Every person wishes they had something that they do not have. Whether it be money and fame, the person of their dreams, going to a place unimaginable, or getting their dream job, everybody wants things that are most likely out of reach. For the most part, people work intensely to follow out their dreams, despite their odds. Although many would like to think otherwise, most dreams do not come true no matter the amount of effort put into them, simply because the odds are against them. This can be seen in The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald throughout the lives of many of the characters in the book. In particular, Fitzgerald illustrates through the life of Jay Gatsby that no matter how hard a person tries, it is impossible to achieve a hollow dream of becoming someone they are not without their life resulting in misery. …show more content…
When Gatsby met Daisy, Fitzgerald portrays him as a soldier because as a soldier Gatsby could wear a uniform and hide his true social class allowing him to temporarily be accepted into Daisy’s class (Fitzgerald 139). This is significant because it conveys to the reader Gatsby’s attempt to change his identity and pretend to be a person that he simply was not. Even if it was for one evening, Gatsby allowed Daisy to fall in love with a different version of himself, setting himself up for failure. Gatsby also allows his identity to be covered up when he fails to tell anybody anything about his history. At his parties, people would talk about how he was a “German Spy in the war,” or that he “killed a man” (Fitzgerald 44).Gatsby's failure to address rumors such as these confirms his wish of becoming a part of the old money class because his honest history would disqualify him from his dream. However, Gatsby could not hide his reality forever and eventually is exposed, resulting in a failure to accomplish his