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The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

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In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the vision of the ‘American Dream’ is pieced together through stories such as that of Jay Gatsby. Gatsby is the common denominator we see in ourselves as he has risen out of poverty and taken off a life of wealth and glamour. Living out what one hopes and envisions as the dream of this foretold wealth, Jay's life comes to a harsh end as the highs and lows of this perfect life of parties, love, and fortune reflected in the 1920s, or the roaring twenties, are shown from the upper-class perspective. Jay Gatsby, the mysterious man known for his extravagant parties and captivating lifestyle, dedicates his days in the novel, to the pursuit of the love of Daisy Buchanan. To capture the eye of his lover, Gatsby …show more content…

People looking for a drink would often find themselves at Gatsby’s parties, as drinking wasn’t illegal, it was just the sale and manufacture of the beverages. The 1920s is the peak Jazz age, as the music at this time was viewed very uncivilized and immoral. In this age we see the women taking on the “flapper” dress seen as brash because of women showing more skin with short flapping dresses, bobs, makeup, and the way they treated sex in a more casual light. These partiers filling the walls of Jay's manor every weekend was one of Gatsby’s many attempts to draw the attention across the water and bring Daisy into his home. “I think he half expected her to wander into one of his parties, some night,' went on Jordan. (Fitzgerald 63)" Jay Gatsby’s world of materialism starts to slowly cause the idea of the great “American Dream” to fall apart as we can see in Gatsby's troubled soul through his constant questioning for reassurance. “My house looks well, doesn’t it?” he demanded. “See how the whole front of it catches the light. (Fitzgerald 73)” He displays the tragic yearning of a person who worships financial and social status and superiority over the relationships in his life including those with both Daisy and Nick. This obsessive behavior of building up his money and items causes the reader's view of this so-called “dream” to fall

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