The Great Gatsby The American Dream Essay

The American Dream In The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby
Although love should bring contentment to one's life, Fitzgerald shows that the desperation of
living with the American Dream of wealth and hope twists the relationship between Gatsby and
Daisy, creating unpromising and lost love.
Gatsby's love for Daisy began after they met at the Red Cross. After Gatsby was sent away to the
war, Daisy met Tom, a wealthy man. Daisy's biggest concern was to live the American Dream and
being with Tom was a great opportunity to live that dream. On Daisy's bridal dinner, Tom gave her
a string of pearls valued three hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Later on, she was found very
drunk and holding a letter from Gatsby. "She wouldn't let go of the letter. She took it into the tub
with her and squeezed...show more content...
"There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams – not
through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It had gone beyond her,
beyond everything. He had thrown himself into it with a creative passion, adding to it all the time,
decking it out with every bright feather that drifted his way. No amount of fire or freshness can
challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart."
The idea of love is twisted because Daisy's selfishness shows that she loves both Gatsby and Tom
but what she truly actually loves is money. She was also deceiving because she tried to make
Gatsby believe that she was never in love with Tom and that he was the only man she wanted. She
does this as a way to keep her relationships intact. Daisy is also a big flirt towards Gatsby. She tells
him that she loves him and that she wants to be with him but she eventually proves Gatsby wrong
when she doesn't leave
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The American Dream In The Great Gatsby Essay
"It is the elusive Gatsby, the cynical idealist, who embodies America in all of its messy glory."
Clearly as Adam Cohen asserts in his New York Times article "Jay Gatsby, Dreamer, Criminal, Jazz
Age Rogue, Is a Man for Our Times", this phenomenon is indeed true in that the American Dream is
presented in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby as an idea that has been depraved into a dream
characterized by the constant shift in ethics and fraudulence centered around materialistic visions of
opulence and wealth.
Jay Gatsby is the American psyche because he manifests the dynamic and complex nature of the
American Dream in the sense that he is simultaneously both corrupt yet morally good.
Gatsby exemplifies the ethical American Dream with...show more content...
He constructs a mansion, throws opulent parties, bathes in luxuries, and uses Nick Carraway as a
liaison all to attract Daisy's attention. Daisy represents everything that Gatsby endeavors for–the
narrator compares her to a golden girl. Trying to pinpoint what exactly made her voice so
distinctive, Gatsby and Nick conclude that her voice is "full of money–that was the inexhaustible
charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals' song of it....High in a white palace the
king's daughter" (120). The idiosyncrasy of her voice is that it draws one in with quietude and
contains promises of secret pleasures such as vast riches, luring men in with her raspy, indulgent
murmurs. Unfortunately, Gatsby is too late in realizing that money is not synonymous with
happiness, as explored in the following paragraph.
On the other hand, Gatsby epitomizes the corrupt American Dream as well. Gatsby is such a
delusional idealist that even though Daisy is married and has a child, he believes that his dream will
be realized the moment she admits that she is not, and never was, in love with her husband, Tom
Buchanan. His devout confidence in self–invention leads him to construct a completely new identity
that isolates him from others. Carraway comments on the fabricated persona when he notes,
"[Gatsby] smiled understandingly–much more than understandingly [..] some time before he
introduced himself I'd got the strong impression that he was

The Great Gatsby (American Dream)
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a fictional novel about a young man's life , narrated by
his closest friend Nick. This young extravagantly wealthy man known as Mr.Gatsby, lived in the
1920's and represented the american dream in many different ways. In F. Scott Fitzgerald "The Great
Gatsby" Tom and Daisy were born into this weathiness. Gatsby on the other hand had to work for
his money by going to the army. In the Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald wanted to display the
elusiveness of the American Dream and how more money makes the society during this time
period lose their morality. Gatsby came from a very poor background with lack of education. As
he started to build his own dreams forgetting about what happened in the past and he tried to build
his own dream from scratch. Which after in the novel showed he became very successful man.
He showed a true example of living the life of the American dream that by hard work, motivation
and with no support we can live a lavish life like an American man. Gatsby was a self made man
with no background. As one of the article about Gatsby life better illustrate that "The American
dream consisted of the belief (sometimes thought of as a promise) that people of talent in this
land of opportunity and plenty could reasonably aspire to material success" ( Trask, David F, WG).
The novel illustrates the life of the people in early 1920's as a life easy money selling alcohol and

