The American Dream

Many of us strive to live the American dream. Everyone has a different American dream, such as, to make money, to have better lives, or to simply have a career. Determined poor people will attempt to do anything in their power to attain their dream. Others are born with money and can effortlessly become anything they want. You might hear about the American dream every day, but it is not always accomplished. If the dream is somehow not succeeded humanity could be in agony for the rest of their lives. “No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart” (Fitzgerald 101). The character Gatsby cannot get over his love of Daisy no matter how poorly she treats him. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby the author conveys the theme about the American dream and defines the understanding of social class.

Primarily, Fitzgerald explores this theme about the American dream mainly through a character named Jay Gatsby. Throughout the novel, this character pursued nothing but the American dream. His dream was to become a better human being and to get his dream girl of his life named Daisy. For example, Jordan states, “He wants to know if you’ll invite Daisy to your house some afternoon and then let him come over” (Fitzgerald 83). Fitzgerald shows the reader that part of Gatsby’s dream is to reconquer Daisy and make her his wife. The character Daisy symbolizes a vital organ of Gatsby and without it there is no meaning to his life. To add on, Gatsby argues, “She didn’t like it. She didn’t like it. She didn’t have a good time” (Fitzgerald 116). This argument repeats the word “she” to signify importance and foreshadows that Gatsby will fail to have Daisy as his wife. Thus, Fitzgerald writes, “W...

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... too much. Gatsby had this illusion to have a perfect relationship with Daisy. Daisy at a point did “love” him but then she chose Tom over him and broke his illusion. “I am still a little afraid of missing something if I forget that, as my father snobbishly suggested, and I snobbishly repeat, a sense of the fundamental decencies is parceled out unequally at birth” (Fitzgerald 6). Nick clarifies that money isn’t the only thing people are born for. Some people are naturally just nicer and more honest. The novel, The Great Gatsby displays us that our dreams do not constantly become reality. Finally, Fitzgerald shows the reader how life is without completing our dreams. Life can sometimes be harsh because situations may not go as expected.

Works Cited

Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Matthew J. Bruccoli. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print.