American Dream and Other Lessons From The Great Gatsby

The American Dream. A chance for every American to experience equal opportunities to prosperity and accomplishment. Throughout its history, Americans have dreamed and worked towards this glamorous ideal of the perfect America. But this dream has not gone without criticism from many Americans who see the imperfections in this ideal.

Lady Liberty has been used as a symbol of America and the American Dream.

In his novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the American Dream and the imperfections he saw in the dream. He represents this by creating fictitious characters living as successful, wealthy American citizens in the 1920's.
The American Dream is first represented in the novel by the main character, Jay Gatsby. He began life as a poor man named James Gatz, coming from a poor family in western America. He changes his name to seem like he is originally from the upper class, and he begins to work odd jobs that he is very dissatisfied with. During his time spent fighting in WWI, he falls in love with an upper class woman, Daisy Buchanan. In the novel, she is a way of representing the American Dream. He constantly yearns to impress her, which he feels like he can do by creating a wealthy status for himself. This is reflected by the green light at the end of her dock. The green light is a way of portraying wealth because the color green often implies money. Gatsby reaches out in the novel to this green light for "his American Dream" (Daisy), much like Americans reached out for their American Dream by searching endlessly for wealth.

Materialism and the pursuit of pleasure rather that happiness lost the true intent of the American Dream.

Gatsby would often yearn for the green light at the end of Daisy's dock, representing his yearning for wealth to achieve the American Dream.

However, Gatsby's means of coming into wealth are dishonest and corrupt, largely reflecting on how Americans lost all original values and morals after the war. Society was beginning to crumble and the pursuit of pleasure began to outweigh the pursuit of happiness, America's original goal in the American Dream. This shallow pursuit of pleasure is paralleled by the excessive materialism seen in the upper class characters throughout the novel. Particularly, this theme is highlighted by Gatsby's elaborate parties, which represent losing sight of the American Dream. When Daisy finally attends one of his parties, she tells Gatsby that she doesn't like it. Daisy represents the American Dream frowning upon this new trend of pleasure and material excess which leaves the American Dream devoid of its original intent.

This famous American painting has been edited to reflect the ongoing materialistic pursuits of America.

Finally, the American Dream, much like Daisy, does not meet expectations. Gatsby once loved Daisy and desperately yearned to become wealthy. When he finally reached his envisioned success, he still felt empty because he had lost sight of the true meaning of the American Dream, the pursuit of happiness. When he reconnects with Daisy years after he has worked towards material prosperity, he finds that Daisy is no longer the person he once knew, reflecting how the American Dream has been altered and corrupted by Americans loosing sight of the meaning.

Has America lost sight of its American Dream?

Is the American Dream really over?