American Dream Gatsby
What is the American Dream? The American Dream is a common feeling felt by Americans that
symbolizes the journey of chasing one's wildest dreams and aspirations. The American Dream is
often associated with the desire for wealth, fame, spiritual improvement, or social status. The Great
Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald features Jay Gatsby, a man born into a blue collar family who rises up
the social ranks due to America's capitalist system. Many Americans relate to the desire of
experiencing a lavish lifestyle full of material luxury Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott
Fitzgerald stood as a symbol of the dangers of pursuing wealth and as an example of the economic
opportunities provided by America's Capitalist system.

The Great Gatsby American Dream
In the roaring years of the 1920's, America encountered a dramatic, (yet, exciting) social, cultural,
and politic change. The restrictions of the country's Victorian past were no longer a part of its society
and the rise of a consumer culture, the upsurge of mass entertainment, and the so–called "revolution
in morals and manners" became the new description of America. F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great
Gatsby reflected on this decade, illustrating the ambition of one man trying to upscale in his life in
order to reach the "American Dream" and his despair of losing it.
Fitzgerald described the hardships that come when trying to obtain something unattainable and how
the intensity of that desire can blind people of their realistic outcomes. The

The Great Gatsby and the American Dream
The Great Gatsby is an interesting and thought–provoking novel by the American writer F. Scott
Fitzgerald that sets to explore important and complex social themes such as the hollowness of the
upper class and the characteristics and decline of the American Dream during the prosperous years
preceding the Great Depression. The Great Gatsby is presented at the surface as a thwarted love story
between a man, Jay Gatsby, and a woman, Daisy Buchanan. However, the main theme of the novel
goes beyond this and comprises a larger, and indeed less romantic, social context. Furthermore,
despite the novel's setting in New York during the summer of 1922 it is still a representation of
America throughout the whole...show more content...
The sphere of this decade is dominated by cynicism, greed, and the empty pursuit of pleasure.
Fitzgerald seems to suggest that the reckless jubilance that created the opportunities for while
decadent parities and loud jazz music, similarly to Gatsby's parties every night, was the direct result
of this atmosphere. However, the pursuit of pleasure in such a manner did not bring happiness or
fulfillment but only brought about the corruption of the American Dream. This corruption of the
American Dream is due to the unrestrained desire for power and money, which surpassed any sense
of nobility in people's goals and motivations. To understand this presentation of the American Dream
one has to first comprehend the characteristics of this Dream. The American Dream encompasses
the myth of America's birth, a myth that is defined by a familiar phrase: The New World. The
establishment of the United States, the growth of the country and its power in such a short time,
and the sense of success felt across the nation as a result created the concept of the American
Dream. America was conceived originally as a new beginning, a new world, a second chance. It was
a world that contrasted with the Old World's structure and all its corruption, social divisions, tyranny,
and superficiality. On this basis is the American Dream founded. The key concepts that lie at the
heart of the American

