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Jake Porter

Mrs. Stanford

LIT 237

19 May 2017

Duo of Dreams

Imagine waking up with anything one could ever want, the money, the fame, the cars, the

house, anything one can dream of. That is what the typical American Dream embodies for the

majority of people. However, for some people, the American dream is not all it is cracked up to

be. Just because one has money, does not mean that they have happiness. As they always say;

money cant buy happiness. This paper has the ability to compare to many lives of people

migrating to or being born into the United States of America. Everyone wants all their dreams to

come true. Not only do people want their fantasies to come true in literature, but they also want

to live out those dreams, and America, the mixing pot of the world, is perhaps the best place to

do so. Immigrants migrate to the United States of America every year. They do this in order to

get a taste of the American Dream. The work of F. Scott Fitzgerald exemplifies the American

Dream throughout two of his most major novels during the 1920s and 40s, when the American

Dream was in full force. Throughout The Great Gatsby and The Love of the Last Tycoon,

Fitzgerald shows how the American Dream is vital to the hearts of Americans, through Jay

Gatsby and his self-made millions and Monroe Stahr with his hard work to make a fortune

through fame in the movie business.

F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in 1896 and died in 1940 at the age of forty-four. As a boy,

Fitzgeralds family was not very prosperous and his aunt had to help send him to a boarding
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school in New Jersey in 1911. A couple years later, Fitzgerald entered the prestigious Princeton

University where he participated in extracurricular literary and drama club (Gale 177). However,

he only stayed in college for three years before joining the army. After he was finished in the

army, Fitzgerald decided to move to New York in 1919. He was determined to make a fortune,

and this is when his literary career of being a world renowned author began. Fitzgerald released

and published his first novel, This Side of Paradise, in 1920 which became an instant best seller,

making Fitzgerald rich and famous at the ripe age of twenty-four. Fitzgerald also dropped a

couple collections of short stories, Flappers and Philosophers (1921) and Tales of the Jazz Age

(1922). After moving to Europe to live more cheaply, Fitzgerald released his most famous novel,

The Great Gatsby (1925) and another book of short stories, All the Sad Young Men (1926)

(Loeffelholz 1822). After some problems with alcohol, Fitzgerald decided to relocate back in the

U.S. and write another novel in 1934, Tender is the Night. Fitzgerald died of a heart attack in

Hollywood at the age of forty-four, leaving an unfinished novel that was later named The Love of

the Last Tycoon.. This final novel was brought out by Edmund Wilson in 1941 and was

compared by many to The Great Gatsby. A couple of the themes present in many of F. Scott

Fitzgeralds literature would be the chance to pursue the American Dream and how it affects, the

good and bad, the main characters of the story (Loeffelholz 1822-1823).

Many question as to what the American Dream even is. However, there is not one simple

answer to the American Dream, the American Dream has many different definitions ranging

from an immigrant coming to the United States of America to start a new life in a free country,

an immigrant coming to the U.S. and becoming rich and famous, or even a natural born U.S.

citizen rising to the top of the upper class. Americas capitalistic government gives its citizens
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the ability to chase after the American Dream, which is why, it is called the American Dream.

Without Americas economic system of little to no government interference, no citizen would be

able to rise to the top of the economic food chain. This is the same in literature, specifically with

the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald, the american dream shows the rise to the top of two young men

and their of luxury living at the top of the food chain. However, the American dream was first

introduced by Walter Lippmann and, One might assume that experienced readers should

scarcely be surprised that the American dream first caught fire as a symptom of the current

unrest (Lallas 162). Lippmann brought the theme of the American Dream into literature after

writing Drift and Mastery in 1914. F. Scott Fitzgerald picked up on that theme of the American

Dream with two American men, and ran with it in two of his most famous novels (Callahan 204),

The Great Gatsby and The Love of the Last Tycoon. These books of his show all sides to the

american dream, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The Love of the Last Tycoon was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald before he died, and

finished by a close friend Edmund Wilson to portray the life of Monroe Stahr, who is living life

to the fullest in Hollywood. Stahr is a big time director in Hollywood who has everything anyone

could ever want. He has the money, the fame, and all the girls he could possibly ask for. Monroe

Stahr works with a man named Pat Brady. With both of them being successful partners in

Hollywood, they both make exceptional amounts of money, especially Stahr. Cecilia, the

daughter of Mr. Brady,, is in love with Stahr. While with him, Cecilia was caught staring at one

of Stahrs rings. Stahrs response, Ill give you this ring, Cecilia. I beg your pardon. I didnt

realize that I was--- Ive got half a dozen like it (Last Tycoon 15). This shows that Mr.

