Does the fact the American Dream is followed by society mean that we must follow it? As if this is an eternal behaviour, people have always wanted to be wealthy and famous. The dollar is pushed above all else. They can lose sight of their morals, values and focus only on one goal. This makes them look like someone else. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Matt Ross’ Captain Fantastic portray the unrealistic perceptions that people have of true wealth. Both creators’ perspectives make us rethink how we live our lives and what ‘true’ wealth is.
Jay is not greedy or seeking wealth for his personal benefit, but rather to win Daisy back. Jay thinks that everything will be fine once he achieves wealth. This is not true, as we will later learn. Jay wants to impress Daisy by showing off his wealth and throwing extravagant parties in the bay. “In the blue gardens of Jay, the men and girls flitted in and out among whisperings. The stars and champagne were there too.” We all know that Jay was aspiring to wealth. It’s not a bad thing for Jay to want wealth, given his poor upbringing. Gatsby is the subject of rumours. How did he get so rich? When we discover that Jay’s wealth was not legitimate, his plan starts to unravel. He bootlegged for money to get rich. As readers, you are prompted to question Jay’s values and morals. What has he forgotten? Gatsby did not once reflect on what he had done or change his mind about his dream to be rich and well-known. Jay believes that wealth can solve any problem he may face as a young child. Gatsby was wrong to start with in his perception of wealth. Jay, the young boy, only cared that he be rich. Jay never changed his mind and didn’t realise that real wealth is about valuing the family he had.
He could have made friends who cared more about his wellbeing than his money. Jay’s tragedy would have been avoided if he realized he is alone and no-one cares for him. Fitzgerald uses a green light to symbolize the importance of the dock at Daisy. The green light at the end of Daisy’s dock is a symbol for Gatsby, his American Dream. He wants to change history and make it better in order to get Daisy’s attention. Gatsby’s light was a symbol of his American Dream, which he pursued to change the past for a better present and win Daisy’s love. Fitzgerald’s emphasis on the ‘unrealistic nature’ of Gatsby s reaching towards artificial light is evident in his gesture.
Matt Ross portrayed Ben Cash in “Captain Fantastic”, who had a totally different idea of what ‘true riches’ were than Jay Gatsby. Ben’s idea of wealth is the utopian world he created in his forest for his family, including his beloved wife and children. In the end, we find that his idea of wealth was just as unrealistic. Ben Cash taught his children that wealth is shown by the bonds of family. Ben Cash, who lives in a state forest at Mount Rainer’s foot, teaches his children the skills necessary to survive on so little. Ben has isolated his children from social skills, even though they can hunt deer and defend themselves in any situation. Bens parenting is questioned by Leslie’s sister. Is he preventing Leslie’s children from reaching their potential? “We’re defined by what we do, not what we say”. Ben pushed the children to the limit for most of the movie. Ben’s attitude changes when Vespyr falls from the roof of his grandparents’ home. Ben got a rude awakening, which led to him making a major change. Ben changed his mind and decided to make the best decision for his children. Ben’s wake-up call made Gatsby realize that his idea of ‘true riches’ was wrong. His life would not have ended so tragically.
Both Ben Cash and Jay Gatsby are possessed by a harmful obsession for the pursuit of the “American Dream”. They were stubborn and refused to change. This affected their own achievements as well as those of others.