Great Gatsby Vs. The American Dream Essay
Great Gatsby vs. The American Dream/Materialism How do we define this ideology of the
American Dream? Society has formulated this idea over time. We as people have chosen to base
our lives around it and make it our goal to try and achieve something that in all honesty is just this
abstract idea that we as have chosen to believe and chase over time. Due to society following this
ideology, people have grown to believe that happiness can only be achieved after they have
reached the American Dream. You see these advertisements for products that make you think if
you don't own that specific product than you are not going to achieve the American Dream. Media
has managed to turn people into these materialistic beings that are just sitting there waiting to be
told what to buy next. For my paper I will be analyzing the film The Great and focus primarily on
this idea of materialism and more specifically how this American Dream myth and ideology plays
into it. Why does the media want us to believe that happiness is derived from the "stuff" we buy and
not the things we already have? Page twenty–four in the textbook says, "Book, films, and television
shows do not just spontaneously occur: all are created as products to be bought and sold in a greater
system of commodity exchange." (Ott. 24) The film The Great Gatsby is pretty much the epitome of
what the American Dream myth really is and expresses this notion of materialism throughout it.
Surprisingly the film's main protagonist is not

Gatsby American Dream Essay
The American Dream The great Gatsby is a classic novel in which money is centered around
everything. All Jay Gatsby wants to do is live the American dream. Some say Gatsby did live the
American dream. Though Gatsby made lots of money and threw tons of parties their was one thing
he was missing. The thing Gatsby was missing was a peaceful state of mind and a lover. In this
book written by Scott Fitzgerald called The Great Gatsby Jay Gatsby finds out the American Dream
isn 't attainable by everyone.
The Great Gatsby is a book that shows how the American dream is attainable for many but can only
be grasped by few. Only few people get to live dream lives. Like in the book The Great Gatsby Jay
Gatsby is a...show more content...
So most the times Jay committed crimes multiple times to get money. The quote best examples
Gatsby by saying " Gatsby didn 't even achieve all of his wealth through hard work, like the
American dream would stipulate instead he earned money through crime." One of the crimes he
committed was that he would sell alcohol for some quick cash.
Gatsby has been at work for Daisy ever since he met her, but in the end Daisy always chose her
husband and not her lover. He would always try to win her over with expensive things. This quote
describes perfectly what Gatsby was doing, " his goal is galvanized for him early on when was a
poor young army lieutenant he is prevented from pursuing a relationship with Daisy." Gatsby still
trying his best efforts sent a love letter to Daisy on her wedding night. Daisy opened the letter, she
loved it but knew she had to marry Tom. When Gatsby is killed, Daisy forgets all about him and
moves on with her life. This quote describes Daisy and Gatsby 's relationship. " Possibly it had
occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever. Compared to
the great distance that had separated him from Daisy it had seemed very near to her, almost
touching her." When Daisy finally is won over by Jay Gatsby he dies and Daisy immediately runs
back to Tom just as she always has done in the past.
Jay lived a luxurious lifestyle but because of the people that

The Great Gatsby American Dream Essay
The Great Gatsby is a novel that illustrates the society in the 1920's and the associated beliefs,
values and dreams of the American population at that time. These beliefs, values and dreams can be
summed up be what is termed the "American Dream", a dream of money, wealth, prosperity and the
happiness that supposedly came with the booming economy and get–rich–quick schemes that
formed the essential underworld of American upper–class society. This underworld infiltrated the
upper echelons and created such a moral decay within general society that paved the way for the
ruining of dreams and dashing of hopes as they were placed confidently in the chance for
opportunities that could be seized by one and all. Scott Fitzgerald illustrates the...show more content...
The transformation between James Gatz and Jay Gatsby is an example of how people can transform
themselves according to their ambition for wealth and prosperity. The use of illegal activities to gain
Gatsby's wealth is alluded to in the book, this shows the extent of how the American Dream
circumvented the moral revulsion and pushed people who were crazy about money into crime –
driving the moral standing of wealthier citizens into the ground. To Gatsby, his dream was
symbolised by Daisy, Gatsby even says that her voice sounds like money, a direct correlation
between Daisy and the wealth and happiness that Gatsby would supposedly enjoy if only he could
have married Daisy but could still enjoy if he had married her five years later. His pursuit of
happiness with Daisy was the ultimate cause of the degradation of Gatsby's morals and realistic
dreams. This is because he held an unrealistic view of life and how he could recreate the past. His
dreams had distorted reality to the point where when his rationality realised that the image of life
and of Daisy did not coincide with the real life version his mind did not grasp that perhaps the
dream had receded to the point of no return, consequently his dreams helped to