Monroe Stahr has a lot of money as he was willing to give up an elaborate ring to Cecilia for no
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apparent reason, other than her wanting it. Stahr also claims he has many more like it which

exemplifies his unquestioned wealth Monroe Stahr is very similar to today's big time hollywood

directors, known for his quick wit in movie scripting and his big hit movies. A good example of

this would be when Fitzgerald writes, Now, said Stahr, Ive got about fifty ideas. Im going

to call Miss. Doolan (Last Tycoon 41). This shows that Stahr is always ready to help out his

writes if they hit a wall while trying to come up with a new idea for a movie, and why he is the

best at what he does.

The Great Gatsby, also written by Fitzgerald, follows the life of Jay Gatsby, a self made,

rags-to-riches kind of character. Gatsby embodies the American Dream theme that Fitzgerald is

known for. Jay Gatsby who grew up as a child in an impoverished family in North Dakota and

rose up from that to become an incredibly wealthy man. Gatsby painted his own picture of

himself, recreating himself from what he once was whether it be the truth or a lie. During The

Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald illustrates how Gatsby created some of his background, I am the son

of some wealthy people in the middle-west -- all dead now. I was brought up in America but

educated at Oxford because all my ancestors have been educated there for many year. It is a

family tradition (The Great Gatsby 69). This quote from Jay Gatsby shows that while living the

American Dream, one can paint themselves how they would like, even if it includes lying to get

others to become fond of them. Gatsby had also stated that he had inquired his money from his

family members whom had passed away in San Francisco. Gatsby, truthfully had also been

drafted into World War I, which he also had a few intriguing stories about, I was promoted to

be a major and every allied government gave me a decoration (The Great Gatsby 70). With

these stories Gatsby is able to live his ideal life of a hopeful American. He has the big house, all
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the cars, and money anyone would want. Even though he has everything anyone could ever want,

he does not have what or who he wants the most, Daisy Buchanan, a girl he met before he was

drafted into World War I.

The American Dream is a positive thing to have in ones life. With the American Dream,

Monroe Stahr is able to have everything that he wants. Stahr is a kind man who is very busy

working to keep his American Dream alive. He is a confident man in his work, knowing

everything he produces will be a hit. Stahr is also very charismatic while he attempts to persuade

his team into a high budget, He paused as if to make sure that all were listening. I think we can

count on a million and a quarter from the roadshow. Perhaps a millions and a half altogether.

And a quarter of a million abroad (Last Tycoon 47). During this time period, one million

dollars was a large sum of money, and as one can see, Stahr is extremely confident that his next

movie will make enough in profit for a large budget. This shows how the American Dream is a

helpful or good thing to chase as it helps one build self-confidence. The American Dream helped

Stahr to become more of an optimist instead of a pessimist. Through that optimism, it led Stahr

to great success as a director, both monetarily and professionally.

There is also a negative side the American Dream. Throughout The Love of the Last

Tycoon, Fitzgerald shows how many characters can crack under pressure, which is a negative

effect of chasing the American Dream. Failure can be fatal in many cases, In the early morning

after the flood, a man walked up to the outside Administration Building. He lingered there some

time according to an eye witness, then mounted the iron railing and dove head first to the

pavement below (Last Tycoon 28). After being replaced by a new Camera man, the man who

jumped off the ledge, Pete Zavras, had let the pressure get to his head and he cracked. He
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decided to climb to the top of the stairs of a building at Stahrs set and attempt suicide. The

American Dream is a tough life to live if one does not fit the bill. Another man who had cracked

under the pressure given off by Monroe Stahr was Mr. Schwartze. Mr. Schwartze was a partner

of Wylie Whites in the movie scripting business. While Schwartze, White, and Cecilias plane

had been delayed, the three took a visit to an old memorial house. When the tour was over

Cecilia and Wylie got into a cab to leave, but Schwartze decided not to come as the novel states,

Mr. Schwartze had surprisingly shut the taxi door on us, we realized he didnt intend to come

along (Last Tycoon 13). Schwartze decided to stay behind and completely quit the movie

scripting business. Schwartze came to this conclusion because of Mr. Smith, who is actually

Stahr. Stahr had turned against him, and Schwartze knew there was no point in fighting back,

and eventually he cracked and left the business.

