Great Gatsby

Getting Trapped in One’s Dream In the words of the great rock band, The Beatles, it is said, “For I don’t care too much for money, for money can’t buy me love.” For his entire life, Jay Gatsby tried to rise up his social economic status to have the girl of his dreams marry him. The attempt to capture the American dream was the main focus of this novel. Gatsby devoted his whole life trying to achieve his so-called dream but failed to do so at the end. He misunderstood the real meaning of his own dream similar to how many Americans misunderstood the true meaning of the American Dream. The American Dream was the belief that everyone had the opportunity to achieve their goals and become rich if they only worked hard enough. Copious amount of characters in Great Gatsby did not seem to grasp the concept that The American Dream was just an illusion. They had not comprehended that everyone could not get what they wanted if they only worked hard. It took more than just working hard enough; it all depended on ones destiny. The fact that they did not understand that concept and everyone was striving to be “living in the dream” led them to create fantasy lives. The author showed how one could become ruined by another’s focus on acquiring wealth, power and pleasure.
The American Dream was sought to bring happiness to an American’s life no matter how rich or poor they were. The book was an example of how people worshiped materials. They cared more about how people viewed them rather than how they actually desired to be. Once again, the term “American dream” was an idea that suggested that anyone in America could succeed through hard work and had the potential to lead a happy, successful life. Moreover, hard work did not only mean financially, but also morally and spiritually. In order for one to be happy, they needed to be able to obtain love above all. For, without love we are nothing; without God, we are nothing. Many people have expanded the definition to include things such as fulfillment and meaningful relationships. Americans, who do not have the life of their dream, the life that they always desired, tried to hide it by making up fantasies and pretending that everything was going great in their life. It is said that love can blind us and Gatsby demonstrated that point undoubtedly. For his whole life, he was focused on having money to be able to marry Daisy, for she was his motivation and his sustenance. Gatsby wanted his dream to become true and, in the long run, that led him to becoming very materialistic. He had the money and he thought that materialistic elements such as his house, his car, his parties and his “so-called” friends, would lure Daisy back to him. A great amount of the characters in Great Gatsby did not fully know the truth on the American Dream. They created illusions for themselves to pretend as if they had all the three things the American Dream promised; wealth, happiness and power. Gatsby, for example, thought that he had a great life with plenty of friends and no problems. In the end, we found out that he did not have the life he had desired. He was unhappy and he had no true friends. Gatsby’s personal dream symbolized the American Dream. He had met Daisy many years before he became wealthy and they were not able to get married because of Gatsby low social economic status. His separation from Daisy encouraged him to work hard for his wealth. He started being in the bootlegging business when it had been illegal and he made a fortune out of it. Gatsby believed that he could rewrite the past by reinventing himself and changing his name after he had become rich. However, later in the book it is viewed that Gatsby’s dream was hopeless for he could never win Daisy’s love back. Gatsby had believed with all his strength that he could have gotten Daisy back but when he took his dream too far, it only became a harmful and unattainable illusion.
The numerous amounts of characters who were portrayed in the book all had the same mentality; it was only money that mattered. One character in the book portrays the exact expansion of the American Dream. Myrtle was living with her poor husband in the valley of ashes and was having an affair with Tom Buchanan, Daisy’s husband. When she got away with Tom to go to the city, she put on this new mask as if she were a totally different person. She bought a puppy, a magazine and perfume and went to her fancy apartment. Only rich women could afford these things and she was trying to show others that she was wealthy. Myrtle wanted to move up her social class but by being married to Wilson she was not able her to do so. The desire of achieving this fantasy led her to having an affair with Tom, she felt like he could give her all she wanted, however love was not part of the deal. All this made her blind and clueless about how she was just a toy on the side for Tom, for, she strived for this wish so much. Daisy, on the other hand, was also blinded by the truth. She could not decide who she wanted, Tom or Gatsby? She had a dream of being wealthy and being happy, like the American Dream had portrayed. She was aware of Tom’s mistress and she was always trying to hide the truth from ever one else when they started to get suspicious. Daisy’s fantasy made it possible for her to ignore the obvious signs that her marriage was falling apart. Surprisingly, even Tom makes up his little fantasy life with Myrtle. He could have had a wonderful marriage, with a beautiful wife and daughter but chose to decide that wasn’t enough. Those two women in his life did not satisfy him and he wanted a third, Myrtle Wilson. Tom wanted to have power over everyone and since Myrtle was in a lower class than he was, she was perfect. He had always wanted to have more than every one else. Every character in the book wanted to have a happy and successful life and by wanting that they acted as if all their problems were not a minor or some were nothing at all. The Great Gatsby portrays the broken American Dream. Though many people’s dream chattered into millions of pieces, the idea of the American Dream is still true. Everyone desires something in life and everyone somehow strives for it. Every single person’s fantasies all contribute to that of the American Dream. People were striving so much to have a successful and happy life, ended up making up fantasies and lying to themselves. Many did not learn that dreaming too far could have led to the destruction of all ones hard work, which happened to everyone.