When the Code Breaks: Fitzgerald, Hemingway, and the Man Who Found Another Way Out

Safety note:
This essay is not advice, not treatment, and not a substitute for medical or mental-health care.
If you are suicidal, in crisis, or not able to keep yourself safe, stop reading and seek immediate help (911, ER, crisis line, or a trusted person).
This is not meant to fix anything.

The American Dream Was Always a Lie

F. Scott Fitzgerald knew it. He saw the emptiness behind the glamour, the rot beneath the glittering surface. In The Great Gatsby, he showed us exactly how the American Dream curdles—Gatsby achieves wealth but can’t transcend his origins or win Daisy. The rich are careless and empty. The valley of ashes sits between the mansions like the waste product of all that striving.