The American dream has been an ideal for many generations. Yet this “dream” Is quite deceptive. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses Jay Gatsby to portray the American dream as empty, materialistic, and unattainable.
Emptiness is obvious in The Great Gatsby, everyone “living the dream” is extremely unhappy. For example Gatsby throws extravagant and lavish parties that everyone attends will everyone except the one person he wants there. This is described in the quote “ my eyes fell on Gatsby standing alone on the marble steps looking from one group to another.”(80) Gatsby was just waiting for his long-lost to love to walk in rather than enjoying his party and even once he met with Daisy again, it wasn't what he thought it would be. It is stated, “ There must have been times that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams-not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusions.”(95) This makes it evident that “his dream” was more of his own illusions rather than something tangible. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby makes it evident that his life
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Gatsby’s main aspiration is to be wealthy, and he would do anything to reach that goal. Tom Buchanan said of Gatsby , “I picked him for a bootlegger from the first time I saw him, and I wasn’t far from wrong.”(133) This demonstrates the lengths Gatsby went to for money; he would go as far as to participate in such an immoral business. Another example is every time Gatsby has a more intimate meeting with someone, the first thing he does with boast about his possessions. During the first meeting after 5 years, Gatsby takes Daisy and Nick to show them his home. He then proceeds to tell Nick, “My house looks well doesn't it? See how the whole front of it catches the light.”(89) It is undeniable that materialism is a large part of Gatsby’s persona as it is the essence of his desires while he frequently illustrates it with his