The Significance Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

Imagine yourself living in a nice house with a healthy family, an expensive car, lots of money, a good job, freedom, high social status, and achieving your goals all at once. That is what is considered the American Dream. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby tries to achieve this dream shown through Nick’s perspective. He lives in a mansion and throws huge parties quite often, but something always seemed to be missing to him. In fact, his house was empty, which only included him, his servants, etc. His house was decorated all over with marvelous things which he did on purpose to try and impress Daisy Buchanan, his long-lost love, as part of his dream. Turns out that his dream was not achieved at all. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald

After Myrtle Wilson’s accident, Nick and Gatsby debrief about what happened. Nick then asks Gatsby if Daisy was driving, to which Gatsby replies, “‘Yes,’ he said after a moment, ‘but of course I’ll say I was’” (Fitzgerald 143). Gatsby is willing to take the blame for what Daisy did. Gatsby is so head over heels for Daisy that he does not care about the consequences as long as Daisy does not get them, which will affect both of them anyway. Daisy has a lack of concern for him, even though he sacrifices himself for her. Fitzgerald shows that love can make you do crazy things, but you can not let it destroy you. Avoid doing things for other people that can risk your life and do not let them control you. Being blind through these actions will fail to make you realize that you need to leave that situation and not get yourself in it in the first place. Gatsby’s decisions show the consequences of his misfocus, how his death resulted from them, and why the man that took his life is symbolic of this loss. After Gatsby is willing the take the fault for Myrtle’s death, Nick reflects on how George Wilson killed him, which took his life away rather than just locking him up for a crime he did not commit. Being so upset by this, Nick admits to the reader, “After Gatsby’s death the east was haunted for me like that, distorted beyond my eyes’ power of correction”

Gatsby and Nick are talking about the gathering they had with Daisy and the others. Gatsby is disappointed that Daisy did not like his party and Nick explains to Gatsby that he can’t ask too much of her and could not relive the past, Gatsby replies with, “‘Can't repeat the past?’ he cried incredulously. ‘Why of course you can!’” (Fitzgerald 110). Gatsby believes that he can continue Daisy and his relationship where they left it off five years ago. He still thinks there is a chance for them and has been thinking about her since when she got married and had a baby afterward and continued with her life, unlike Gatsby. He cannot recognize that his goal is impossible and does anything to win her back. Fitzgerald shows how people can’t progress forward if they are letting the past hold them back. By doing this, you are wasting your life and won’t ever live its purpose and move forward. By letting the past control Gatsby’s life, he does not see that the things that happened between those five years can be an obstacle for him in the future. After Gatsby’s death, Nick wanted to inform Daisy of the news since he has not heard from her yet after the incident. Nick goes to see her and tells the reader, “She and Tom had gone away early that afternoon, and taken baggage with them” (Fitzgerald 164). Daisy does not even know what happened yet and left town after she killed Myrtle