The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is an American classic. The themes within this novel are often discussed and debated in English classes today. One of the most prominent themes in the novel is “The decline of the American dream in the 1920’s”. Although Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous quote presents a different moral issue, the novel and this speech are very much connected.
Fitzgerald portrays his views of the American dream through the main character in the novel, Nick. In his eyes the American dream was originally about “discovery, individualism, and the pursuit of happiness” (http://www.sparknotes.com/). Throughout the novel, the corruption of the American dream is shown through events taking place between different characters. Things such as greed, power and social status all stand in the way of achieving this dream.
Martin Luther King’s dream was for equal rights and one unified nation. He too explained how tension between races interfered with this dream and how corrupted our country had become.
Two main characters in the novel, Jay Gatsby and Daisy are in love but are not able to be together because of their social standing. Although this is not an issue of race, it is still similar to discrimination and segregation, which is what MLK stood up against.
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” (http://www.americanrhetoric.com/)
MLK dreamt of a nation in which his children could be who they were as people and not be judged based on their skin color. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald presents his dream of a society in which people are not judged by their social class but by their personal makeup and character.
Fitzgerald portrays his views of the American dream through the main character in the novel, Nick. In his eyes the American dream was originally about “discovery, individualism, and the pursuit of happiness” (http://www.sparknotes.com/). Throughout the novel, the corruption of the American dream is shown through events taking place between different characters. Things such as greed, power and social status all stand in the way of achieving this dream.
Martin Luther King’s dream was for equal rights and one unified nation. He too explained how tension between races interfered with this dream and how corrupted our country had become.
Two main characters in the novel, Jay Gatsby and Daisy are in love but are not able to be together because of their social standing. Although this is not an issue of race, it is still similar to discrimination and segregation, which is what MLK stood up against.
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” (http://www.americanrhetoric.com/)
MLK dreamt of a nation in which his children could be who they were as people and not be judged based on their skin color. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald presents his dream of a society in which people are not judged by their social class but by their personal makeup and character.
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