The Power Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes the American Dream as “an American social ideal that stresses egalitarianism and especially material prosperity; also: the prosperity or life that is the realization of this ideal.” This, however, is false. The new American Dream is about superiority. The only reason people want to prosper in life is so they can show off their success. All the American Dream represents is power. The first element people use to gain power over others is money. The film, “Fun with Dick and Jane,” is a perfect example of this. When the couple runs out of money they begin to rob stores, banks, and their neighbors. In other movies like “The Incredibles,” people gain their money through praise. The great American Dream is usually not obtained as honorably as the some Heroes. In the novel, “The Great Gatsby,” Jay Gatsby wanted to marry Daisy Buchanan so he could move to East Egg with her. Moving to East Egg would help to fulfill Gatsby’s dream of being born into old money.

To obtain his goal of of marrying Daisy, Gatsby earns money from selling illegal liquor. He has to prove how much money he has by buying a mansion and throwing large parties every night. Much like Gatsby, Dick and Jane prove that they are living the American Dream twice. The first time was in the beginning of the movie when the characters are introduced with a family, dog, and beautiful house. The next time is when Dick and Jane get all their money back and are able to buy back all of their stuff. In “The Incredibles,” the supers were able to prove their worth with expensive houses and headquarters. Once the public stopped praising the Incredibles had to go into hiding and act like everybody