Yea for success. Nay for failure.
I wasn’t relieved after I finished The Great Gatsby. I was just depressed. Not because the book was over, but because of the ending. I realized Gatsby, no matter how hard he tried, never actually climbed the social ladder.
The “American Dream” doesn’t exist.
Now, that’s really harsh and unpleasant to think about. It literally means that hard work amounts to nothing. I found myself asking the web if the American Dream exists. I got a bunch of results with the word “still” caught in between the question. And I almost laughed. Has it ever existed? If the 1920s had it bad, we have it worse. According to the internet, success requires “extra time and patience,” and certainly more than ever. Our standards are at an all-time high, and merely graduating high school can’t get you a job. Everyone will laugh in your face.
Fitzgerald is clear on the fact that new money can never be old money, and even if one tries, it will all just end in a morbid way.
I truly want like to believe the opposite. I want to believe hard work does equate to success. I want to know that my work will pay off. I don’t want to think about the slackers that will ultimately face the same fate as I do. And I certainly don’t want to become some rich, lonely, old money wannabe that gets killed by some irrelevant, sad man.
So I think I’ll just carry on with my old ways, whether that’s the right way or not. I would rather live life thinking I can change my fate of a sad, Troy resident than be stuck in that pessimistic mindset. Thanks, though, F. Scott, for the heads up.
I agree that the Great Gatsby didn't exactly send the message I was expecting. I thought it was just going to be about the dangers of wanting money. I also agree that we should just carry on doing what we think is right for us to achieve what we want because there are always going to be people who look down on you and you can't go out of your way to impress everyone. Your definition of success is different from someone else's.
ReplyDeleteI really how you connected the American Dream with your life. I was also sad after reading the last chapter. I also believe and follow the idea that hard work leads to success. I think that the book seems to convey the message that the American Dream that all characters are going after is wealth and there is no happiness involved in achieving that wealth. Therefore, we should also give some priority to our happiness.
ReplyDeleteI really like how ^^
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