American success is largely based on material success. The “American
Dream” is the belief that anyone who works hard enough can eventually achieve financial
success regardless of their background. The problem with such a narrow and
materialistic definition of success is that it comes with many negative side
effects. Even though Gatsby has achieved material success, he still emits a "strained counterfeit of perfect ease"(91), which shows that it wealth has not solved his problems. People become so obsessed with the materialistic things in life that
they forget what really matters. According to Charles Derber, many of the
values embraced by our society “suggest that success and happiness depend on
procuring monetary wealth”. People are willing to buy cars and houses which
they will spend years trying to pay off just to create this illusion of
success. Many are willing to spend hours in line for good deals on Thanksgiving
Day instead of spending time with their families. If we instill in ourselves
that success means wealth then we will never be satisfied. Unless you are Bill
Gates, there will always be someone richer than you and therefore you will
never be content. The definition of success should be redefined to not only
contain wealth, but also happiness and satisfaction because without these life
is meaningless.
I agree with your opinion that success is not defined by the amount of money/items you possess. Unfortunately, though, many people do hold this view and therefore, even when they have attained "success" (i.e. lots of $) they remain dissatisfied, unhappy, and depressed.
ReplyDeleteGreat point, this is true in the Great Gatsby too! Gatsby believes that by getting Daisy (materialistic goal), she will give him love and success. However, his materialistic focus instead of trying to reach abstract goals like happiness eventually leads to him losing all his dreams
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