Introduction
The American Dream is based on the assumption that, according to Benjamin Franklin, the American society is meritocratic, and thus with hard work and honest dealings, anyone could achieve wealth, economic security, and community respect. As such, the industrious and honest could achieve love, wealth, power, and high social standing, with materialism being the guiding principle. However, this dream is not as realistic as painted in rhetoric concerning what people could achieve in the US. The movie, The Great Gatsby, satirizes this dream by showing that it is an illusion that cannot be attained. Wealth is not always a product of hard work as many have achieved it through corruption and other immoral means. As is evident in the film, The Great Gatsby, Franklin’s assertion that the American Dream is available to all people is incorrect because Gatsby fails to achieve wealth through hard work, but later gains it corruptly, George and Myrtle Wilson have no access to the dream regardless of their industriousness, and Tom and Daisy antagonize the dream, even though they are rich.
Failed American Dream in the Film
Gatsby is the protagonist in the film and he embodies what many would refer to as the achievement of the American Dream, but it is an illusion – his wealth is not from hard work. Based on flashbacks from the film, Gatsby comes from humble beginnings having been born in a poor farming family. This background presents the perfect environment for the realization of the American Dream because Gatsby can work hard and become successful. Dan Cody, a wealthy man, employs Gatsby and he works hard for his employer to the point that Cody leaves him some wealth after his death. However, Cody’s wife takes everything from Gatsby. Therefore, through his hard work, Gatsby does not achieve any wealth. He can only admire the rich as depicted. However, when he moves to New York, Gatsby engages in an illegal business of bootlegging with mobsters in the city, which explains how he gets his fortune.
He has all the wealth that he could have ever wanted and every material thing that comes with it including top-of-range cars and mansions. He can afford to throw expensive parties every Saturday night because he has the money and the means. However, even after achieving what would be considered the American Dream, Gatsby is not contented – he yearns for more wealth, which explains why he wants to marry Daisy because she is from a wealthy background. As such, based on these arguments, it is clear that hard work does not necessarily lead to the achievement of wealth as depicted by Gatsby’s time working for Cody. On the contrary, corruption and illegal activities, such as bootlegging are a sure way of gaining wealth, which is against the spirit of the American Dream.
Quote: “Gatsby’s real name was James Gatz. His parents were dirt-poor farmers from North Dakota, but he never accepted them as his parents at all. In his own imagination, he was a son of God, destined for future glory” (Luhrmann) [Nick Carraway on Gatsby].
Similar to Gatsby, George and Myrtle fail to realize the American Dream despite their hard work. George is a representation of an ordinary industrious American man trying to chase the American Dream. He owns a shop, an embodiment of entrepreneurship, and he works for hours on end to ensure that his business grows. He cannot quit this miserable life and move west because he does not have the needed money for such a venture. Therefore, he does not access the level of success that he desires and thus he remains poor, with the elusive American Dream hanging on the horizon. On the other hand, after realizing that his husband’s business cannot bring them wealth, Myrtle seeks alternative ways. She starts an illicit affair with Tom solely because he enjoys generational wealth having been born into “old money” (The Great Gatsby). The available avenue for her to realize the American Dream has nothing to do with hard work, but everything to do with laziness and bootlicking. She endures abuse and ill-treatment from Tom as long as she continues enjoying the finer things in life that come with wealth. In the end, both Myrtle and George die terrible deaths, and none achieves the American Dream as far as the movie is concerned. Therefore, to George and Myrtle, the American Dream remains an illusion that is only available to the rich, like Tom, and the corrupt like Gatsby and Mayer Wolfshiem – the two associates in the bootlegging business. As such, the American Dream as envisioned by Franklin is a fallacy that does not exist, at least not for George and Myrtle.
Quote: “I married George because I thought he was a gentleman” (Luhrmann) [Myrtle talking about George’s inability to gain wealth].
The promise of the American Dream is hollow and unattainable, as depicted by Tom and Daisy Buchanan. The allure of this dream is hinged on the assumption that once someone has become wealthy, he or she enjoys life, finds love, and raises a family in opulence. However, Daisy and Tom, even though they have generational wealth, also known as “old money”, they are unhappy and bored with life. The Buchanans lack every attribute that is promised in the American Dream. They are lazy without dreams, life goals, and social values. Tom is engaged in an extramarital affair with Myrtle. He cannot find the happiness associated with the American Dream, which is synonymous with wealth accumulation. He lacks the will or skills to take care of his wife and family, and thus he does not command the societal respect associated with such levels of wealth. Similarly, Daisy is not contented with life, and thus she seeks happiness elsewhere. She is involved in an illicit love affair with Gatsby. In addition, these two did not achieve their wealth or American Dream through hard work – they were born in aristocracy, and thus they do not need this dream. Therefore, the American Dream is an illusion, under this context because the promise of happiness does not exist, and thus Franklin’s argument is wrong.
Quote: “Well, it’s a fine book, and everybody ought to read it. The idea is if we don’t look out the white race will be—will be utterly submerged. It’s all scientific stuff; it’s been proved” (Luhrmann) [Tom talking to Daisy to justify racism, which underscores his lack of social values].
Conclusion
The film, The Great Gatsby, is a satirical critique of the idea of the American Dream. This paper has shown that Franklin’s claim that the American Dream is accessible to anyone who is willing to work hard and engage in honest deals is wrong. Gatsby toils for the Codys but he does not become wealthy. He only manages to attain riches through illegal business. Similarly, George does not realize the American Dream despite being industrious at his business. On the other hand, Myrtle resorts to bootlicking, which is the only plausible way to taste riches. Therefore, as represented in this film, the American Dream is an illusion and Franklin erred in assuming that it could be achieved.
References
Luhrmann, B. (2013). The Great Gatsby [Film]. Warner Bros.