Compare The American Dream And Tom's Home In The Great Gatsby

Shown by The Great Gatsby and those today, the goals and aspirations to own a home are the same, and for both, the status and achievements of a person’s work is what defines their dream. The success of the American Dream is shown through one's possessions, especially their home. Fitzgerald repeatedly describes the homes of each character to symbolize the success of their American Dream, and what they wish to achieve from their success. Tom’s house is a symbol of his success and achievement of his American Dream: “Their house was even more elaborate than I expected, a cheerful red and white Georgian Colonial mansion overlooking the bay. The lawn started at the beach and ran toward the front door for a quarter of a mile, jumping over sun-dials

Similar to Gatsby, Tom’s house is what defines his Dream. It is one of his goals to achieve as part of his American Dream and it stands a trophy of his success. Both Tom and Gatsby’s homes are valuable to them because it shows the rest of the world who they are and establishes their place in the upper echelons of society. Like the characters in the Great Gatsby, in today’s society owning a home is one of the main focuses to the American Dream. A home represents the success one has found within his American Dream: “But today, the pursuit is more often defined not by the land itself but by what we build upon it. We do not aspire to be landowners, but to be homeowners. Homeownership and the American Dream are tied tightly together” (Jackson 1-2). Today, one’s status and achievements in regards to the American Dream depends on their level of homeownership. Similar to The Great Gatsby, much of the success of one’s American Dream today depends on whether not they own a home and the size and appearance of the home itself. Also as seen in the novel, a person’s status depends on the size of their home and the magnitude of possesions in