The Great Gatsby Research Paper

Many people have been drawn to the American Dream as it is such a lovely sounding thought. It is that typical success story people often fantasize about that anyone can achieve financial success, regardless of where they start out in life. The American Dream thrives off the idea that anyone has the capability to succeed and thrive in all aspects through a bit of honest hard work. It is nothing more than an unrealistic fantasy however, as demonstrated through the actions of the characters in The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald emphasizes through the novel that the American Dream is unattainable unless a person has wealth to begin with or gets it through legal means. And thus, the characters’ aspirations bring about a sense of greed and desire that

On the surface, Gatsby was once dirt poor and then he rose up with a crazy amount of money. Thus he must have accomplished the full extent of the so-called American Dream. Despite this, Gatsby still craved more because in his eyes his dream had not been fulfilled. All his wealth came from the desire to be with his past lover, Daisy, who is now married. With a desire to be with her once more, Gatsby occupied the mansion that was just across the lake from Daisy. This desire for Daisy is represented through the green light emitted from the lighthouse. Fitzgerald 24. Despite how hard Gatsby pushes to be with Daisy, he is unable to be with her once more. His dream is unattainable. Gatsby dies before ever completing his dream in full. “. . his dream must have seemed so close he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him. . .” (Fitzgerald 182). Even if Gatsby had lived, the book eluded him, never knowing that his pursuit for Daisy would ultimately be fruitless. Gastby was doomed from the start. He would only be able to achieve great wealth. The claim that the American Dream is unreachable due to the greed of humanity is further supported by Gatsby's

She began an affair with Tom Buchanan to try to move up in social class. Later on in the book, Myrtle is hit by a car and killed by Daisy. After her death, George is led to believe that Gatsby was the one Myrtle was cheating with, and who killed Myrtle. He ends up killing Gatsby for revenge and takes his own life (Fitzgerald 170). Wilson’s are a clear example of how not everyone can move up in the world and achieve the American Dream. Their attempts were fruitless because they started off in the lower class and they had to work extra hard to meet their basic needs. This proves that the American Dream is not cut and dry. Just working or cheating to get ahead does not always work out for everyone. The American Dream is a bizarre concept that turns out to be unique for every individual but always leads to the same outcome—that is, the inability to realize that it does not look the same nor turn out the same for everyone. It is not a formula. The argument that the American Dream is an unrealistic goal that no one can achieve is supported by The Great Gatsby. Hard work is not always rewarded in this world, as some people spend their whole lives working until they die without