The Role of Ambition and Power in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)

Expanding the Roles:
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the life of Jay Gatsby, a wealthy and mysterious man who is obsessed with reclaiming his lost love, Daisy Buchanan. Set in the Roaring Twenties, the novel critiques the American Dream and examines themes of ambition, power, and the pursuit of material success. For literature students, The Great Gatsby provides a critical lens through which to explore the cost of ambition and the illusion of the American Dream.

• Ambition and the Corruption of the American Dream:
  Gatsby’s relentless ambition to amass wealth and status in order to win back Daisy represents the hollow pursuit of the American Dream. Students can analyze how Fitzgerald critiques the myth of the American Dream, showing how it leads to corruption and eventual disillusionment.

• Power and Social Status:
  The novel explores the role of power and social class in the characters’ lives, especially in the context of Gatsby’s desire to enter the upper echelons of society. Literature students can examine how Fitzgerald portrays the superficiality of wealth and the social divisions that determine one’s fate.

What We Learn:
The Great Gatsby offers literature students insights into the destructive power of ambition and the disillusionment that comes with the pursuit of material success. The novel critiques the American Dream and its false promises, illustrating the moral decay that underpins the quest for wealth and social status.