The American Dream In The Great Gatsby Analysis
The American dream is the idea of the perfect family and a house with a white picket fence; some
people strive their whole life to achieve the dream, but the dream is unachievable–there is no such
thing as perfect. The Balance's article What Is the American Dream? The History That Made It
Possible by Kimberly Amadeo says:
"In the 1920s, the American Dream started morphing from the right to create a better life to the
desire to acquire material things. This change was described in the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, The
Great Gatsby. In it, the character Daisy Buchanan cries when she sees Jay Gatsby's shirts, because
she's 'never seen such–such beautiful shirts before.'"
The American dream in very present in Ta–Nehisi Coates's Between the World and Me and Raisin in
the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. Ta–Nehisi Coates titles his book Between the World and Me
because he feels that there is a barrier between him and the American dream, it is similar to
Lorraine Hansberry's Raisin in the Sun the Younger family's dream keeps getter deferred and it dries
up like a raisin in the sun.
In Between the World and Me Ta–Nehisi Coates is writing a letter to his son about how he wants
him to live his life. Coates writes:
"The Dream thrives on generalization, on limiting the number of possible questions, on privileging
immediate answers. The Dream is the enemy of all art, courageous thinking, and honest writing. And
it became clear that this was not just for the dreams concocted by Americans to justify themselves,
but also for the dreams that I had conjured to replace them"(Coates 55).
Coates feels that the people that believe that they are living the American dream are white trying
to "justify themselves" and live the perfect life. He is saying that the dream is something that will
kill individuality because it would be everyone living the same way. He does not believe in the
American dream, but maybe at one time he did. He doesn't want his son to strive for something
that will never happen. A big part of Coates not believing in the great American dream is due to
the color of his skin; a lot of the book is telling his son, Samori, how to survive in a white
dominated world. Coates also writes "the Dream rest on our backs, the

The Great Gatsby Daisy
The American Dream itself varies among each individual. The American Dream can be the
aspirations of freedom, equality, or, more commonly, wealth. These "dreams" are what are associated
with America and its gifts to Americans. At youth, adults teach that the American Dream is
reachable through hard work, sacrifice, and sound virtue. Ingrained in every child's head is the belief
that in America, anything is possible. Television, newspapers, movies, cartoons, and sensational
stories reinforce these lessons. This projection of the American Dream is why thousands come to
America. The media and government, at times, make this dream seem so attainable, so real we give
our all to our dreams. In reality though, the American Dream essentially is just...show more content...
Gatsby sacrifices himself to fulfill his dream. In the end, his dream fails completely, and his life
finds an abrupt end. Growing up poverty, he had created a character that was rich and powerful.
To make his fantasy a reality he fervently, yet illegally, became rich. To complete his faГ§ade, he
wanted Daisy Buchannan. Knowing that she had wedded another Gatsby planned meticulously
how he was going to woo her. He dedicated five years of his life to winning her over. To him she
was the American Dream. She represented money, power, and prestige. All of the qualities he
desired in life. Symbolically, Daisy is the American Dream of wealth and Gatsby represents the
ambitious Americans. This is because Gatsby when he finally wooed Daisy he became
disappointed. This disappointment due to that Daisy "tumbled short of his dreams... because of the
colossal vitality of his illusion." Correlating that Americans' vision of wealth lacks the sparkle and
splendor of what is expected. To add bitterness to the disappointment, Gatsby does not get Daisy in
the end. Instead, for his zealous struggles he is compensated with a bullet. The lesson of the story
being that wealth lacks the splendor and glamour imagined. Although Gatsby's fate was the most
extreme of cases, being wealthy and championing wealth has a cost. Sometimes this cost results in
the destruction or relinquishing of self or the spirit of

