Study Guide to Fame

In current society, many of us are taught from a young age to look up to the rich and the famous. To a regular person on the street, it appears as though celebrities are living the American Dream. One of our main sources to have a look into their lives are gossip magazines. Whether the magazines contain fact, or are simply just tabloids does not really matter to those who read them. The magazines just stand for somewhat of "a study guide to help them fit in."

Today in the U.S. the ideas and imagery that come along with the American Dream are completely different than the ideas of the American Dream when the term was first originated. Today there is a corrupt connotation that comes along when I think of the American Dream. Originally, the American Dream was the idea that you could come to the U.S. as an immigrant and you could have equal opportunity, justice, freedom, and if you work hard enough and set your mind to it, you can be successful and create whatever kind of life you want. However, in The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald is contradicting that ideal and basically says that you have to pretend to be rich or make your money in a corrupt way, and even then you might not fit it with the rich.

In The Great Gatsby, Myrtle Wilson is a poor woman who tries to appear rich many various ways. In Chapter two, when she goes to New York with Tom Buchanan, a man that has old wealth and represents the American Dream, she is everywhere. Myrtle is obsessed with the scene and she wants everything. When they are on the way to their apartment she buys a copy of the Town Tattle, which is a gossip magazine similar to OK! Magazine today. 

"She had changed her dress to a brown figured muslin, which stretched tight over her rather wide hips as Tom helped her to the platform in New York. At the news-stand she bought a copy of "Town Tattle" and a moving-picture magazine, and in the station drug-store some cold cream and a small flask of perfume," (27). 

Myrtle is obsessed with the rich and the famous, and she wants to embody them in everything they do. Throughout this chapter there are multiple instances when Myrtle tries to appear rich, like in this passage when she changes her outfit and has Tom but her everything that she wants.  This proves that the American dream was becoming corrupt because people were not creating themselves. They were simply copying others, even if the “others” were corrupt and criminal themselves.

       

Today the original American Dream has changed and has become more similar to Fitzgerald's definition. Americans are not only willing to believe everything they hear, but they are also willing to disregard the corrupt things that the rich and the famous do because we are so fascinated. A current  example was in 2009 when a huge scandal hit the news when Chris Brown abused his girlfriend, Rihanna. Chris Brown hid away from the spotlight for a brief period of time but when he came back in 2011 he had the strongest year of his carrer thus far. He did not face any consequences with his carrer in the long run, and he still has the same number of fans, if not more. Society did not just ignore what Chris Brown did, but they accepted it, and it helped his carrer because it brought more and more attention to him and he became more and more in the spotlight. In addition, people tried to blame the situation on Rihanna and said that she was being "annoying" and it was "her fault" that Chris Brown hit her. According to NPR, "Brown's fans don't think he did anything wrong," people tried to deflect the negativity on Chris Brown even though he was clearly the one in the wrong. This just shows how if you are popular and attractive, then you can remain popular, which draws a parallel to old money in The Great Gatsby.

In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald describes the people that come to Gatsby's parties as moths:

"In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars," (39).

The use of "moths" and bugs through out this passage shows how the people that arrive at Gatsby's house are simple minded people who want to be a part of something greater. They just flock to the light without thinking about it and are obsessed with the scene. Today people flock to celebrities and have the desire to live vicariously through their lives despite their wrong doings and possible criminality. 

The connotation that comes along with the American Dream has changed in many ways. It used to be that you could create yourself and be original, but now people follow celebrities and design their lives after them. The definition of the American Dream has also changed because now it is nearly impossible to create the successful and carefree life that many people want. There are different circumstances today that makes accomplishing that dream very difficult.