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Achieving The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

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The ‘American Dream’ is the idea that an one is able to achieve whatever he or she dreams of by living and working in the United States. The idea has spread to be known worldwide. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of the many themes is this concept of the American Dream. In addition to Gatsby’s love story, the book can be seen as a satire of the privileged and wealthy. Although the book contains parts that support the American Dream, a lot of it can portrayed to come off to support the reasons why the American Dream is not a realistic and is merely a delusion. The ambition to fulfil the American Dream is false as the Dream is filled with as much flaws as advantages. Michael Schudson stated that “The American Dream’ is ‘The Great national suggestion’ (171) that anyone, with hard work according to the rules, has a reasonable prospect of succeeding in life,’highlighting that the Dream is not limited to any social of economic class. (566) The dream is open to anyone who is working hard in life. The idea of the American Dream is positive and promising. Due to the broad definition, the American Dream may be different for every person, "Achieving the American Dream can be as broad as getting …show more content…

In the book, the characters all have one thing in common; a lack of success in their life and a need to have more. One example of this is the Buchanans’ attempts to achieve the American Dream. Tom and Daisy are unhappy despite the fact that they have a wealthy lifestyle and have begun a family. Although the Buchanans could be described as living the American Dream, they “lead American lives of no moral or existential significance" (Berman 12). They do not have much meaning for their lives, having already been given what is described as the American Dream. In Gatsby’s case, he achieved the version of the American Dream, the wealth and luxuries, on his own, without it being handed to

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