Behind A Warped Lens The Great Gatsby By F. Scott...

Robert Leevarinpanich Mr.Vasquez ELCAP P4 7 June 2016 Behind A Warped Lens America was built upon the idea of freedom and opportunity, the idea that everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve success through hard work and determination. However, hard work and determination can only get someone so far. Despite one’s ambitions to live out the American Dream, it is rare to see someone surpass one’s social class based purely on the desire to succeed. Instead, this social climb is controlled by those already in control of power and wealth. This correlation between wealth and social status is also displayed in athletics. It is a known fact that athletes have a special talent for the sport they partake in. However, there are many people who excel at a sport but are unheard of primarily because they lack the funding and sponsorship from the rich. The American Dream is false hope that is criticized in one of America’s greatest piece of literature, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Although America is a placed fille d with opportunity, one s opportunity is limited by the supremacy of the upper class; Therefore, The Great Gatsby remains the Great American Novel by revealing the corruption in society’s hierarchy that is still prominent in modern society. Fitzgerald argues that the upper class are characterized by insensitive and conceded virtues. Throughout The Great Gatsby, the character that embodies these characteristics the most is Tom Buchanan. In the beginning, the