Why Is The American Dream Important In The Great Gatsby

The American Dream is the idea that anyone in our nation can obtain a happy life through hard work and materialistic success. History has proven that this is not always true. In the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author uses the characters Daisy Buchanan, Nick Carraway, and Jay Gatsby to support the idea that the American Dream is not the key to every American's happiness.

The narrator of the Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway, does not have much wealth when compared to the other characters. He lives a simple life doing business work. "My own house was an eyesore, but it was a small eyesore, and it had been overlooked, so I had a view of the water, a partial view of my neighbors lawn, and consoling proximity of millionaires-all for eighty dollars a month." Although Nick lives in a smaller, less luxurious house than his neighbors, he is not an unhappy person. He acknowledges that his house is much smaller, but still appreciates the things that his house offers for only eighty

She lives in a larger home, and tends to be attracted towards materialistic items. "He took out a pile of shirts and began throwing them, one by one before us, shirts of sheer linen and thick silk...Suddenly with a strained sound, Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily." In this scene, Daisy becomes so emotional when she sees the beautiful shirts that she cries, Daisy's true happiness comes from possessions, for example, the expensive shirts. This goes along with the American Dream's idea that obtaining wealth can lead to happiness. In Daisy's case, this is true because she is happy with the things she has, and her happiness is a result of the luxurious life that Gatsby is offering her. In the novel, it is shown that Daisy does not care as much about her partner’s personality, but cares more about their wealth. This is because wealth matters more to her than forming meaningful