The Death of a Dream Martha E. Andrietti

F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is regarded as a brilliant piece of literature that offers a vivid peek into American life in the 1920's. The central characteristics of the "Lost Generation" of the 1920's society are shown through the decay of the American Dream. This novel shows that the American Dream no longer signifies the noble idea it once did, but rather it stands for the corruption of the 1920's society. The decay of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby is shown through the actions of the characters when America, the new Eden, is abused and destructed, when Gatsby cannot attain the success that he desires with Daisy and through the careless and dependent attitudes of the aristocracy.

One of the main ideas of the American Dream in Modernism refers to America as a new Eden, a land of beauty, bounty, opportunity and unlimited resources. The characters in The Great Gatsby do not respect or preserve this New Eden; rather they do nothing but corrupt, destruct and abuse it in their desire for money and power. The lives of people like Gatsby, Daisy, Tom and Jordan revolve around material things and money. This becomes a prevalent concept throughout the novel. Daisy especially is extremely...