Perception and reality do not always align. Is true love really true love, or is it a farce, a self–created
mythical re–interpretation of the thing we hold so dear? In The Great Gatsby, is Gatsby really in
love with Daisy, or his vision of her? Does she feel the same way for him, or does she truly love
him? And what does the green light at the end of Daisy's dock mean to Gatsby?
As Gatsby falls in love with Daisy, Nick is slightly intrigued by this almost improbable match.
How can a determined, wealthy man fall in love with a woman so shallow that she wishes her
daughter to "be a fool ... a beautiful little fool." (p. 17)? To everyone else, it's obvious that Daisy is
extremely...show more content...
He's got the money, the big house, parties every Friday with hundreds of people, but all of this is for
the final piece of the pie: a girl. This is especially more impactful because his money (or lack
thereof) was the reason he never was able to get with Daisy in the first place.
This brings about another face of the argument: does this apply to Daisy as well? Daisy had been
pressured to reject Jay Gatsby back during the war since he was a soldier, and short of money.
Daisy came from old money, and didn't see Gatsby as a suitable mate for her solely on his monetary
status. But now that Gatsby's 'all grown up' and rich, Daisy's suddenly in love again.
Daisy falls for the same shallowness that Gatsby does. She doesn't love Gatsby for who he is–she
does like him for his personality, partly, but it's mostly because he has the money now, and is
therefore much more qualified to be with her. Daisy really doesn't want to be with Tom, for
example, "I'd never seen a girl so mad about her husband" (p. 76) Jordan says, on how Daisy felt
after marrying Tom. She wanted Gatsby. Or rather, she wanted to have a nice husband that would be
a caring, rich gentleman. And Gatsby fills that idea up perfectly.
Daisy is seeking her own version of the American Dream, and Gatsby just happens to be in it, just as

The Great Gatsby American Dream Essay
Kaylie Skoumal
Mrs. Sabers
English II
6 October 2017
Destruction of an American Dream
"The American Dream is that any man or woman, despite of his or her background, can change
their circumstances and rise as high as they are willing to work" (Fabrizio Moreira Quotes). Jay
Gatsby believed that he could achieve his American Dream of being successful and marrying
Daisy by working extremely hard in his lifetime. He labored to make a great amount of money
through a disreputable way with Meyer Wolfshiem. His main agenda was to win Daisy back to him
and he did everything he possibly could to make that happen in his life. In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The
Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby strived for his idea of the American Dream, but fell short in the end....show
more content...
Next, Gatsby could be seen laboring to achieve his American Dream through his various methods
he used to try to become wealthy. The first time Gatsby almost succeeded with his dream is when
he became Dan Cody's assistant. Gatsby had the chance to happen upon the millionaire Dan Cody.
Liking Gatsby, Cody immediately offered the young adult a job. Gatsby traveled the world with
Cody, but his employment was finally terminated after five years when Cody died. "And it was from
Cody that he inherited money–a legacy of twenty–five thousand dollars. He didn 't get it. He never
understood that was used against him, but what remained of the millions went intact to Ella
Kaye" (Fitzgerald 100). Gatsby almost succeeded in earning a large amount of money through
Cody's will, but Ella Kaye, Cody's mistress, was able to extract the money under Gatsby's nose for
herself. Once again Gatsby was back to where he had started and all his work over the five years
was for nothing. Nevertheless, Gatsby did not give up and after he was released from the war he
started to work with Meyer Wolfsheim to make money in unsavory ways. Wolfsheim was not a
respectable businessman, but through his methods he was able to make an enormous mass of cash.
"'He's [Wolfsheim] the man who fixed the World's series back in 1919'" (Fitzgerald 73).Wolfsheim
was the one responsible in the 1919's of fixing the World's series to win money through gambling.
Wolfsheim and Gatsby worked

