Jay Gatsby´s American Dream in The Great Gatsby

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The ideal American Dream can be portrayed in many different ways, though generally based upon the idea of opportunity for upward mobility within society. While people move to the top of society, they accumulate the perceived good things in life: the perfect partner, high social status and respect in the workplace to go along with the unlimited wealth and power. This idea is dated all the way back to the beginning of American literature. In the past, Americans started with the basic needs and only the things they needed to get by in life. Now families are transforming into a life view filled with the perfect life, nice car, large house, and the ideal family. In The Great Gatsby the main character Jay Gatsby was born into a family with no money, he had to work towards achieving the dream life he wanted. With that dream in mind; a hard working Jay becomes blinded by the luxurious and plentiful possessions that he now has. These distractions take away from what he really is searching for: love and happiness. Is the American dream of materialism, wealth, love, and happiness too good to be true? Can one really have it all at once? The idea of the American dream has become corrupted and consumed by the mistaken idea of materialism and wealth.
Within the beginning of the novel you learn that Gatsby is a lavish man who hosts an abundance of parties for numerous guests, although the readers strangely find out that none of the partygoers are truly friends of his. The underlying meaning of these lavish parties is not to show off the large amount of wealth by buying expensive things and entertaining, but a search and desire for something more. Shortly after you are introduced to a man named Nick Caraway who gives insight of just how much Gats...

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...the wealthy.
When reading The Great Gatsby you yourself might be blinded by all of the glitz and glamor of the parties or all of the drama that the upper social class has to offer. You might even dig a little deeper to find that Jay Gatsby himself was in desperate search to achieve the perfect idea of the American Dream through money and possessions to help him get his love and in the end overall happiness. It becomes apparent that Gatsby will not achieve this; no matter what he does it will not be able to fit into the social class he so desperately wants. Not enough money in the word can change the family you were born into. It is ironic that no matter what jay does he will never be enough, and the people with the means of the East Egg do not have the ability to live the true American Dream as they are far too blinded by the luxurious lifestyle that they all live.

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