginnings, he is ready to pursue the
American dream by any means whether legal or otherwise. All this amassing of wealth is
intended to impress Daisy. Though they had met earlier, he could not have had a romantic
relationship with her due to his apparent lack of wealth. Although he achieves the American
dream and wins Daisy, a lot happens that portrays the American dream as a means to social
criticism.

Surname 2
Contents
The American dream as a means to social criticism.............................................................1
Executive summary..................................................................................................................1
Introduction..............................................................................................................................3
The American dream as a means to social criticism.............................................................3
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................5
References.................................................................................................................................7

Surname 3
Introduction
Every person in the contemporary world seems to be pursuing the American dream
(Kirby 7). The American dream promises that every person can become wealthy or make it in
life despite their circumstances or where they come from (Long 56). Ideally, dream should be
pursued using means that both legally and sociable acceptable. It is sad to note that a
significant number of people have become so obsessed with the dream that they are ready to
use any possible means (whether legal or otherwise) to achieve the dream. This report will
focus on how ‘The Great Gatsby’ novel portrays the American dream. While the American
dream was initially meant to encourage people not to be discouraged by their humble
beginnings, it has surely become a means to social criticism.
The American dream as a means to social criticism
In the contemporary world, the concept of the American dream has become
entrenched into the minds of many people across the globe (Hacker 17). The concept of
American dream was developed in the early 20th century (Qin1683). At the time, the
American dream revolved around the unlimited potential that every American had. It
suggested that any American had the potential of becoming wealthy and living well despite
the background (Wakefield 8). The founders of the concept hoped to encourage every
American not to despair but work hard instead. It is therefore true to conclude that the
American dream was initially meant to encourage people not to be discouraged by their
humble beginnings. With time however, it appears that the American dream has been
manipulated and construed to mean attainment of wealth by whatever means. This distorted
version of the American dream has surely become a means to social criticism. The Great
Gatsby novel illustrates very well how the American dream has become a means of social

Surname 4
criticism. Following is a discussion of The Great Gatsby and how it portrays the American
dream as a means to social criticism.
Gatsby is a young man who has had humble beginnings. Despite having such
beginnings, he is obviously encouraged by the American dream to do all it takes to amass
wealth. The American dream is so important that a relationship between him and Daisy could
not initially be maintained because Gatsby did not have the ability to support her financially
(Haarsma 21). From this scenario, it can be deduced that love is no longer a virtue where
American dream is concerned. Rather, love is directly proportional to the amount of wealth
that one has. Sociologically, the American dream can therefore be seen to contribute to social
criticism where the rich can get all the ‘love’ they want while the poor have no such chances.
Later, when Gatsby becomes wealthy, he easily wins the heart of Daisy again. The two start
an affair even though Daisy is already married to Tom. Just because Gatsby is wealthy, it is
possible for him to propagate the social ill of adultery. The conclusion to make from these
observations is that the American dream is a means to social criticism.
Tom is a wealthy man. According to the standards set by the American dream, he has
already achieved the dream. Due to this, he is able to chase women despite being a married
woman. It would have been very hard for him to do so if he had not achieved the American
dream. The American dream also presents itself as a means to social criticism through the
death of Gatsby. When he dies, all his friend but Nick no longer care about him (Fitzgerald
77). They do not even concern themselves with his burial. It is ironical that even Daisy, who
Gatsby had been having an affair with, is busy enjoying herself with Tom as if nothing has
happened. It is obvious that most people who were around Gatsby did so because of his
`immense wealth. These events portray the American dream as a means to social criticism.

Surname 5
The novel reveals some characters who do not care about social order or even good
morals. It appears that what encourages these characters to have such behaviour is their
achievement of the dream. An example is Tom. When Tom and Myrtle argue over Daisy,
Toms ends up breaking her nose. Another example is Daisy who hits Myrtle with a car and
escapes without caring what happens to her. Myrtle dies and Daisy does not seem moved by
her death. These events further portray the American dream as a means to social criticism.
The means through which Gatsby attains his wealth taints the image of the American
dream. It is alluded to in the novel that he engages in criminal activities and illegal deals in
order to amass his wealth. The main goal of doing this is to achieve the American dream so
that he may be able to win the heart of Daisy. If the American dream can force an individual
to carry out such activities, then it can be said to be a means to social criticism (Durlauf,
Steven and Ananth 335). In the contemporary days, there is a significant number of people
who are willing to do just about anything to become wealthy, or in other words, to achieve
the American dream. The great urge to use any means to achieve the American dream using
any means (an example being Gatsby) is an illustration of how the American dream has
become a means of social criticism.
Conclusion
The Great Gatsby novel provides adequate examples of how the American dream has
been manipulated to become a means to social criticism. The greatest example is that of
Gatsby, a young man of humble beginnings. Gatsby uses crime and illegal deals as a means
to amass wealth. The main motivation for Gatsby is to impress Daisy for he is unable to
impress her without money/ wealth. His pursuit for American dream bores some fruit but
then leads him to an early grave. Tom is also another example. Due to his wealth, he has the
confidence of being cruel and chasing as many women as he would like. Obviously, such

Surname 6
observations leave one with only one conclusion, that the American dream has slowly but
surely become a means to social criticism.

Surname 7
References
Durlauf, Steven N., and Ananth Seshadri. "Understanding the Great Gatsby Curve." NBER
Macroeconomics Annual 32.1 (2018): 333-393. Print.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The great Gatsby. Broadview Press, 2007. Print.
Haarsma, Roos. The Portrayal of the ‘New Woman ‘in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great
Gatsby. Oxford University Press, 2018. Print.
Hacker, Jacob S. The great risk shift: The new economic insecurity and the decline of the
American dream. Oxford University Press, 2019. Print.
Kirby, Lisa A. Her voice is full of money’: Considering Social Class and the American
Dream in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Routledge, 2017. Print.
Long, Elizabeth. The American dream and the popular novel. Routledge, 2017. Print.
Qin, Zhang. "A Deconstructive Analysis of The Great Gatsby." Journal of Literature and Art
Studies 8.12 (2018): 1682-1686. Print.
Wakefield, Peter W. "Diagnosing the American Dream: Trouble in the Vibrations of The
Great Gatsby." IMPACT: The Journal of the Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching
and Learning. Volume 8, Issue 1, Winter 2019 (2019): 8. Print.