The idea of American Dream as presented by F. Scott Fitzgerald in the Great Gatsby novel involves
rising from poverty or rags to richness and wealthy. The American Dream exemplifies that elements
such as race, gender, and ethnicity are valueless as they do not influence the ability of an individual
to rise to power and richness. This American Dream makes the assumption that concepts such as
xenophobia are non–existent in America a concept that is not true and shows vagueness of the
American Dream. In his novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the Great Gatsby to demonstrate the
overall idea of living the American dream. Gatsby leaves his small village of farmers and
manages to work his way up the ladder although some of the money he uses to climb the ladder is
associated with crime "He was a son of God and he must be about His Father's Business, the
service of a vast, vulgar and meretricious beauty" (Fitzgerald 6.7). This phrase shows that Gatsby
wasn't meant for a life similar to that of his father but rather destined for greatness. However, his
dream his short–lived and he doesn't make it to the top as Daisy who is a symbol of his wealthy
rejects her and a series of events transpire that result in his death before he could live his American
Dream alongside everyone else who was working up the ladder to live the American Dream. F.
Scott Fitzgerald proposes that the American Dream is corrupt and also a mediocrity that anyone in
America can rise from rags to riches as in the real

The American Dream can mean different things depending on who is asked. Some will answer it
is the freedom of religion, class or race, others will claim it is about the ability to choose where
they want to work, what they want to wear, or what's for breakfast the next day. For Jay Gatsby
and many others, the American Dream is about gaining wealth and material possessions in an
attempt to find happiness. Through his novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald shows how the
American Dream is only the concept of perfection, something that can never be acquired, but
always can be reached for. Daisy Buchanon was always mesmerized by wealth. Her dream is to have
a luxurious lifestyle filled splendor. Before the events of the...show more content...
Even though she is married to Tom, his wealth is not enough to satisfy her. When she sees the
shirts she is sad because Tom does not have the luxury of owning such a large collection of
clothing. She is blinded by wealth and always seeks more than she has. She cannot fully
appreciate what she has because her dream is to always have more, and she will only be happy
once she has the best, an unattainable goal that is there to tantalize. To Myrtle Wilson, the
American Dream is to become wealthy and high class. For her, this is impossible. She is married
to a working class man who owns an auto shop in a rundown part of New York. Myrtle is so
corrupted by money that she cheats on her hardworking, loving husband, in order to be with Tom
Buchanon's money. When describing her marriage, Myrtle said, "The only crazy I was was when
I married him. I knew right away I made a mistake. He borrowed somebody's best suit to get
married in . . . then I lay down and cried to beat the band all afternoon" (35). She was, of course,
talking about money issues. She thought her husband was wealthy, but when he had to borrow a
suit, she became depressed and she believed her life was ruined. Myrtles unhealthy fixation on
money ruined her marriage, and led to her becoming Tom's mistress. Tom can supply her with the
wealth she needs to feel happy. When given the chance, Tom will take Myrtle to parties just so she
can wear the fancy clothing that he gave her. This

