Dreams Deferred: Unraveling The Great Gatsby and the Modern American Dream
Navigating the intricate landscape of contemporary society, William E. Cain's incisive exploration, “American Dreaming: Really Reading The Great Gatsby,” provides a compelling lens for examining the American Dream through the eyes of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Cain's analysis delves into Fitzgerald's depiction of 1920s America, scrutinizing the sharp economic disparities among the characters in the novel. As we unravel the layers of Fitzgerald's narrative, there emerges a space for contention, suggesting that the American Dream, conventionally understood, has transformed into an elusive ideal in our current reality. The Roaring Twenties, marked by economic prosperity and cultural dynamism, offers a captivating backdrop against which we can assess the viability of the American Dream. Amidst Gatsby's opulence, the novel prompts reflection on whether the dream remains an attainable aspiration or has metamorphosed into an unattainable mirage in the postmodern landscape. Cain's insights serve as a springboard for my exploration of The Great Gatsby, providing the lens that is necessary for navigating the complexities of Fitzgerald's narrative and juxtaposing it with a modern understanding of the American Dream. The stark contrasts in economic fortunes among the characters, scrutinized by Cain, invite us to question whether the dream endures as a feasible goal or has evolved into an unattainable fantasy in today's society.
Cain's analysis of The Great Gatsby within the context of the 1920s provides a foundation for understanding the novel's nuanced exploration of the American Dream. However, in a world grappling with soaring student loan debt, limited social mobility, and persistent socio-economic disparities, it becomes imperative to reassess the groundwork of the American Dream itself. Gatsby's tragic pursuit of wealth and status echoes through time, encapsulating a cautionary tale that transcends its Jazz Age origins. In the face of modern challenges, including pronounced disparities in access to education, healthcare, and job opportunities, Cain believes the dream appears less a universal promise and more a relic of an era when the notion of success seemed more evenly distributed. Thus, engaging with Cain's analysis prompts us to confront the shifting dynamics of the American Dream, urging us to question its contemporary relevance in the backdrop of systemic barriers and entrenched inequalities.
Given the challenges of the modern era, many scholars have fallen out of love with the tried and true ideals of the American Dream. Cain uses The Great Gatsby as a lens to refract the outdated fundamentals of the Dream into the new needs of a modern era. He implies that, though changed, there still could be an achievable abundance of wealth or success for the common man within an ever-evolving economy. While I agree with Cain’s findings on the economic challenges and disparities within our society, I find that Fitzgerald was not writing Gatsby’s tragedy as a call to arms to nurture the national ethos of the United States. Rather, Gatsby serves to represent the bygone era of Dreamers and the dangers of America’s free market. Fitzgerald’s masterwork attempts to highlight the dangers of the wealthiest individuals being in control of the economy and their hatred of the nouveau rich attempting to have a sliver of their piece of the pie. Through Cain’s explanation of these disparities within America’s economy, I believe that one can find Gatsby’s rise and abrupt plummet to represent the ideals of the American Dream disappearing in the postmodern era and the possibility that its existence has always been illusory.
Examining Cain's more optimistic reading of the novel, it's crucial to consider how Fitzgerald uses symbolism and character arcs to convey a sense of disillusionment rather than hope. The Roaring Twenties serves as a deceptive backdrop, mirroring the superficial allure of the American Dream. Gatsby's extravagant parties and lavish lifestyle, rather than symbolizing success, underscore the emptiness of material pursuits. In line with my interpretation, Fitzgerald crafts a narrative that questions the core tenets of the American Dream, suggesting that its elusive nature is not a contemporary dilemma but an inherent flaw in the dream itself
Throughout the novel, the green light at the end of Daisy's dock repetitively emerges as a potent symbol, displaying the often hidden elements of the American Dream. The novel vividly depicts Gatsby's relentless pursuit of this distant beacon, mirroring the aspirational drive embedded in the American ethos. As Nick reflects on Gatsby's quest, he muses, "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther" (Fitzgerald 180). Cain draws attention to this symbolism, underscoring how Gatsby's fixation on the green light represents a broader societal yearning for an idealized future. However, this idealized future is not, and possibly never has been, within reach. The truth of this is reflected in Gatsby’s untimely demise. No matter the method or means, Americans will still be left unfulfilled in their search for a perfect future. In Gatsby’s case, he spent the majority of his adult life chasing after wealth and prosperity, only for it to kill him before he could ever truly live.
Fitzgerald, in his poignant narrative, captures the fragility of dreams, highlighting the disconcerting gap between aspiration and reality. As the green light flickers across the waters of Long Island Sound, it serves as a haunting reminder of the inherent challenges embedded within the American Dream—a dream that may promise boundless opportunities but, as Gatsby's narrative unfolds, often remains just beyond one's grasp. Cain's exploration of Gatsby's yearning contextualizes the broader conversation about the American Dream's relevance in the postmodern era. According to Cain, “The Great Gatsby is rooted in a time, place, and nation: it is American through and through, and it is an essential guide to and diagnosis of the way we live now" (Cain). While the Roaring Twenties offered a canvas for Fitzgerald to depict the luxury and decadence of the era, the echoes of Gatsby's struggle reverberate today. The continuance of Gatsby’s relevance in the modern era should serve as a haunting sign, rather than a promising one. If we, as a nation, are still stuck in the throes of a phantom dream’s embrace, we may never truly awaken.
