Part 2 Taylor Chen

In my submission, the American dream advocated by the US government means that everyone can pursue their material happiness through hard work. But in fact, the American dream is just a dirty trick from the American government. The American dream is used to deceive the lower-class people of the United States to work hard and to exploit more labor in this way. In the great Gatsby, the American dream is a deception for the poor people at the bottom of the society, who dedicate nothing to the dream of their own American dream.

The American dream was embodied in Wilson in "The Great Gatsby". Wilson is a lower-class boss of a locomotive repair shop. He had believed his American dream: He hoped that he could buy a small car from Tom. On the other hand, he chose to endure his wife's relationship with other men. He believes that he can win his wife’s dedication by working hard to improve his social status. But in fact, no matter how hard he works, he cannot become a gentleman of high society like these men to took his wife. Wilson’s American dream could never be achieved because of the limitations of the capitalist social class. Tom has been delaying the sale of a car promised to Wilson, embodying the exploitation of lower society by high society. Wilson's self-knowledge of his inability to become an upper-class society is a manifestation of the false American dream. Therefore, in this social environment, the boss of a middle-class auto repair shop can never pursue full happiness. He even needs to devote his life to pursuing what the wealthy in the upper class can get at will. He could not get Tom's car, nor could he be loved by his wife. When he could no longer bear to vent his anger to his wife, his wife pointed out the reason very sharply, she said:"Beat me! Throw me down and beat me, you dirty little coward!" For women, a man like Wilson is only a coward, because such a man even can’t achievement the American Dream of himself, not to mention realizing his wife’s Dreams. In the end, the pressure of the social class and the desperation of failing to realize dreams caused Wilson to hate the upper class. He knew that the rich in the upper class had exploited his wealth and labor and even deceived his woman. When he heard Tom hinted that Gatsby had killed his wife, he ignored Gatsby's intentions and killed Gatsby. Seeing the American dream he had been pursuing was only a scam of Wilson, he eventually chose hatred and despair in this hatred. Wilson’s fate is also a manifestation of all those who believe in the American dream in addition to the high-level rich people of the society. The American dream convinced these bottom-level people that they can exchange their hard work for a higher social status and gain more material happiness. Finally, he realized that the American dream is only a scam and they will never be able to escape from their social class.

I mentioned in the first part the division of American capitalist class. Under this background of class differentiation, the class is insurmountable by all Americans, but the American dream makes them believe that they can surmount the social class. For those who want to overtake, like Wilson, they can only end up being the sacrifices of the times.