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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 page essay that analyzes F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and Nella Larsen's Passing, both dramatize the inadequacy and injustice of the cultural paradigm known as the "American Dream." In both cases, the protagonists of the narratives die in their attempt to overcome the social and racial barriers that keep them from a life that is pictured for them. The American Dream is a mirage held out to them as the ultimate prize, on one hand, but denied them on the other by forces that are actually beyond their control. Examination of these works shows that while these novels are very different, their social criticism of American culture is quite similar. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khlarfit.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
"American Dream." In both cases, the protagonists of the narratives die in their attempt to overcome the social and racial barriers that keep them from a life that is pictured
for them. The American Dream is a mirage held out to them as the ultimate prize, on one hand, but denied them on the other by forces that are actually
beyond their control. Examination of these works shows that while these novels are very different, their social criticism of American culture is quite similar. Jimmie Gatz (aka Jay Gatsby)
grew up with the idea that within the American laissez-faire democratic ideal, individual effort was the only criteria that mattered and that every individual possessed the ability to rise to
the top of the social hierarchy by his own efforts (Lewis 41). As a young soldier, Gatz, who comes from a poor background, meets rich, aristocratic Daisy. She comes to
embody everything that the American Dream encompasses. After the war, Gatz makes himself over into Gatsby and obtains the wealth that he believes will give him what he wants --
a life with Daisy. Fitzgerald associated Gatsby with unbridled materialism. However, as Nick Carroways narration points out, "Gatsby turned out all right...it was what preyed on Gatsby" that provided the
basis for Nicks disillusionment with the decadence of east coast American society (Fitzgerald 3). Gatsbys pursuit of the American Dream, that is to say, his fascination with materialism leads to
his ultimate murder. However, Fitzgerald is careful throughout this work to contrast the idealistic materialism of Gatsby with the fleshy, earthy materialism of Tom Buchanan. This quality of the
novel is particularly clear in the scene where Gatsby leads Daisy around his newly acquired mansion. Nick observes that he "revalued everything in hi house according to the measure
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