The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, has been celebrated as one of the greatest, if not the greatest American novel. Yet this is ironic for the society which has so hailed the book is precisely that which is criticized throughout it. Politically, the American dream was a foundation of ideals and hopes for any and every American individual. Specifically, one of the ideals was an American dream free of class distinction; that every person has the opportunity to be whomever they hope to be. In a sort of Cinderella-like fashion, it is in essence an ideal of social mobility and freedom. The social reality, however, is far more cruel. Because of the harsh truth of social America, by way of its pretentiousness and decadence, the American dream is lost. Through Nick's honest and poignant observation, the parallel lives of Myrtle Wilson and Jay Gatsby reflect The Great Gatsby as a social commentary about the polluted American Dream.

Myrtle is that infamous model of how the political and social ideals of America conflict so that the American dream becomes a nightmare. Contrary to the naivete the American dream, there are indeed fine class distinctions.

But young men didn't...drift coolly out of nowhere and buy

Gatsby sprang from the swamps of Louisiana or from the

lower East side of New York. That was comprehensible.

a palace on Long Island Sound (54).

Jay Gatsby's social weakness falls along the same lines as Myrtle's. However, Gatsby's warmth and dedication makes his an infinitely more significant struggle. He too desires Daisy Buchanan in all of her upper-class glory. At first, one cannot make a serious social distinction between Gatsby and Daisy. But those tacit social edicts will be harsh. Daisy is presented as wealthy and she also comes from a rich background. Gatsby is rich, but comes from quite a different upbringing and earned his money in an illegal way. As with Myrtle, this can be seen as a positive achievement, for Gatsby has climbed the social and economic ladder and succeeded. But because he had to change who he was, and become a bootlegger, he is thus tainted, and will never be truly accepted in the Buchanan social mold. Listening to the many lives and "pasts" of Jay Gatsby, at one point, Nick becomes utterly frustrated that Gatsby invents different backgrounds for the sake of his false pursuit. Nick's intuitive gift for observation came the moment he met Gatsby. Gatsby's "elaborate speech just missed being absurd. Some time before he introduced himself I'd got a strong impression that he was picking his words with care" (53). Although Gatsby is not blatant or crude like Myrtle, Nick immediately notices that he seems well-rehearsed. It is impressive, but unnatural. More importantly, Nick later on questions where Gatsby came from:

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Approximate Word count = 1114
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)