Pursuing The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

Nothing More Than a Dream

The Great American Dream. What a beautiful ring it has. Is it just that-- a dream-- or is it much more? We’ve all heard about chasing the American Dream. We’ve also heard the question of its legitimacy. The longer this country stands, the more doubt we have that the Dream is reachable. Although some people can find great opportunities in America, the American Dream is unattainable.
Americans want too much, in other words they dream too big. The ones chasing the American Dream want bigger and better. As time goes on America becomes more materialistic. Because of that, the American Dream is evolving. Instead of being financially stable they must be wealthy. Rather than pursuing happiness, they need to have physical things that will ensure our happiness. It seems that there’s no end to the list of things they want that they didn’t worry about before. When they achieve all their goals they don’t feel satisfied and they decide it’s not enough. Eventually, the expectations of their dreams are too high and reality can’t keep up. In “The Great Gatsby”, Gatsby had money, parties, and just about

Like someone starting from nothing, then gaining fame or wealth. It seems as if they are happy with their lives but they too often are dissatisfied. From an outsider’s perspective you could say Gatsby achieved the American Dream. He certainly started with nothing; growing up poor and yearning for a better life. He indeed became wealthy and reasonably famous around New York. However, Gatsby still felt as if he had nothing. He lived with discontent and longing for the one thing he wanted in life, his true love. People may be close to attaining the American Dream but there will always be compromise, or a battle to remain on top, or an outside force trying to lessen the value of what you have. There will always be something that goes wrong to prevent attaining the American