Semester of Graduation
Spring 2026
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Masters of American Studies
Department
American Studies
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Dr. Miriam Brown Spiers
Second Advisor
Dr. Letizia Guglielmo
Abstract
In this thesis, I explore how Jay Gatsby, protagonist in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, and Clare Kendry, protagonist in Nella Larsen’s Passing, pass in order to achieve their American Dream. Both characters rely on carefully crafted identities to gain social mobility and access to worlds that would otherwise be out of their reach through the people they surround themselves with, their clothing, their mannerism, and even their intimate relationships. Throughout my close reading and analysis, I determine that Jay Gatsby and Clare Kendry’s attempts to pass to achieve the American Dream are futile, which demonstrates the idea that the dream is an elusive concept to strive for rather than something that can be accomplished by most people.