Pursuit Of Unhappiness. A Dream That Can Never Be Fully

Pursuit of Unhappiness A Dream that can never be fully attained, yet a country is built off the hope it inspires. The American Dream is a battle that can never be won. This concept is emphasised by both ends of the spectrum. On one end, Jay Gatsby, a wealthy man who has been praised for his accomplishment suffers from the lack of love and the willingness to move forward. On the other end, Walter Younger, a poor man without meaning in his life, is surrounded by unconditional love and determination for the future. Due to the flaws of Jay Gatsby and Walter Younger in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, and Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, they are unable to achieve the entirety of the American Dream. Both successfully acquire parts of the†¦show more content†¦Walter passionately responds with â€Å"Because it is life, Mama!† (Hansberry 74). Demonstrating his close mindedness, Walter displays the weakness that prevents complete satisfaction by assuming materialism directly corre lates with success. Washington points out that, â€Å"What Walter dreams of and aggressively pursues is the power that money brings, power being the essence of the only kind of manhood he is willing to accept† ( 97). Walter’s manhood depends upon the authority and influence money would entitle him to, and without that he considers himself a failure. Thus, he has built up the American Dream to such an unattainable point that he lives his life constantly unsatisfied. Through hard work and determination, Gatsby exceeds the expectations of affluence while Walter falls short of wealth, leaving him feel betrayed by the American promise. From romantic relationships to friendships, love is critical to the fulfilment of the American Dream. Gatsby and Walter encounter various hardships surrounding the difficulty of adequately expressing their affection before the intensity of their ambition erupts through such a delicate emotion as love. For instance, the incident at the hotel when Gatsby demands Daisy to emit she never loved Tom and has only loved Gatsby. Or the moment when Walter dismisses Ruth’s invitation to talk about her pregnancy and rather pities himself because no one is listening to him. Nonetheless, Walter overcomes the issuesShow MoreRelatedTheme Of Isolation In Frankenstein876 Words   |  4 Pagesenlightenment is generally perceived as a positive idea, Victor’s unrelenting pursuit of knowledge ends up being detrimental, leading him and others to isolation. Shelley illustrates the connection between knowledge and isolation with her use of lightness and darkness through Victor and his crea tion, the monster. Victors pursuit of knowledge impacts his experience of isolation and of others around him as well, such as the monster. His pursuit of light results in an exponential amount of darkness. He explainsRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald1105 Words   |  5 Pagespossessed and several lives would have been spared. The American Dream is defined as someone starting low on an economic or social level, and working hard towards prosperity, wealth and fame. By having money, a car, a big house, nice clothes and a happy family symbolizes the American Dream. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a novel that shows what happened to the American Dream in the 1920’s, a time period where the dreams of many became corrupted for countless reasons. Fitzgerald usesRead MoreThe American Dream in Death of a Salesman and Seize the Day1105 Words   |  5 PagesIn today’s society the term â€Å"American Dream† is perceived as being successful and usually thatâ€⠄¢s associated with being rich or financially sound. People follow this idea their entire life and usually never stop to think if they are happy on this road to success. Most will live through thick and thin with this idealization of the â€Å"American Dream† usually leading to unhappiness, depression and even suicide. The individual is confused by society’s portrayal of the individuals who have supposedly reachedRead MoreAnalysis Of James Joyce s Araby 1246 Words   |  5 PagesAraby culminating, largely, in the epiphany of the young unnamed narrator. To Joyce, an epiphany occurs at the instant when the spirit and essence of a character is revealed, when all the forces that endure and influence his life converge, and when we can, in that moment, comprehend and appreciate him. As follows, Araby is a story of an epiphany that is centered on a principal deception or failure, a fundamental imperfection that results in an ultimate realization of life, spirit, and disillu sionmentRead MoreShortcuts In The Great Gatsby Analysis1448 Words   |  6 Pagescases, the human race is constantly innovating to find faster more efficient ways to do just about everything. Some things, however, are not meant to be rushed. Throughout The Great Gatsby, one of the most prominent themes is that of the American Dream- a so called sense of achievement and reward free to anyone who works for it. Though this idea is nice, the novel goes to show that this concept is very warped and often either unreachable or grabbed for sloppily by taking shortcuts to happiness. WhetherRead MoreThe Frustrating Pursuit of Happiness1299 Words   |  5 PagesPeople will work their entire life chasing something and in the end still be unhappy. Continually pursuing this idealistic goal of happiness and never feeling as though they have accomplished it, leaving people wondering if it is even worth it. It often makes people question what happiness is even considered anymore in today’s society and curious as to how they can achieve such a thing. Devoting one’s entire life to achieving happiness in our 21st century society is actually adversely affecting the individual’sRead More Snow of Kilimanjaro Essay3386 Words   |  14 PagesThe author’s story is about Harry’s spiritual death as much as his bodily one. From the beginning of the story Harry knew he was dying but knows it with intellectual detachment. In the story Harry says, â€Å"Can’t you let a man die as comfortably as he can without calling him names? What’s the use of slanging me?...Don’t be silly. I’m dying now. Ask those bastards.† (Hemingway, Page 2208 and 2209) Throughout the whole story Harry kind of has this arrogant, cocky dialect, and he is quite rude to his wifeRead MoreCaesars Ambition Lead to His Downfall3012 Words   |  13 Pagesthe leaders of the past, and Ceasar’s case was no different. While ambition gives an individua l a goal and proper motivation towards it, sometimes the culprit can become obsessed with his own legacy, and forego rationality to in an attempt to carve his name in stone. For a ruler, this is a particularly undesirable attribute; ambitious power can lead to corruption and inevitably, the deterioration of a nation. Indeed, this was the case for the venerable yet foolish Roman ruler. Julius Caesar, the fearedRead MoreCritical Evaluation of Karen Horneys Theory6263 Words   |  26 Pagesestablished. First, children show a marked tendency to repeat previous experiences, even though these were unpleasant ones, such as a medical examination or an operation. Second, in traumatic neuroses dreams frequently appear in which the traumatic incident is re-experienced in detail. These dreams seem to contradict the wishful thinking which otherwise operates in fantasy life, for the traumatic incidents were painful ones. Third, in the analytical situation, according to Freud, the patient repeatsRead MoreImpulse Control Disorders6336 Words   |  26 Pagesfrom acting on impulses that are harmful to themselves or others. Some people attempt to fight their impulses and others give in when they feel the urge to act. The act can be spontaneous or planned. Second, before they act on their impulse, people with these disorders feel pressured to act, experiencing tension and anxiety that can only be relieved by following through on their impulse. Some people with these disorders experience a feel ing of arousal that they liken to sexual excitement. Third