Dangers Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

“The greatest danger is not failing to achieve the American Dream; the greatest danger lies in achieving a dream you don’t actually believe in,” according to author Courtney E. Martin in “The New Better Off”. Today, the individual personality triumphs over the American Dream. Although this idea is gaining popularity over the older American Dream ideology, the “old Dream” remains. The accumulation of wealth is paramount, and further perpetuated through the media and pop culture. The despair from the Great Depression and World Wars bore the American Dream, promising stability and harmony during chaos.Of course, America’s promise attracts immigrants to the supposed “land of opportunity”. Upon arrival, they would soon realize that the “American” dream does not include them. The American Dream was a facade used to subjugate everyone to a standard of normalcy to further the wealth of the nation as a

In The Great Gatsby, the Buchanans are the prime example of America’s old money, whereas Jay Gatsby has managed to acquire the American Dream. However, despite their wealth, they do not achieve the happiness that the Dream promised them. Instead, characters such as the Buchanans become “careless people— they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made. . .” (Fitzgerald 188). Both Tom and Daisy had their respective lovers, but allowed them to take the brunt of the consequences of their actions. Likewise, Gatsby does not feel fulfilled by his wealth; he hosts many parties to attract Daisy’s attention, and is generous to his guests. However, he is alone with only Nick, his father, and the Owl Man attending his funeral. For Gatsby, seemingly well-liked in life, is discarded quickly when he no longer proved