Unveiling The American Dream In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

Unveiling the American Dream. All humanity struggles with striving to be a superior version of oneself. Displayed through movies, novels, and everyday life, the sought-after American Dream conveys this idea and consumes many people’s lives. It embodies the ideas of determination, perseverance, and the ability to achieve one's deepest aspirations. Through the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald traces the life of Jay Gatsby from the eyes of Nick Caraway to display the struggle and longing that comes with the desire for unattainable goals. Although the American Dream is viewed as an attainable goal for all, the novel highlights the emptiness, corruption, and isolation that come with pursuing wealth and material success. A certain aspect

Even Nick notices, “there was music from my neighbor’s house through the summer nights. In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars” (Fitzgerald 43). The constant flow of people in and out of Gatsby’s party gives the impression that he, and his party, are sought-after. The desire for approval and validation engulfs the vain people of society, so when Gatsby is regarded as this prize for people to be won he begins to move up in the public view. Despite the fame that Gatsby appears to have, this facade of importance is misleading. The reality of the social gatherings Gatsby hosts is that no one truly knows who their mysterious entertainer is. Nick mentions how “I was one of the few guests who had actually been invited”. “sometimes they came and went without having met Gatsby at all” (Fitzgerald 45). No one truly knows who Gatsby is, although it may seem like he has a plethora of friends and acquaintances, it appears as if the only one who truly knows him is Nick. This alludes to the idea that the precedent of achieving recognition and the need to be desired in the American Dream is meaningless if no one truly knows