Why Is The American Dream Important In The Great Gatsby

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Walt Disney once said, “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” Americans in the roaring 1920s really believed this. They believed that with hard work and determination they could achieve their dreams. The American Dream is defined as when someone starts out low on the social or economic level and works hard to reach fame and wealth. Most people think having an abundance of money, big house, nice car, and a happy family are effects of the American Dream. The desire to succeed is what determines if a person becomes successful and how successful they become. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is a perfect example of the American Dream. Jay’s life shows how hard work can help a person’s dream become …show more content…

No, he’s a gambler.’ … ‘He’s the man who fixed the World’s Series back in 1919’” (pg. 73). Even though Gatsby and Wolfsheim were friends and close business partners, they probably did dishonorable things to get all of their money. People might be wealthy but they might not have done all the right things to get their money. The main point that Fitzgerald was trying to make is that America is morally and ethically declining. The affair between Daisy and Gatsby is a fine example of how morals are weakening. Gatsby fired all of his servants and told Nick, “I wanted somebody who wouldn’t gossip. Daisy comes over quite often – in the afternoons” (pg. 114). This is an ongoing problem Rogers 4 even today and proves that the decline of America is rapidly increasing. People have no morals today and will do anything to get money, even if it means hurting someone else in the process. In conclusion, Gatsby was a prime candidate that displayed the American Dream. Gatsby was hard working and pushed through his past to achieve his dreams and become the wealthiest man in all of West Egg. Fitzgerald did an amazing job of displaying the American Dream through the life of Jay Gatsby in the novel, The Great