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What Is The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

1203 Words5 Pages

DC English Literature Final
Kursten Prater
The American Dream “That’s why they call it the American Dream, because you have to be asleep to believe it.” - George Carlin. The American Dream is the idea that every United States citizen will have equal opportunity to achieve their success, but you must work hard with determination. You should not be based off of your social class or the kind of life you were born into. Everyone has their own way of describing the American Dream. We read four stories and each of them represented the American Dream in their own way. One story we have read is Of Mice and Men. Each character in this story has their own type of an American Dream. George’s dream is to own a bunch of acres of land. He believes that …show more content…

Daisy’s dream is to be the best of the best. She wants a representation of herself of doing nothing wrong. Daisy is unsatisfied with her wealth and is constantly achieving to get more. “That’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” Gatsby’s dream is to better himself and to have Daisy. Once Gatsby gets with Daisy, it is all ruined. All Daisy wants is wealth and high class, Gatsby doesn’t have this. He can never be happy with Daisy. “I knew it was a great mistake for a man like me to fall in love.” Tom sees the American Dream as a myth. Tom was born into wealth and doesn’t really have to work hard to get anything. He has everything he could ever dream of. “Pride, precision, and perfect product.” Daisy did not achieve her American Dream. She was always focused on her social status and getting more. Daisy has everything she could ever need, but will always try to get more. In her eyes, she will never achieve the dream. Gatsby achieves his dream of getting to be with Daisy. He comes to find out that Daisy isn’t what he wants. He believes that you can always achieve more. Tom can’t fail or achieve the American Dream because he doesn’t believe in it. He has everything and can’t really get anything

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