The American Dream is one of the most essential myths in American history. To this day its meaning and value are a vital part of American culture, but since it is such a powerful and influential concept, it is also the object of manifold interpretations, which at times turn out to be opposing.
In my paper, I will compare the different ideas on the American Dream in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and Emma Lazarus's poem "The New Colossus". While Fitzgerald presents a rather negative view of the American Dream, leaving us with the notion that although we know that we must eventually fail in trying to achieve our goals, we still keep on trying. Lazarus on the other hand presents the reader with the positive side of the American Dream and New York when she says that everyone is welcome, no matter what their background is, everyone has a chance to achieve a better life in the city. This shows that in a way New York was a symbol for the American Dream, because for many the city stood for a better life and the possibility to achieve your dreams during the time when these two works were written. Lazarus includes everyone in her poem, whereas Fitzgerald leaves out real success stories and different races are portrayed negatively.
Therefore, it can be said that although both might present parts of the ‘reality’ of the American Dream and its impact on society, they still offer very narrow and incomplete images of it, since both of them stay focused on specific (also subjective) views of this myth and the city of New York. In order to show this, I will first analyze The Great Gatsby and the idea of the American Dream Fitzgerald presents in it. Then I will describe Emma Lazarus’s role in the shaping of the American Dream and how her words also partially oppose reality. I will then continue to analyze the ambiguity of the American Dream and New York as a city of dreams, fascination and new beginnings, but also of failure and lost hopes as it is presented in The Great Gatsby and in Lazarus’s poem.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Main Part
2.1 The American Dream and New York in The Great Gatsby
2.2 The American Dream and New York in “The New Colossus”
2.3 The Ambiguity of the American Dream and New York
3. Conclusion
Objectives and Themes
This paper examines the inherent ambiguity of the "American Dream" by contrasting its representation in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby and Emma Lazarus's poem "The New Colossus." The research investigates how both authors utilize the setting of New York City to construct diverging narratives—one highlighting failure, disillusionment, and moral decay, and the other emphasizing hope, protection, and the promise of new beginnings for immigrants.
- Comparison of negative versus positive interpretations of the American Dream.
- The symbolic role of New York City as a site of both opportunity and destruction.
- Analysis of characters and poetic imagery in the context of socio-economic reality.
- The conflict between individual ambition and historical/social constraints.
Excerpt from the Book
2.1 The American Dream and New York in The Great Gatsby
To understand the depiction of the American Dream we first have to define the common understanding of what the term means and its impact on people. Oxford English Dictionary gives a short definition: “The ideal that every citizen of the United States should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative”.
In the novel, this ideal of the American Dream is represented by Gatsby himself, who decides at an early age to make an effort to ‘climb the social ladder’. He wants a better life than the one his parents can provide for him, so he invents his own identity.
For a while these reveries provided an outlet for his imagination; they were a satisfactory hint of the unreality of reality, a promise that the rock of the world was founded securely on a fairy’s wing. (75)
Fitzgerald’s way of describing the young James Gatz’s hopeful dreaming already shows the fascination, but also obsession the American Dream evokes in him and so many others. James Gatz leaves his old life behind and devotes his whole life to living the American Dream:
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the core research question regarding the opposing views on the American Dream in the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Emma Lazarus.
2. Main Part: This section provides a detailed comparative analysis of how the American Dream is depicted in The Great Gatsby, contrasted with the hopeful perspective of "The New Colossus," and concludes with an examination of the resulting ambiguity.
3. Conclusion: The conclusion synthesizes the findings, arguing that while both authors present incomplete, subjective realities, their works collectively capture the enduring, controversial nature of the American myth.
Keywords
American Dream, The Great Gatsby, The New Colossus, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Emma Lazarus, New York City, Literature, Myth, Disillusionment, Ambiguity, Hope, Immigration, Socio-economic status, Cultural identity.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper explores the contrasting interpretations of the American Dream in American literature, specifically focusing on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Emma Lazarus’s poem "The New Colossus."
What are the central themes discussed?
Key themes include the disillusionment of the American Dream, the symbolic duality of New York City as a place of both success and failure, and the tension between individual hope and social reality.
What is the author's main research objective?
The objective is to demonstrate that both works provide narrow, subjective portrayals of the American Dream, ultimately reflecting an inherent ambiguity in this cultural myth.
Which methodology is employed in this study?
The study employs a comparative literary analysis, examining primary texts alongside secondary critical sources to evaluate how authors shape the perception of national identity.
What does the main body of the paper cover?
The main body breaks down the individual representations of the dream in Fitzgerald’s novel and Lazarus’s poem, followed by a synthesis that highlights their conflicting viewpoints.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as American Dream, literature, New York City, myth, disillusionment, and social identity.
How does Fitzgerald's portrayal of Gatsby reflect the "American Dream"?
Fitzgerald portrays the dream as an obsessive, ultimately unattainable goal that leads to moral corruption and destruction, emphasizing that individuals cannot escape their past or class background.
In what way does Emma Lazarus’s "The New Colossus" differ from Fitzgerald’s view?
Lazarus presents a significantly more optimistic, welcoming view of the American Dream, depicting New York as a refuge for the marginalized and a place where newcomers can find true freedom and new beginnings.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Katharina Gerhardt (Autor:in), 2016, The Ambiguity of the American Dream. Two Differing Views in Literature about New York City, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/433233
