The American Dream. A revered ideal, one that many Americans strive towards. Success, definition changed from one person to
another. One person may think of money pertaining to success, or happiness, or love. In the grand scheme of things, the
American Dream is a beacon of hope for those throughout the United States to cling to. The Great Gatsby is all about the
American Dream, and how it pertains to those living during the roaring twenties. Many question whether the mysterious Jay
Gatsby (from The Great Gatsby) ever reached the American Dream, or if he fell short. According to the Dictionary of Cambridge,
the American Dream is, ‘the belief that everybody in the US has the chance to be successful, rich, and happy if they work hard.’
Thus, Jay Gatsby can not have reached the American Dream, because he did not work hard for his money, he never attained the
true happiness he sought with Daisy, and because in the end, he had absolutely nobody.
When a person thinks about the American Dream, they think of hard, honest work to achieve whatever goals they pre-set for
their lives. Nobody can say Jay Gatsby did not put all of his energy, effort, and time into achieving his goals. What they could say
is that he achieved those financial goals through dishonest means. Gatsby was a bootlegger, and sold prescription alcohol in his
drugstores. Along with that, it can be safely assumed that Gatsby was selling his booze to speakeasies illegally, acquiring wealth
as one would acquire all of their neighbors’ newspapers; easily, but in poor taste. So, if Gatsby got his wealth dishonestly, he
could not have worked as hard for it as the average American worker, dismissing the thorny path of the American Dream to
walk through the mossy meadow of fast cash.
Most people have many things that they strive for. They may have one thing that rises above the others, but that thing is not the
only goal they want to achieve. Jay Gatsby, however, had one thing he cared about. He fixated on Daisy, and all things Daisy. He
formulated every move, every expression, every minute detail of his life, all for the sole purpose of regaining Daisy’s love and
sailing away into the past. He was impervious to the idea that Daisy could have possibly moved on, believing that as long as he
reached wealth and standing, she would love him. So the idea of Daisy was his American Dream. She was the one he wanted,
desired, longed for, and she was the one he could never have. He built up so much in the way of expectations, he forgot that life
goes on. He never once reached his American Dream, because he dedicated his entire life to getting Daisy, and she was the one
thing he never got. When Tom and Gatsby were arguing, Daisy gravitated towards the person she was comfortable with, and it
was not Gatsby. His dreams went unrealized.
When the book ends, Gatsby is dead. His father destroys the last bits of the shroud of mystery deliberately placed over Gatsby’s
life, and Nick calls all those he knew. He searched desperately for the nonexistent few who would want to show up for his
funeral. Gatsby could not have lived the American Dream, because he died alone, without anything left besides ruins of a fake
empire. How can a person have lived the American Dream and die alone? Simply put, they can't.
There is a huge amount of discussion whether Gatsby reached the American Dream or not. In the end, it must be accepted that
the American Dream is an ideal Gatsby did not reach. He died alone, without having succeeded his one goal, without working
honestly towards it. Maybe if Gatsby had moved on, and found someone else, he would not have ended up dead. He would not
have died alone. He would not have lived with only one goal in his mind, just to find that he did not make it in the end.
another. One person may think of money pertaining to success, or happiness, or love. In the grand scheme of things, the
American Dream is a beacon of hope for those throughout the United States to cling to. The Great Gatsby is all about the
American Dream, and how it pertains to those living during the roaring twenties. Many question whether the mysterious Jay
Gatsby (from The Great Gatsby) ever reached the American Dream, or if he fell short. According to the Dictionary of Cambridge,
the American Dream is, ‘the belief that everybody in the US has the chance to be successful, rich, and happy if they work hard.’
Thus, Jay Gatsby can not have reached the American Dream, because he did not work hard for his money, he never attained the
true happiness he sought with Daisy, and because in the end, he had absolutely nobody.
When a person thinks about the American Dream, they think of hard, honest work to achieve whatever goals they pre-set for
their lives. Nobody can say Jay Gatsby did not put all of his energy, effort, and time into achieving his goals. What they could say
is that he achieved those financial goals through dishonest means. Gatsby was a bootlegger, and sold prescription alcohol in his
drugstores. Along with that, it can be safely assumed that Gatsby was selling his booze to speakeasies illegally, acquiring wealth
as one would acquire all of their neighbors’ newspapers; easily, but in poor taste. So, if Gatsby got his wealth dishonestly, he
could not have worked as hard for it as the average American worker, dismissing the thorny path of the American Dream to
walk through the mossy meadow of fast cash.
Most people have many things that they strive for. They may have one thing that rises above the others, but that thing is not the
only goal they want to achieve. Jay Gatsby, however, had one thing he cared about. He fixated on Daisy, and all things Daisy. He
formulated every move, every expression, every minute detail of his life, all for the sole purpose of regaining Daisy’s love and
sailing away into the past. He was impervious to the idea that Daisy could have possibly moved on, believing that as long as he
reached wealth and standing, she would love him. So the idea of Daisy was his American Dream. She was the one he wanted,
desired, longed for, and she was the one he could never have. He built up so much in the way of expectations, he forgot that life
goes on. He never once reached his American Dream, because he dedicated his entire life to getting Daisy, and she was the one
thing he never got. When Tom and Gatsby were arguing, Daisy gravitated towards the person she was comfortable with, and it
was not Gatsby. His dreams went unrealized.
When the book ends, Gatsby is dead. His father destroys the last bits of the shroud of mystery deliberately placed over Gatsby’s
life, and Nick calls all those he knew. He searched desperately for the nonexistent few who would want to show up for his
funeral. Gatsby could not have lived the American Dream, because he died alone, without anything left besides ruins of a fake
empire. How can a person have lived the American Dream and die alone? Simply put, they can't.
There is a huge amount of discussion whether Gatsby reached the American Dream or not. In the end, it must be accepted that
the American Dream is an ideal Gatsby did not reach. He died alone, without having succeeded his one goal, without working
honestly towards it. Maybe if Gatsby had moved on, and found someone else, he would not have ended up dead. He would not
have died alone. He would not have lived with only one goal in his mind, just to find that he did not make it in the end.