Pursuit Of Goals In The Great Gatsby

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When one achieves a goal that they have been working towards, it brings a feeling of satisfaction. This satisfaction is due to knowing that the work that was involved paid off. However, what if one doesn’t have to put that much work into getting to where they got? Does that person really feel a sense of accomplishment if they don’t have to work for it? The American Dream is the constant pursuit of goals, but people who stop setting goals for themselves will never achieve the American Dream. Overall the American dream is the pursuit of goals. However, those goals are different for everyone. In the book The Great Gatsby, Gatsby’s goal was to make something of himself and get Daisy, the girl of his dreams. Gatsby did achieve his dream of making something of himself, even if he did make his money illegally. However, another character in the book, Nick, had goals that were very different from Gatsby’s goals. Instead of being rich in the city, he wanted to move back to his original home in the west. One could say that Nick also achieved the American Dream, because he too never stopped …show more content…

Anyone who sets their mind to achieving a goal can do it. The goals don’t have to be big. For example in the article Who Still Believes in the American Dream? on interviewee said that her dream was for her daughter to be able to have a better life than she did growing up. Another person said her dream was to provide her kids with a proper home and education. These people all have or will achieve the American Dream. They are striving for something and are having to work hard at it. This is not the case with Daisy and Tom Buchanan. Their financial situation is set and they don’t really have much to even do with their daughter as shown in the quote, “I suppose she talks, and — eats, and everything.(16)” They don’t have any goals. They are just running around New York City trying to find ways to entertain themselves, but are never truly