The Great Gatsby: The American Dream
Nestled within the pockets of light illuminated sparsely by the towering rods of light, New York
City seems to be the limelight of humanity. Eventually, spirits burn with fervor as they reach for
the heights of the sky scrapers hoping to ride along with the times. To a certain extent, Nick
Caraway might be a passenger on what we might consider the ride of a lifetime. Witnessing the
meteoric rise and downfall of a once great man would turn Nick into a skeptic, uttering the very
lines, "No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart".
In human nature, it's only natural to dream of something and imagine its rise. Growing up to
become stars in the eyes of everyone to eventually realize those stars are...show more content...
Dreams are tides that wistfully swing back and forth to their own rhythm and reigning one in is a
challenge of a lifetime. I have my own aspirations to attend MIT and become an Astrophysicist,
but in reality will those tides shift in my favor as they had done for Gatsby? Better yet, the quest
to resist a lonely life is something all of us endure. One of the worst things a human can suffer
through is not being remembered by anyone. Experiencing a sense of gaiety with someone is a
sense of relief and those feelings can build upon one another. Finding someone that you can talk
politics and philosophy with fervor might be a rare find to try to hold onto. Who else has read
Carl Sagan's "Demon Haunted World"? Such as life goes on, people drift apart and that very
person who knows your inner demons; the very person who ended up helping you become who
you are leaves without another trace. Life goes on, but those memories are forever bittersweet.
Does one not attempt to recreate those memories in a dash of zeal? In spite of the valiant efforts,
we soon register that we've changed ourselves and that recreating the very memories imprinted
within our nostalgia will only server to further sever us from the present. Nevertheless, I can relate
to Gatsby's sense of urgency. Reaching to the stars and coming back down with no one is a fate
possibly worse than death, Gatsby after his attainment of fame within the populous he latched onto
a dream that could only further propel him. Of someone who knows of him underneath the guise
and who could gait along with him in his walk across the stars. If only Gatsby had known of what
I've discovered then maybe his plummet to earth would've become less

The Great Gatsby And The American Dream Essay
Prior to the first World War, Americans had noble goals and pursued the dream of happiness. The
American Dream, described by F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby, differs from the original
dream. Instead of achieving actual happiness, Americans got caught up in a new dream motivated by
materialism and wealth. The novel emphasizes that having money does not imply happiness. Many
people fell short of this new dream, and even those with money at their disposal were still not
satisfied. Throughout The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses several characters to illustrate the perversion
of the American Dream ultimately responsible for their dissatisfaction and restlessness. Like many
Americans living in the 1920s, Tom Buchanan's life appears to be...show more content...
She put aside any feelings of real love because she thought Tom's money and materialistic things
would make her happy. Although Daisy loves Gatsby, love is not part of the American Dream
that she seeks. While Gatsby, as a poor soldier, was unable to provide for Daisy, Tom gives her the
sense of security she longs for. Daisy may covet the security of wealth, but her fulfillment of the
American Dream still leaves her wanting more. "'What'll we do with ourselves this afternoon?'
cried Daisy, 'and the day after that, and the next thirty years?'" (118). Daisy has achieved the
American Dream through her abundant riches, yet she is always dissatisfied. She never appreciates
what she has in the present, but instead, she always focuses on what comes next. Daisy could have
been happy with Gatsby, but the corrupt American Dream leaves her dissatisfied and retreating
behind her wealth with Tom. Furthermore, Gatsby also exemplifies the discontent aroused by the
American Dream. During his five year pursuit of Daisy, Gatsby achieved the dream many
Americans seek their entire lives, but attaining wealth is only part of his overall goal. Simply
possessing money is not enough for Gatsby, since his actual dream is obtaining his fantasy life with
Daisy. Although possessing money was the 1920s American Dream, those who eventually reached
the upper class, like Gatsby, were dissatisfied because they still wanted more. Gatsby has enough
money to throw lavish parties every weekend; however,

What Is The American Dream In The Great Gatsby
The American Dream is the ideal for American life that has been sought by both Americans and
immigrants for almost a century. Its requirements differ from person to person and generation to
generation based on the significant values of society. So, what is the American Dream? Its
meaning has revolved around three specific themes in the 20th and early 21st centuries. These
include owning a house, car, and family (the "whole package"); achieving fame and fortune; and
having the freedom to pursue one's goals. To many Americans today, having a house, car and
family is the epitome of the American Dream. After World War II, this idea took hold in the
mindset of Americans, and families even built on top of this ideal by adding "... car ownership,
television ownership..., and the intent to send one's kids to college" (David Kemp 17). Even before
World War II having the "full package" was expected among the American people, although the term
" the American Dream" was not coined yet until 1931. Such is shown in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel
The Great Gatsby, which takes place in the early 1920s. In the novel, the main character's friends
Tom and Daisy Buchanan are the full embodiment of this version of the American Dream. They have
a...show more content...
So, success and money usually go hand in hand in association with the American Dream, but one
can go without the other. Gatsby in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby fits this interpretation of the
American Dream because of his immense wealth; and because of his lavish displays at his parties,
he is seen as

