Francis Scott Fitzgerald used The Great Gatsby to show his belief in the American Dream: “He warned that a pursuit of happiness driven by greed was not attainable. That is because someone else always had more” (Amadeo). Jay Gatsby tried all his life to fulfill his dream but he always faced failure because he yearned beyond what could be given to him. The definition of the American Dream is a farce that leads to discouragement and disappointments (Arnade). No matter how hard one works, the American Dream will bring people to discontent because of society’s obsession with unattainable desires. The American Dream is a power-hungry idea that directs people to their sadness and destruction.
Some argue the American Dream is achievable. Forty-five percent of Americans believe in the dream, and of those, twenty-three percent of those Americans believe they are actually living their idea of the American Dream
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In the novel, Jay Gatsby’s American Dream is to do anything and everything possible to win over Daisy Buchanan. But, once Gatsby finally has her, he still is not satisfied. Nick Carraway states that Jay Gatsby paid a high life for one single dream that he eventually no longer cared about (Fitzgerald 161). He then wants Daisy to admit she has only ever loved him. Daisy is incapable of giving him the new dream he really wants. This is when he loses Daisy. When Gatsby is not satisfied with his original goal, “He gave that up, and only the dead dream fought on as the afternoon slipped away, trying to touch what was no longer tangible, struggling unhappily, undespairingly, toward that lost voice across the room” (Fitzgerald 134). His asking for too much leaves him longing for Daisy’s affection. Fitzgerald makes Daisy’s love for Gatsby a sparkling jewel beyond the reach of Gatsby’s fingertips (Kuehl). Unfortunately, Gatsby cannot carry out his American Dream because he will always want