Disillusionment Theme In The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is not simply a story of Jay Gatsby’s undying and misguided love for a Daisy Buchanan. The novel, The Great Gatsby, encompasses a number of themes, the most significant one is the disillusionment and corruption of the American dream. The ability to obtain prosperity such as happiness, or a car is what comprises of the American dream. It is a belief that anyone who is self-sufficient, or who is a hard worker can obtain this dream regardless of their social standing. In the book, the facade of a dream appears to be at the tips of Gatsby and Myrtle’s fingers but this “pursuit of happiness” sentiment is in actuality impossible. In The Great Gatsby, the characters strive to reach their own ideas of the American dream, a dream which is unattainable due to the expectations of others, the cost of success and their false ideas of reality.
The expectations of society, the fear of being rejected or isolated from society causes people to lose sight of their dream. He deceives and evades his past in order for him to achieve acceptance; “Gatsby... remains utterly disconnected from any sort of verifiable geographic background, a fact that poses a dilemma for those like Tom trying to read Gatsby. Nick eventually associates Gatsby with his West Egg home... insisting instead on the absolute autonomy of Gatsby 's manufactured identity” (Beuka). “Old money” is what creates status during the 1920’s time, knowing that Daisy is only accepting of a man who pertains to that