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Lisa Tran

Mr. Lim

AP Language and Composition

16 March 2016

Pursing the American Dream

Originally, being able to achieve ones desire through hard-work was the notion of the

American Dream (Rohrkemper). Over the years, this concept evolved into a continuous struggle

to achieve a big house, nice car, and a life of ease (Rohrkemper). F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great

Gatsby exposes the disillusionment and the corruption that follows in pursuing the American

Dream. Fitzgerald reveals the diminishment of traditional American values being replaced by

material wealth, through reference to the valley of ashes and the characters. Through the

description of the valley of ashes, ...a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges

and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising

smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of ash-grey men, who move dimly and already

crumbling through the powdery air, the reader is able to distinguish the moral decay hidden

underneath the opulent lifestyle of the wealthy (Fitzgerald, 26). The quest for wealth and

sophistication is corrupting the American culture, because living a life of ease results in a life

without ambitions. Thus, life becomes dull and dim.

Through the juxtaposition between the valley of ashes and the wealthier areas, such as the

West and East Egg, Fitzgerald reveals the corruption associated with greed and the American

Dream being a mere illusion. The valley of ashes represents hopelessness and death. Those who

live in the valley of ashes, like Myrtle and Wilson cannot escape poverty, despite their hard
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work. Thus, Myrtle selfishly uses Tom to try to improve her position in life, which leads to her

destruction. The fact that she committed adultery because Wilson is not good enough for her and

the possibility of being able to move up in society shows how unethical one becomes in pursuit

of wealth.

Moreover, the valley of ashes is emblematic of the corruption of the wealthy. The

transcendent effort, of ash-grey men, who move dimly represent Tom, Daisy, and Nick with

empty and voided lives. Tom and Daisy is constantly moving around because of boredom. They

have no ambitions in life, thus, try to fill this sense of emptiness with lavish parties. Daisy is the

epitome of both material success and corruption that wealth can bring. She only stayed with Tom

because they shares the same version of an affluent life. Through Nicks claim, They are

careless people, Tom and Daisy they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back

into their money or their vast carelessness of whatever it was that kept them together, and let

other people clean up the mess they had made, the author reveals how the rich are selfish and

insensitive

Furthermore, the pile of ashes represents the distortion of the American Dream. Jay

Gatsbys demise is symbolic to the death of the old American Dream. He represents the

American Dream in that, he was born into poverty, but worked his way up the social ladder. As

he comes closer to his goal, he encounters untrustworthy people who introduces him to the

corrupt way of life. In the novel, the reader learns that Gatsbys wealthy comes from his

bootlegging activities. His obsession for prosperity and materialistic possessions deprives him of

reason, causing him to become a different person. Jay Gatsby becomes corrupt and materialistic.

Even when he achieves his aspiration to rise out of poverty, he is unhappy. Because Gatsby does
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not belong in the society that he tries to buy his way into, he will never obtain happiness. The

absurdity of the wealthys extravagant lifestyle is shown when the author says, There was a

machine in the kitchen which could extract the juice of two hundred oranges in half an hour, if a

little button was pressed two hundred times by a butlers thumb, (44). Gatsby owning such an

appliance and making his butler press a button two hundred times for simple orange juice reveals

the distortion of his moral values and vision of a good life.

The American Dream gives people false hope and is a mere illusion. Through the

characters in the novel, the readers are able to learn that there is no limit to greed. The desire to

reach higher and farther makes one deprived of reason and corrupt. Corruption is not only

limited to those who are wealthy, but it also spreads to all those who come in contact with this

world of opportunities. Eventually, people lose themselves, because very few manage to resist

the temptations of money and power.

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Works Cited

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2004. Print.