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The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

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One of the major themes in The Great Gatsby is the American Dream, and especially its failure. The novel is set in New York City on Long Island during the Roaring Twenties, which was a time of celebration after World War I. Most significantly, it was a period of time in which people experienced prosperity and optimism, and were surrounded by some sort of restlessness and impatience: no one could wait for their dreams to come true. The Roaring Twenties were also a time of idolization, hypocrisy, moral failure and excess. Likewise, the way some people tried to pursue their dreams and the way they lived was often characterized by those destructive and negative aspects. Lots of people lived their lives excessively, without structure and with

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