In the 21st century, the green light appears more remote than ever, as systemic inequalities and economic disparities persist. Fitzgerald's portrayal of Gatsby's unfulfilling finale becomes a poignant commentary on the limitations of the American Dream, inviting readers to critically assess its viability against the backdrop of contemporary challenges and societal transformations. Cain notes, "The global pandemic has laid bare the economic fragility of millions of American families" (Cain). The postmodern societal landscape is one that starkly contrasts the idealized promise of the American Dream that many are still chasing. Many individuals flock to the U.S. every day, chasing their green lights. However, like Gatsby, they are chasing a mirage. With this in mind, we find The Great Gatsby's enduring relevance lies in its ability to prompt readers to confront the sobering reality that, for many, the green light remains an ever-receding beacon on an unattainable horizon.
While Cain touches on the importance of acknowledging the unattainable nature of Gatsby’s quest for wealth and recognition, he seems to take a lighter approach to explaining the true nature of the idealized American Dream. In his interpretation, he offers solutions and a path toward a modern, achievable Dream. However, at the end of the novel, Gatsby doesn’t modify his approach toward Daisy or begin chasing something in her stead. Instead, he is shot and killed out of turn by a delusional George Wilson. Fitzgerald wasn’t implying that his pursuit of wealth was attainable by some alternate means; instead, I believe he was signifying the tragedy that awaits anyone who dares to burn too brightly within modern society. Additionally, it’s important to remember that Gatsby’s fortune was obtained illegitimately, further hammering home the corrupt nature of the United States and the hopeless desperation that it imbues within the hearts of its inhabitants.
The lamentation deeply embedded in Fitzgerald's prose echoes in the discourse surrounding income inequality. As Cain explains it, “Those at the top, the wealthiest Americans: they are the most alarmed critics of the Sanders and Warren positions and proposals” (Cain). When we, as Americans, are entrenched in the idolization of those at the top, we lose focus on the measures used to summit the economic mountain. Conservatives often point to figureheads of wealth like President Trump as examples of American Dream success stories, discounting elements like generational wealth and privilege. While self-made success stories aren’t absent, (i.e. Mark Zuckerberg, Jeffrey Bezos, Bill Gates) it’s imperative to remember that these individuals are still a part of the One Percent. In a world where the wealthiest 500 individuals amass trillions, and the top 26 surpass the combined wealth of the bottom half, Gatsby's tale reverberates with the pervasive inequality decried by critics like Cain. Drawing on the post-2008 economic landscape, where billionaires added $1.2 trillion to their fortunes in 2019 alone, the novel's depiction of excess and extravagance resonates as a cautionary tale against the unchecked accumulation of wealth (Cain).
Critics of measures proposed by figures like the aforementioned Sanders and Warren, such as the two-cent wealth tax on fortunes exceeding $50 million, often invoke the narrative of entrepreneurship as a cornerstone of the American Dream. Figures like Michael Bloomberg, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Cuban argue that such taxation disrupts the essence of the American Dream– where hard work, talent, and luck are rewarded, fostering an environment for entrepreneurial success (Cain). It’s important to remember that the loudest individuals decrying these policies and making claims about the harm of taxing the super-rich aren’t always incredibly wealthy themselves. These critics are dreamers themselves, hoping that one day they will benefit from the free market economy and gain the wealth they envision in their quiet, individual dreams and while they continue to claim that taxing the super-rich would deter business growth, scholars counter that these policies aim to rectify a system that enables extreme wealth concentration, hindering the majority from accessing the very opportunities the American Dream promises. This tension between the defenders and critics of wealth redistribution mirrors the ideological conflict portrayed in the novel.
Gatsby, an emblematic figure of rags-to-riches ascent, embodies the entrepreneurial spirit celebrated by those skeptical of increased taxation. However, the novel's tragic narrative, marked by Gatsby's ultimate disillusionment, offers a cautionary note. It’s as Fitzgerald wrote, “There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams -- not through her fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It had gone beyond her, beyond everything. He had thrown himself into it with a creative passion, adding to it all the time, decking it out with every bright feather that drifted his way. No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart” (Fitzgerald 95). The dream that propels Gatsby forward as he builds and builds upon it, reinforced by the green light at the end of the dock, remains illusory until the very end, challenging the notion that unbridled success is a guaranteed outcome of hard work and determination.
Taking the contemporary background provided by Cain and pulling it within the confines of The Great Gatsby’s prose allows for a greater understanding of Fitzgerald’s intent. The American Dream, as it is widely understood, is dead and drifting around in the minds of modern Americans. I believe that the novel’s tragedy implies that the Dream has only ever been a pipe dream. In a competitive, free-market society, the majority has to lose for the minority to win. Additionally, the winners continue to stretch the boundaries of their dreams, never being fulfilled with their wealth or success. Therefore, as the incredibly wealthy continue to run faster and stretch their arms out further, the less fortunate look to them as “proof” that the American Dream still exists, that they may still find the success necessary to nourish themselves.
The dissonance between the rhetoric of the American Dream and the stark realities of inequality paints a somber picture. Through the lens of Gatsby's rise and fall, Fitzgerald challenges readers to question the sustainability and validity of a dream that seems ever more elusive in the face of widening wealth gaps, economic crises, and systemic inequities. Fitzgerald's prose extends beyond national themes, prompting readers to reflect on universal truths about desire, disappointment, and the relentless pursuit of an idealized future. When comparing it to the still-persistent economic struggles of the modern day, The Great Gatsby becomes a mirror reflecting the cracks in the American Dream—a phantom dream that, as we, the American public, collectively continue to build upon, is borne ceaselessly back into the past, forever obscured by the shadows of inequality and societal discord.
Works Cited
Cain, William E. “American Dreaming: Really Reading the Great Gatsby.” Society, vol. 57, no. 4, 1 Aug. 2020, pp. 453–470, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7467143/, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12115-020-00510-6. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott, The Great Gatsby. 1935. Scribner, 2018.