ipl-logo

Why Is The American Dream Important In The Great Gatsby

775 Words4 Pages

The American dream is a phrase used by people as time goes on described as wealth, happiness, freedom, equality, and prosperity. This dream is living through many people in the U.S. because of their hard work and determination. Throughout the years the dream has been The American dream is alive and everyone is capable of reaching it. Many people are capable of reaching their goals and dreams through hard work. The Opportunities given to us are what make people capable of reaching their dreams. “The American dream is the ideal that every U.S. citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative” (Rosemarie). Therefore, the American dream is alive and many people should …show more content…

You can achieve all your goals and dream however at the end of the day if you’re not happy you cannot truly say you have achieved the American dream. For example, Throughout the book The Great Gatsby, Jay had achieved everything he ever wanted but he is lonely and unhappy. That made Gatsby feel like he was never capable of reaching his American dream. “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter- tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther” (Fitzgerald 180). Thus shows the great and wealthy Gatsby was always reaching out to the person he loved. Without her, he was lonely and could never find happiness so he was cut short of his American …show more content…

For example, “Recent research, shows that in the United States, the rate of upward absolute income mobility—the fraction of children who grow up to earn more than their parents, after adjusting for inflation—declined substantially over the past 50 years. More than 90 percent of U.S. children born in 1940 had higher real incomes at age 30 than their parents did, but only about 50 percent of children born in 1980 can say the same” (Manduca). This shows that people believe that the amount of money you earn makes you achieve your dream. However, the American dream is more than just the money and materialistic items you obtain throughout your life. For example, many people are able to be happy without being rich and famous. However, there are many people out there who could be very wealthy but lack happiness making it hard for them to achieve the true American dream. “I believe money can play a major role in people’s dreams however, I think the main thing is happiness and the way you view your life” (Cook). Therefore, the American dream is not all about money but the way you live your life and if you’re happy or

Open Document