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The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

891 Words4 Pages

During a period of economic prosperity in East America, people started leaving their homes and seek opportunities for a better life. The Roaring Twenties gave the young people enough courage to go to the unknown land of opportunities in order to achieve their American Dream. The American Dream represents a life of wealth through hard work, having a long-term relationship with a person you love and want to be part of your life and having the ability to be happy about yourself and what you have accomplished. It is your aim in life that you continuously chase until you lose the desire to be what you wanted. Being part of Gatsby’s life, Nick closely observes Jay’s way to the American dream and shares: “ I [Nick] thought of Gatsby's wonder when …show more content…

Nick is a typical guy from the Midwest who comes to the East so as to become wealthy. He shares that “The Carraways are something of a clan...the actual founder of my line was my grandfather's brother, who... started the wholesale hardware business that my father carries on to-day.“ (Fitzgerald 3). His family has its own business but that does not make him as rich as Tom Buchanan or Gatsby. Nick describes his family as “well-to-do”. This enables him to graduate from Yale which is an excellent start for achieving the American Dream. Nick lives on the West Egg, where the “new rich” live, in a small tiny house that he rents for $80 and is nothing compared to the palaces by which it is surrounded, Even though he is like a small poor mice among the rich giants, his decision to stay and live there reveals his desire to become wealthy and successful person, because living with the rich people would be a great source of motivation for him to work. He demonstrates his desire to work by sharing: “I [Nick] bought a dozen volumes on banking and credit and investment securities, and they stood on my shelf in red and gold like new money from the mint, promising to unfold the shining secrets that only Midas and Morgan and Maecenas knew. And I had the high intention of reading other books beside.” (Fitzgerald 4). Carraway’s words illustrate that he “had intentions” but did not do anything more to

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This quote suggests a very lowkey connotation about Nick, and his abilities to remain sober in a mature, professional way. Fitzgerald creates the image that Carraway as a follower not a man of action, or leadership capabilities. Nick is a man who is reactive to any situation, but patient. At one point in the book Nick realizes the affair between Tom Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson, but never confronts Tom about the situation. Nick’s curious attitude toward Gatsby describes their relationship with one another.

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