Personal Narrative: A Dream In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

All I have ever wanted is to be happy. When I was four years old, my biological father made the choice to leave my family forever. When I was seven years old, my older sister’s life was taken by illness. I have watched my mom struggle everyday to make my dreams come true. I have worked my hardest every single day to try and make my dreams come true. I have recently been faced with the great journey of my life beyond high school. Being involved in several clubs and organizations, working two jobs, and still maintaining straight A’s, I thought that my dream of going to a prestigious college would finally come true, that I would finally be in control of building myself a happier and more successful life. To my surprise, money can and will limit

me from happiness; the color of my skin and my gender will limit me from happiness. I live in a country that advertises “freedom for all”, but freedom from fear, poverty and unhappiness isn’t even found in the small print. In America, not every person has the chance to reach their dreams.
While Daisy and Tom seemed to have everything in life, they always seemed to be escaping their life together.

After just meeting, Tom insists that Nick comes to meet Myrtle Wilson, Tom’s mistress, at his secret apartment. Tom is a completely different person without Daisy and seems to forget about his life back at home. In the same way, when reunited with Jay Gatsby, Daisy is willing to leave everything she has known for the past five years and run off with him. “‘Her voice is full of money,’ he said suddenly.” (Fitzgerald 105) She laughs off all troubles and he beats anyone who questions. Both Tom and Daisy beat around the bush when it comes to their marriage. They just want to be happy but cannot achieve that together. Tom and Daisy inherited what everyone else was dreaming of. They didn’t have to work hard to earn money or other things. “Specifically, Tom and Daisy have old money, and thus they don’t need the American Dream, since they were born with America already at their feet.” (Wulick) Because they always had everything they wanted, Tom and Daisy never really had to dream or never knew what to dream about. Despite inheriting “everything,” they always wanted to be rid of each

other.
Mr. Wilson dreamed only of a good life with his wife, but even that was limited by money. Myrtle Wilson, the wife, would do anything to obtain status. She went as far as cheating on her loyal and hardworking husband. Myrtle chased money and acted superior when she had it. When at Tom’s apartment, drinking, “Myrtle raised her eyebrows in despair at the shiftlessness of the lower orders.” (Fitzgerald 70) She scorned the behavior of the servants who could easily be her next door neighbor. Her husband, on the other hand, is the owner of a small auto shop, one that Tom only stopped at once or twice at to make money off of. Mr. Wilson knew that money was the key to his wife’s happiness and worked day in and day out to get it. No matter his persistence, he never amounted to anything worthy of Myrtle. It is, however, true that your economic status can influence your quality of life. Myrtle can agrees that “[l]iving life becomes very discomforting on an income so insufficient.” (Davis) Not only can it be embarrassing socially, but mentally you can find stress in everyday. Mr. Wilson had to work his hardest every, single day to try and make his wife’s impractical dreams come true. She, on the other hand, simply found someone else who can give her what she wants and doesn’t care to get her hands dirty to fix what she already has. The Wilson’s dream just like anyone else but are quicker to realize to only dream for the possible.
Although Jay Gatsby lived the American Dream, he died unhappy.

Five years before his death, Gatsby met the love of his life. He made his life goal to become something for Daisy. “[H]is dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him,” (Fitzgerald 180) When he finally professed his unaltered love, five years later, he expected her to say the same. Daisy could not admit that she had never loved Tom and Gatsby was taken back. For the first time, he realized that all the money in the world could not rewrite the past. Gatsby’s dream of a luxurious life with Daisy by his side, was limited by his need for love. Money cannot buy happiness which is the dream of almost everyone. “The American Dream of the past inspired hope and optimism. When you could believe that anything was possible, it became easier to dream.” (Llopis) Now, we face challenges that stymie our ability to achieve these dreams. Expectations from society and other innovations change how we live and the things that we desire. Gatsby wanted love and that only from Daisy. It was often easier for him to dream about her and rather than put matters into his own hands to go talk to her, he put on extravagant parties to lure her into coming to him. Gatsby seemed to have everything, but without love, he died

unhappy.
Happiness is the dream. Other options, financial hardships, and true love are all things that can stymie one's ability to make their dream come true. To be happy, you need to find happiness in things you already have rather than spend all of your life searching for it.