In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgeralds first, and possibly most famous, novel about

the American Dream, Jay Gatsby also deals with some of the same things. Gatsby loves all the

things he has, except the one thing he does not have, the girl of his dreams, Daisy Buchannon.

Gatsby had met her before he was sent to join the war with Fitzgerald writing about Gatsby and

Daisy, She was the first nice girl he had ever known (The Great Gatsby 155). At that moment

in time, Gatsby knew he was in love with Daisy Buchanon. They began spending all of their time

together with Gatsby stating I cant describe to you how surprised I was to find out I loved her,

old sport. I even hoped for a while that shed throw me over, but she didnt, because she was in

love with me too (The Great Gatsby 157). Gatsby knew he would have to leave for war so he

did not want Daisy to fall for him like he did with her. Contrary to Gatsbys wishes, Daisy still

ended up falling for him. The two were in love, until Gatsby left for the war. After the war
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ended, Jay was sent to Oxford and Tom Buchanon came along in Daisys life. Daisy was

flattered by Tom and she fell in love. This is why Gatsby was always chasing Daisy, she had

fallen for another man while he was gone. With all the money he could ask for, he still did not

have the one thing he wanted and that, quite frankly, killed him.

F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby and The Love of the Last Tycoon with main

characters that truly embody what it means to live the American Dream. Both of these novels

show the struggles of trying to be successful in the United States, along with showing the failures

that may happen. Whether the failures be about trying to chase a girl and being unsuccessful or

being the most powerful man in Hollywood,, failure is something that hits these men hard

regardless of what type of failure they may get hit with. Along with a similar theme, the two

books seem to have a similar way of the story being told. As Joss Lutz Marsh explains, both

stories seem to have a fan on the protagonist, Cecilia Brady being Monroe Stahrs big fan and the

narrator of The Love of the Last Tycoon and Nick Carraway, the narrator of The Great Gatsby,

being a big fan of Jay Gatsby while trying to unravel the mystery of his life (Marsh 1992). These

two characters, Nick Carraway and Cecilia Brady, are quite similar in the aspect that they both

are very intrigued by the big shot of the story. They want to know more about that person and are

very curious about their background and who they truly are.
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Works Cited

Callahan, John F. "The Unfinished Business of the Last Tycoon." Literature Film Quarterly, vol.

6, no. 3, Summer78, p. 204. EBSCOhost.

Edington, K. "The Hollywood Novel: American Dream, Apocalyptic Vision." Literature Film

Quarterly, vol. 23, no. 1, Jan. 1995, p. 63. EBSCOhost.

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Ed. Matthew J. Bruccoli. New York: Simon & Schuster,

1995. Print.

Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Love of the Last Tycoon. Ed. Matthew J. Bruccoli. New York: Scribner,

1993. Print.

Gale, Robert L. "Names in F. Scott Fitzgerald." Journal of Modern Literature, vol. 24, no. 1,

Fall2000, p. 177. EBSCOhost.

Lallas, Demetri. "'From the People, by the People, to the People': The American Dream(S)

Debut." Journal of American Culture, vol. 37, no. 2, June 2014, pp. 162-171.

EBSCOhost.

Loeffelholz, Mary. "F. Scott Fitzgerald." Ed. Nina Baym. The Norton Anthology: American

Literature. Seventh ed. Vol. D. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2007. 1822-823. Print.

1914-1945.

Marsh, Joss Lutz. "Fitzgerald, Gatsby and the Last Tycoon: The American Dream and the

Hollywood Dream Factory--Part Two." Literature Film Quarterly, vol. 20, no. 2, Apr.

1992, p. 102. EBSCOhost.