The Great Gatsby And The American Dream Essay

For decades people have had American Dreams they dedicate their lives, giving it their all for the goals that they have set up for themselves. However, while seeming to be a good motivating factor for Americans, most of the time these dreams are unsuccessful or unattainable for the people that work so hard toward them. Since there is more often failure in achieving an American Dream, many people have negative opinions toward the concept itself. The best description of this ideology is reflected by F. Scott Fitzgerald, who viewed the American Dream as something not possible and could not be fully achieved no matter what a person does, despite how each dream is different. In order to demonstrate his opinion on the American Dream, he uses plot and conflict to show how character’s actions for their dreams,
Considering failure as a huge part of his ideals on the American Dream, Fitzgerald show's his opinion through the eyes of Nick as he reflects on everything that has happened. As stated by Nick, “It is invariably saddening to look through new eyes at things upon which you have expended your own powers of adjustment” (104). With Nick’s comment we can see that once you look upon all you have done toward your dream, seeing the fact that it is a loss is very depressing, since so much has been done for the goal. A prime example of failure of a dream is, after Gatsby's murder, Nick thinking "I tried to think about Gatsby then for a moment, but he was already too far away, and I could only remember, without resentment, that Daisy hadn't sent a message or a flower" (174). Despite dedicating his everything to getting back his love Daisy, once he dies, she does not even acknowledge his life at his memorial, fully showing the reader of how Gatsby's American Dream was