Consuming the American Dream Flashcards
Who coined the term?
James Truslow Adams
Experience of Americans
Experience of war and coming home
Growth of…
Consumer culture
Celebrity culture
Beauty
Causal sex
‘Youth’
Illegal drug use
Key thing that changed
Standard of living
Consumer products that became more accessible
Cigarettes, oranges, silk stockings
Example of American Dream celebrity
Clara Bow
How did the work force change in rural societies?
Women and children worked in order to sustain the family
Changes in type of work
Management and office work more common than farm work
Income
Rising
Diet
Processed foods- the tin can
Refrigeration
Healthier diet- Vitamin C and D
Clothing
Sewing machines
Clothes became more comfort conscious
The American Dream in the Great Gatsby
Highlights corruption of AD- flocking east for the stock market
Gatsby as symbol of the AD
He symbolises both the corrupt and non-corrupt version of the AD
But the fact he has love at his core condemns every other character
Tom
Shows corruption of AD
Daisy
Gatsby chasing Daisy- symbolic of AD- presented as shallow and materialistic
What does Fitzgerald critisise?
The idea that America is a meritocracy
The Green light
People are always reaching for something greater that is just out of their reach
Nick
Casual racism and classism demonstrates that the image of the American Dream as a place for all is false
What are Gatsby’s roots?
Parents are farmers from North Dakota
Tom and Daisy
Antagonists to the American Dream- Daisy doesnt help Gatsby, and Tom drags the Wilsons into the tragedy
