An American Dreamer

The American Dream is a term that has been used since the beginning of America’s history. It is a term whose meaning has been adjusted decade after decade as the world and our nation continues to change. The American Dream originated as a way to express the mystique of the American West that lay empty, a promise land. But, over the years, it has been extended to include the opportunity to become rich through hard work and the opportunity to break all racial, ethnic, and class barriers in order to give everyone an equal opportunity for success.
Many writers have taken particular interest in the idea of the American dream and have chosen to criticize, fantasize about, define, and even find humor in this indefinable idea that is so close to the heart of all Americans. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the nebulous American Dream in his famous novel The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald manipulates the notion to express a very materialistic version of the story. His story is centered on one character that essentially reaches this American Dream; however, the means by which he does this do not stay true to the idea’s origins. This tale serves to share the story of a man that loses his own identity as he is overcome by this national ethos.
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is born with the idea of the American Dream and moving from rags to riches. By the age of sixteen everyone knew, “Jimmy was bound to get ahead. He always had some resolves like this or something.” (p. 173) Gatsby, born James Gatz, grew up on a poor farm in North Dakota. He grew up dreaming, dreaming of a life much different from the one he was living. At first, he dreamt of bettering himself by “Practice elocution, poise and how to attain it” and “[studying] needed...

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...le Wilson, she simply kept driving.
Jay Gatsby is a self-made man who started out as a poor farm boy with nothing more than some resolves to make his dreams come true. He became blinded by his love for Daisy and luxurious possessions, and was unable to realize that he was losing himself in the process. Gatsby’s life, although filled with hundreds strangers, is extremely lonely. Gatsby had more acquaintances than most people could ever imagine, but none of them were true friends, as evident by his funeral comprised of four people: Nick, Gatsby’s father, Owl Eyes, and the minister. Although Gatsby did reach the dream he had thought he wanted, he in no way achieved the true American Dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s story to demonstrate the corruption of the American Dream in the 1920s as a result of an over indulgent America who had lost all sense of morality.