Essay On The American Dream In The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby Essay The Great Gatsby has always been a great book, but have you ever
wondered what the meaning of "The American Dream" is..? To me the american dream... is
anyone and everyone can come here to american and achieve their goals, they can have better
lives here in the US, they can be more successful when they put their minds to it. Fitzgerald's was
making it seem that the rich or more money you have the happier you'll be, the better off you are
in life. He paints a picture making it seem money will buy their happiness forever. The american
dream is about success and dreams, not about money or wealth. The american dream from 2 very
different point of views. Fitzgerald made his point of view that with money your life is...show more
content...
He wanted to make his life better than what it was when he was younger. Gatsby didn't like how
his life was so he set a goal to achieve better and do better. When he was legal he changed his
name and got a clean slate. "Who is this gatsby anyhow...some big bootlegger." Gatsby was known
for having this big huge beautiful house, where he would throw these huge parties. Everyone in the
whole town that knew about the party would dress fancy and wear their expensive things, and have
a good time at the gatsby house. He made all this money and got wealthy by doing dirty work with
the mob. Fitzgerald made gatsby seem he was unhappy when he was poor, but when he changed his
name and started making money Jay Gatsby was happy and content with life.
The east egg has always been about bonds, and new companies. It was starting to become wealth
and sky rocket in businesses. It helps people make money and build the community. "I moved to
the east and learn about the bond business." the west side was becoming trashy and old looking
and was starting to look like the slums. Nick decides he would be better off on the east side to start
a new life event. He started learning about the bond business, everyone else in his family was in the
bond business so he started supporting it. He thought moving to the east would help him with
business and help him with money and would be better off in the east than the west. Since the west
was getting poor looking

The Great Gatsby:
The American Dream
"Their love is founded upon feelings from the past, these give it, notwithstanding Gatsby's insistence
on being able to repeat the past, an inviolability. It exists in the world of money and corruption but
is not of it."
The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is about the American Dream, and the demise of
those who attempt to capture its false goals. For Jay, the dream is that, through wealth and power,
one can obtain happiness. To get this happiness Jay must reach into the past and relive an old dream
and in order to do this he must have wealth and power.
Jay Gatsby, the central figure of the story, is a character who longs for the past. He devotes most of
his...show more content...
Nick attempts to show Gatsby the flaw of his dream, but Gatsby innocently replies to Nick's
statement that the past cannot be relived by saying, "Can't repeat the past?В…Why of course you
can!" This shows the confidence that Gatsby has in reviving his relationship with Daisy. Gatsby's
American Dream is not material possessions, although it may seem that way. He only comes into
riches so that he can fulfill his true dream, Daisy. Gatsby's personal dream symbolizes the larger
American Dream where all have the opportunity to get what they want.
Gatsby won't rest until his dream is finally lived. However, it never comes about and he ends up
paying the ultimate price for it. The idea of the American Dream has come to be focused on simple,
yet somewhat unattainable things such as wealth, love, or fame. There is one thing that never
changes about the American Dream; everyone desires something in life, and everyone, somehow,
strives to get it.
A big house, nice cars, kids, a dog, a beautiful devoted spouse, power and a ridiculous amount of
money. That is the classical American Dream, at least for some. The American Dream is tangible
perfection while in reality perfection does not exist. Living the American Dream is living in
perfection, which is truly impossible. Fitzgerald proves that the wonderful American Dream is
unattainable through the novel The Great Gatsby by using vain, yet amusing characters.
Fitzgerald's

The Great Gatsby The American Dream Essay

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The Great Gatsby The American Dream Essay