The Great Gatsby Chapters 1-5
In chapter one, Nick states that his father believed “…a sense of the fundamental decencies is parceled out unequally at birth.” Discuss this belief in terms of the characters you have met thus far. Explore the idea further to show how the American Dream has been corrupted in terms of these characters.
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The belief that a sense of the fundamental decencies are parceled out unequally at birth is applied to many of the characters in the Great Gatsby. For Nick Carraway it was a life of mediocrity, he was born into a middle class family that lived in the middle west of the United States. Nicks was a middle man all the way around from his families class to the very place he lived, but Nick wanted more and wanted to be a person fat with the spoils of the wealthy so he moved east in hopes of fulfilling his dream. Daisy and Tom on the other hand were born into lives of luxury and their share of fundamental decencies was much greater than that of Nick Carraway. Gatsby was a unique case although he was born into a poor background he paid his dues and became a very wealthy man. The type of life Jay Gatsby had is the definition of the American Dream work hard and pay your dues and some day if you catch some breaks and are determined you can be successful no matter what background you come from.
ReplyDeleteIn America some people are born with great wealth and some are born with little wealth there but are no boundaries to what the human mind is capable of so no matter who your parents are or where you come from anyone can be prosperous if they put in the time, have a strong work ethic, and unwavering from their ultimate goal. The flaw in the American dream is that wealth and fame will bring you happiness and nothing will ever go wrong if you have numerous possessions. This thought process is twisted and untrue in most cases, the marriage between Tom and Daisy is a prime example of the American Dream gone bad although they were very wealthy their marriage was in shards because Tom was never satisfied with his synthetic love that he bought from Daisy. So in a desperate search to find satisfaction in his life he would see other women only to be disappointed when he didn’t find what he was looking for. Another example of the American Dream being foiled is the situation with Nick Carraway. Nick was born middle class and although he tried his hardest to make a name for himself he could never catch a break and he was sentenced to live a life stuck in the middle of the road. Although he was in the middle of the road he was content and no trouble or pain seemed to befall him because he did not have the worries that a rich man has because he had no belongings to worry about. Jay Gatsby is the poster child of the American Dream he rose from a poor childhood, fought and gained glory and respect in the war, and finally he worked hard and became a very rich man. But just like so many others that gain fame and riches his life was breaking apart because he was trying to buy Daisy’s love with his big house and fast cars but ultimately it was his possessions that killed him when his car was discovered to be the car that killed Myrtle Wilson. So the American Dream is proved to not always be true and that treasures and pleasures will never fill a man no matter how many he tries to shove into his life.
Hi, Moose. To play Devil's Advocate...
ReplyDeleteIs it really fulfilling the American Dream when you obtain it by illegal doings? Gatsby became rich through illegal means including bootlegging and counterfeiting.
Also, I do not see one bit of fundamental decency in Tom and Daisy. They have no morals in my opinion.
HALL
The statement in chapter one “…a sense of the fundamental decencies is parceled out unequally at birth,” is one which introduces a theme in this novel. In my words this quotation signifies that in life everyone is born into different circumstances. There are people born with many possessions and what almost seems like instant success, those who are born in misfortunate situations with not a lot to offer, and even those who are a part of the middle class seem at a balance. Whatever “category” people find themselves in they are affected by in terms of their aspirations for the future and their sense of well being as a whole. It is visible already that this statement applies to many of the characters already introduced in the novel, the first being the narrator, Nick Carroway. Nick was born into a middle class family with a father whose advice Nick has kept close to heart. Though Nick was blessed with more advantages than some he still wanted more out of life and moved out East in hopes of fulfilling his own dreams in having a successful life. Tom Buchanan and Daisy are characters that seem to lack moral conduct. They are blessed individuals financially and seem to be living the American Dream. Though this may seem as such they have taken advantage of the success they have been blessed with in my eyes. As I stated earlier about people being affected by their spot in the ladder of success, people don’t always strive for the better things in life, it is true that there are people who are generally spoiled and lose sight of what they have been given. Jay Gatsby was a good example of what seems to be the generally accepted idea of the American Dream which is in order to achieve happiness you must work hard and have a lot of money and success. Though Gatsby made something of himself and rose from a misfortunate background to a lifestyle full of glitz and glamour, he still found himself stuck in a rut. I think Gatsby is the perfect example of the corruption involving the American Dream. When people think of the American Dream these days money seems to be the first thing to come to mind. It saddens me to see how happiness seems to derive only from money now. In my terms the American Dream is doing in life what makes you the happiest and what you are passionate about. I think it is important for our society to keep that in mind and to understand that money has no control over our happiness in life, more so our decisions and outlooks in life. The American Dream is achieving a life full of happiness; simple as that.
ReplyDeleteHi, Katelyn!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your ideas about the American Dream. What do you think about the dream as it applies to Myrtle and George? I think that they are two of the most pitiful characters in the novel:(
I agree, they were very pitiful :(
ReplyDeleteI felt especially bad for George when he found out about his wife's affair and how devastated he was at her death. I think they both never really got to really experience the American Dream; as it applies financially or involving happiness. Myrtle was not happy with her life and tried to find that in Tom, who treats her as more of an item of desire rather than giving her the love she longed for to fulfill her "American Dream" Poor George never found that happiness either at a finacial standpoint or in terms of his relationship with his wife. Myrtle and George both died without happiness; though all of the characters were in the same position at the end of the novel they have a chance in the future to live some form of happiness. Myrtle and George ended their journey in life tragically withouht living the life they most desired.
Yep. I feel most sorry for George. He really loved Myrtle. She, though, had no respect for him. I remember on one occasion (I believe it was chapter 2 right before Tom broke her nose) that she told someone that George wasn't fit to lick her shoe. At that point, I began to hate her, and I really didn't care what happened to her. Not nice.
ReplyDeleteThe belief of "..a sense of the fundamental decencies is parceled out unequally at birth," is already shown in a few of the characters. There's Nick who was born in Minesota and was a middle class man. He was born fortunate and was smart to take his father's advice. Nick fortunate to have what he has, moved on to New York to fulfill the American Dream and to make a living instead of letting it go to waste, which brings us to the next people Tom and Daisy. They were not given the sense of right and wrong equally. What they think is right for them is wrong. Instead of trying to make themselves into a better couple they both go off on their own. Tom who has a lover in New York and Daisy who starts talking to Gatsby. By doing this they are destroying the American Dream because of the consequences they will suffer. Gatsby whose fundamental decencies were decent, he was a proper man but was the one who corrupted the American Dream. Money was something he had and that's not something that can buy you happiness. We see him trying though when he wanted to see Daisy and we were able to see how his characteristics opened up once being around Daisy and finally trying to live up to the American Dream. It doesn't matter who rich or poor you are I still believe that you can live up to the American Dream though it can be harder or easier for some people.
ReplyDeleteGood job, Kretchie! I still believe in the dream, too, and I hate how some have corrupted it in order to achieve it.
ReplyDelete