The Great Gatsby - Greatest Piece of American Literature?

The Great Gatsby is a book which is always listed among the greatest American novels and even among the greatest novels ever written. Authored by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the book's main theme revolves around the 'American Dream'. Through the novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald tries to bring light to the de facto aristocracy in America and the fact that wealth is not everything in life. This can be seen when Fitzgerald writes, 'Money can't bring happiness.'

The American Dream represents the ideal of equality of opportunity for every American, allowing their highest aspirations to be achieved. It also says that a person from any financial background can rise up to the top and earn multitudes of money. The Great Gatsby presents a contradicting viewpoint to this by saying that getting rich should not be one's highest aspiration, rather wealth actually causes one's downfall. This is suggested when in The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald describes a drunk man, who keeps trying to drive his car even though its wheels had fallen off. This had become the American Dream for Fitzgerald.

Furthermore, Jay Gatsby who is the main character of the novel, is the perfect example of a person who follows the ideal American Dream. Gatsby was born poor in a farm and struggled to pay his college money. However, due to his hard work, he was able to become a multimillionaire by bootlegging alcohol. His ambition of getting rich was fueled by a greater aspiration. He wanted to marry his old girlfriend, whom he couldn't marry previously because his financial condition was poor. Ultimately however, he is unable to marry his girlfriend and this relationship also finally lead to his death. Thereby, Fitzgerald is trying to present the idea that following the American dream may not let you be able to achieve your goals.

If we analyse the Great Gatsby in reference to literature, the novel is fast paced and has a very interesting plot. However, due to the fact that all the main characters are of the upper class, there is an overuse of flowery language, which might slightly bore the reader(that was the case for me!) Although the ending is tragic and epitomises the failings of the American Dream, The Great Gatsby is definately one of the greatest works of American literature. It is a must read for everyone as it teaches you that 'wealth does not mean everything and that life is far more valuable than it'😀