According to merriam-webster.com, the definition of an American Dream was, “A happy way of living that is thought of by many Americans as something that can be achieved by anyone in the U.S. especially by working hard and becoming successful.” The novel, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is told in the point of view of Nick Carraway, a young man who recently moved to West Egg, Long Island, New York. He tells the story of his mysterious neighbor, Jay Gatsby, who had one goal: to reconcile with Daisy Buchanan. Throughout the novel, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbols as a way to provide a deeper meaning, such as the Valley of Ashes, Dr. TJ Eckleburg 's eyes, and the green light. The green light plays an immense role in the novel for the reason being that it represents Gatsby 's personal dream of being with Daisy again and having a life together which exemplifies the theme of how the American dream is simply unattainable in the 1920s.
To begin with, Nick finds Gatsby reaching out to the green light. At the beginning of the novel, we are first introduced to Gatsby 's existence when Nick sees him reaching out to the light. “He reached out his arms toward the dark water...I could have sworn he was trembling...and distinguished nothing except a single green light.” (21) It seems as though Gatsby is mesmerized by the light as if touching he gives him sanity and hope. Him reaching out to the light at the end of Daisy docks gives the light a whole deeper meaning: rekindle the