In the book The Great Gatsby, The narrator Nick Carraway tells the story of Jay Gatsby, one of the richest men in the West Egg. Gatsby was raised in a poor family but was able to gain extravagant wealth through his connection with millionaire Dan Cody. Gatsby's desire for financial success was driven by his wish to be loved by Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby was able to come up with an enormous amount of money, but he was ultimately unable to win Daisy's love. In fact, his desire for Daisy is what ultimately destroyed him. Throughout the book, Fitzgerald says that the American Dream can never be fully achieved since its followers are always looking to improve on themselves. He emphasizes the idea that if people become so preoccupied with materialistic …show more content…
Gatsby is an obvious example of the American Dream since he overcame poverty as a child to rise to greater wealth and social standing. Nick explains, “Gatsby's Bass 2 parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people... For over a year he had been beating his way along the south shore of Lake Superior as a clam-digger and a salmon fisher or in any other capacity that brought him food and a bed” (98). Gatsby was born into poverty but eventually worked his way up to wealth by working for Dan Cody. He made an effort to put his impoverished past behind him by working hard and having a burning desire to win Daisy's love. The difference between Gatsby's lifestyle in the past and the present is demonstrated when Nick describes Gatsby’s mansion, “a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool and more than forty acres of lawn and garden” (5). Although every week Hundreds of guests gathered at Gatsby's house for glamorous parties, None of them except for Owl Eyes attended his funeral. Nick says, “At first I was surprised and confused; then as Gatsby lay in his house and didn’t