The American Dream In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

The American Dream is the belief that through hard work and determination anyone can reach success. An essential aspect of this is the hope and faith that it can be achieved by all. Even those from the poorest backgrounds have the opportunity to build wealth for themselves. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan believe they have achieved the American dream. Jay Gatsby, although very successful, fell short of the American dream after losing the love of his life to another man. Gatsby fell in love with a woman named Daisy Buchanan before he was sent to live abroad after the war. Daisy promised she would wait for Gatsby to come back but she did not. She married another man while Gatsby was gone. Upon his

It was Gatsby’s main priority to find the girl he fell in love with five years prior and resume their life together. It was not easy for Gatbsy when he found out the truth about Daisy. Daisy got married and had a daughter instead of waiting for Gatsby to come back and marry her. Although five years had passed, Gatsby was determined to get back on track with Daisy. In his imagination, Daisy was Gastby’s perfect match and that when he came back everything would fall into place. No matter how unrealistic it seemed, Daisy was the only thought in Gatsby’s mind. “No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart.” This quote, stated on page 74, symbolizes Gatsby’s hopes and unconditional love for Daisy no matter the circumstances. Daisy in real life is not who Gatsby envisions her to be. Gatsby was a very determined person, he had high aspirations, and from a young age worked hard to reach his goals. He knew what he had to do to reach success and he made sacrifices, hoping it would pay off in the end. When Daisy and Gatbsy were reconnected by Daisy’s cousin Nick, things were looking up for Gatsby. His plan to win her back seemed to be going well for him. Gatsby must have

On page 100 Gatsby says to Tom, “She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me. It was a terrible mistake but in her heart she never loved anyone except me!” Tom often had affairs and did not put Daisy first. Tom was not even present at the birth of his own daughter and Daisy was left alone to give birth while he was out with his mistress. Daisy was in a marriage with an extremely selfish man with no moral values all because of her obsession with status and wealth. She would never realize the true importance of moral character over money. Therefore she would never experience the true meaning of the American Dream, a life of love, success, happiness without self