The “American dream” is something beautiful - a glimmering opportunity filled with the promise of the good life…or at least it should be. However, this expression bears a dangerous ambiguity about it — a dream is only as big as a dream, it would no longer be a dream if it were real. Fitzgerald speaks of the "American Dream" as a dangerous false pretense — An illusion. It is like a siren's song, seductive and charming, but in reality terrifyingly hollow, only a deception to lead its ill-fated victims to their demise. Fitzgerald uses his characters portray roles of both the siren of the "dream" and the poor sailor that falls victim to it. In this essay, we will explore two characters on the two ends of the scenario.
“There was an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her found difficult to forget: a singing compulsion, a whispered "Listen," a promise that she had done gay, exciting things just a while since and that there were gay, exciting things hovering in the next hour. (1.33)"
In "The Great Gatsby", Daisy plays the role of the siren: She allows Gatsby to get close to her, but vanishes the moment he is about to obtain her, …show more content…
”You can't repeat the past." Nick had said to Gatsby, as he is able to see that Gatsby’s efforts of obtaining Daisy the way he’d like were futile: No matter how hard Gatsby tries, he will never retrieve the same girl he met years ago. Gatsby, however, was in denial. He responds confidently with: "Of course you can." This tells us that while the whole world (both Nick and us, the readers) could see Daisy unfolding as the shallow and materialistic character that she is, Gatsby could not. He is too blinded by his false impression of her (her siren song) and is already sucked far too deep into his fantasy to awaken. This represents Fitzgerald's dream of the American Dream, showing how its mindless followers can not see the truth behind its
“There was an excitement in her voice that men who had cared for her found difficult to forget: a singing compulsion, a whispered "Listen," a promise that she had done gay, exciting things just a while since and that there were gay, exciting things hovering in the next hour. (1.33)"
In "The Great Gatsby", Daisy plays the role of the siren: She allows Gatsby to get close to her, but vanishes the moment he is about to obtain her, …show more content…
”You can't repeat the past." Nick had said to Gatsby, as he is able to see that Gatsby’s efforts of obtaining Daisy the way he’d like were futile: No matter how hard Gatsby tries, he will never retrieve the same girl he met years ago. Gatsby, however, was in denial. He responds confidently with: "Of course you can." This tells us that while the whole world (both Nick and us, the readers) could see Daisy unfolding as the shallow and materialistic character that she is, Gatsby could not. He is too blinded by his false impression of her (her siren song) and is already sucked far too deep into his fantasy to awaken. This represents Fitzgerald's dream of the American Dream, showing how its mindless followers can not see the truth behind its