What Is The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The novel is set in the nineteen twenties, it speaks largely to the upper class of this time and the lavish, complicated lives that they live. The nineteen twenties, also known as the roaring twenties, were a time of massive parties and the upper class. This decade was fueled by easy money and new inventions. The recession after the war was long forgotten as a large percentage of the American population went on a spending spree, causing a boom in the economy. This scale of spending and not saving caused consumers to boost their profits to extraordinary new levels. Gatsby represents the American dream, the ideal that every American has an equal opportunity for success through hard work and determination. He is the definition of this idea because he started as a poor boy who fell in love but was refused the one he loved due to his economic status. He then became determined to boost this status by any means necessary, legal or sometimes illegal.

This was illegal during the nineteen twenties due to the prohibition. The demand for alcohol grew during this time, because of the scarcity the price also rose making Gatsby a great deal of money in a short amount of time. Due to the illegal nature of his money, Gatsby has made a good deal of enemies. He tries to reduce this number by throwing enormous parties that call a lot of attention to himself. However, Gatsby is not the kind of person who enjoys this kind of attention, so he hides inside his own home. The illegal trade of alcohol was a large business during this time. Gatsby moved up in this business in a short amount of time largely because of his polite persona and amazing business