The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald exemplifies the truly unattainable nature of the American Dream. The overall concept of the American Dream is demonstrated through the high value the characters place on material and superfluous possessions, wealth, appearance, and reputation, which is reflected through how they choose to represent themselves in society, as well as the choices they make. The American Dream in The Great Gatsby can be compared to how it is portrayed in John Steinbeck’s “Paradox and Dream,” which details the generalities of the dream of the American people, and how success is not equivalent to happiness and satisfaction.
Among the ways, F. Scott Fitzgerald emphasizes the inaccessible qualities of the American Dream in the twenties is through the value of materialistic objects, rather than the value of the genuine self. The value of material objects is shown through the character's obsession with clothing, possessions, and appearance. When Gatsby shows Daisy his excessive amount of shirts, Daisy cries “It makes me sad because I've never seen such- such beautiful shirts before” (92)”. The characters are seen buying material things
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It becomes clear that everything the characters strive for is driven by the need to be the most successful, wealthy, and powerful. Gatsby’s desire to have Daisy was less driven by love, but rather that “she should go to Tom and say: “I never loved you.” (109). Gatsby did not want Daisy, he wanted to win, and he wanted to defeat Tom, the man who claimed the most desirable woman amongst all others. Americans, like Gatsby always want to be the best in the room, as we always strive for personal satisfaction, we “are complacent in our possessions, in our houses, in our education;” (Steinbeck), our true schemes are inhumanly fueled by competition, which is why we mask them with fake desires such as