The Great Gatsby is one of the best known novels from the twentieth century that offers a deeper reflection on the American Dream. This novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald deals with the topics of love and money, and the way in which these affect the characters in the story. The plot centers around the character of Jay Gatsby, a man who wants the love of Daisy Buchanan, a beautiful woman he met in his youth, and will do everything in his power to obtain it. The narrator of the story is a young writer that moved out of his hometown with the hope to become rich named Nick Caraway, Daisy’s cousin and Gatsby’s new neighbor. It is set in New York City during the 1920s, immediately after World War I during what is commonly known as the Roaring Twenties. The novel’s main focus is the representation of the various excesses of the rich and the American Dream, and how these fall for the common belief that money will lead to success and happiness, however their unhappiness transforms the novel into critique of american society during the Jazz Age. …show more content…
By the time when The Great Gatsby is set, the American Dream had little to do with hope and dedication, and a lot to do with the transformation of people’s lifestyle. Before this idea many people who were leaving their homes to go to America were leaving to obtain success through perseverance and hard work, hoping to become happy because of everything that they achieved through their own means. But by the time of the Roaring Twenties, hard work wasn’t nearly as important as the amount of money and the social status you