The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, is widely accepted as one of the great American novels of the 20th century. The novel follows narrator Nick Carraway through his encounters with Jay Gatsby and other affluent residents of Long Island, NY in the roaring 1920s. Gatsby lives an extravagant lifestyle in hopes of winning over Nick's cousin Daisy whom he had a short-lived romance with prior to World War I. He has crafted a near perfect image of wealth and luxury that he believes will convince Daisy to leave her husband Tom. Gatsby proves himself to be the embodiment of the American dream; both good and bad. The novel is regarded as one of the great American novels because the themes within are inherently American and represent the

American dream such as the belief that hard work can solve everything, the belief that free will and freedom are pillars of society, and the pride that many Americans display because they are a self-made person.
The Great Gatsby clearly emphasizes the idea that hard work can solve any problem and can achieve any goal.

The clearest example of this in the novel is that of Gatsby's hard work to steal Daisy back from Tom. Gatsby and Daisy dated for a while before Daisy met Tom and had their romance cut short by World War I. Following this unexpected schism, Gatsby set the goal of reuniting with Daisy. Gatsby believes that his five plus years of hard work and effort building his net worth will result in his desired outcome. Gatsby says that, "[He's] going to fix everything just the way it was before," through hard work and determination (Fitzgerald 148). Ultimately Gatsby is not successful in his quest to win Daisy back from Tom. Gatsby is distraught after he fails because he believes that his hard work is guaranteed to pay off because that's how American culture approaches hard work. American culture romanticizes hard work so much that people fail to remember that success is not guaranteed. An example of this hard work actually paying off is that of Nick's family. Nick's family worked extremely hard to become successful and ultimately established a prosperous chain of hardware stores. Stories like this and many others in America convince people that if they put in the hard work they will get what they want out of it. The belief that hard work can fix anything brings out the best and the worst of

people.
Free will and freedom are integral aspects of the American dream that are clearly shown in this novel; both good and bad. A key example of this is the rampant infidelity displayed by the married characters in this novel. The first instance of this in the novel is when Tom cheats on his wife with his mistress, Myrtle. Myrtle also made the choice to cheat on her husband with Tom. Tom and Myrtle made these decisions with their own free will. They are free to make these decisions for themselves because in America people are free to do as they please, even if it is immoral. Tom and Myrtle each made up their own mind. Another example of free will in this novel is when Nick and Jordan indirectly decide to end their relationship. Nick had, "had enough of all of them...and suddenly that included Jordan too," and the two of them decided to let the relationship fade away. Nick and Jordan were both making decisions that were their own and were not made by their parents, friends, or colleagues and are free to do so because they live in a free country. This belief in freedom and free will is inherently American because they were guaranteed by the founders of the country and have been defended by Americans since the year 1776.
Another key theme in The Great Gatsby that makes it undeniably American is the pride that is displayed by those who are self-made people. Take Gatsby for example; he is extremely proud that he has built his own estate from the ground up and has established himself as a member of the upper class. He flaunts his vast, newfound wealth every chance he gets and humbly brags about his success to whomever will listen. Gatsby even, "[T]ook out a pile of shirts and began throwing them, one by one," to show off his expensive wardrobe collection (Fitzgerald 127). This shows his immense pride in his wealth that he earned and worked so hard to attain. Another person who displays great pride in being a self-made and prosperous man is Gatsby's business associate, Meyer Wolfsheim. Wolfsheim is introduced as a gambler who fixed the 1919 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds. This means that he made his money illegally but is still self-made nonetheless. Wolfsheim is also one to show off his wealth, even when no one is asking about it. When eating lunch with Nick, Wolfsheim pointed out his cuff links that are made with human molars. He does this because having teeth as jewelry means that he lives an extravagant lifestyle with so much money that he doesn't know what to do with it. Both Gatsby and Wolfsheim are extremely proud of their self-made wealth in a way that is purely American.
The Great Gatsby is viewed as one of the great American novels of the 20th century because the themes within are fundamentally American such as the belief that hard work can solve everything, the belief that free will and freedom are pillars of society, and the pride that many Americans display because they are a self-made person. Gatsby clearly believes that his hard work will solve all of his problems. This is because American ideals and culture push people to believe that success is guaranteed if hard work is put in. Tom, Myrtle, Nick, and Jordan all personify the freedom of America. They make their decisions how they want to because they are free to do so. Gatsby and Wolfsheim are excellent examples of the pride that many Americans exhibit when they have become successful on their own account. Americans as a whole are enamored by those who have built their own way to the top. Fitzgerald's novel is universally acknowledged as one of the great American novels of the 20th century for a reason: it shines light on the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of the American dream.