The Great Gatsby and the American Dream

The American Dream is the belief that anyone, regardless of race, class, gender, or nationality, can attain their own version of success in America through hard work. In the book, the American Dream is a fantasy. the author tries to prove the two key principles of the American Dream: attainable through hard work and accessible to everyone are wrong by telling the stories of different characters mainly, Jay Gatsby, a wealthy man in New York. Gatsby’s story started when he worked very hard for a rich man called Dan Cody. However, Gatsby failed to get a great fortune through hard work. He then decided to obtain his wealth through crime. He distributed illegal alcohol and traded in stolen securities. And this is where all his money comes from. The Great Gatsby is the product of crimes, but not of hard work or the American Dream. Moreover, the American Dream is not accessible to everyone. Characters in the book have different backgrounds. Gatsby is from a poor farmer’s family and the antagonist’s family has a very high social status. Despite the characters’ differences, they all worked hard for their own success, and all failed miserably. Even Gatsby is so wealthy because his ultimate goal, his own version of success is to have a wonderful love relationship and he did not have one. Take another example, Myrtle Wilson, a woman who dreamt of becoming rich through marriage and worked hard for it, is accidentally killed by her romantic rival. In conclusion, The American Dream is supported by two key principles: attainable through hard work and accessible to everyone. However, these two main pillars of the Dream have collapsed in the story of The Great Gatsby. It has become nothing but a fantasy. <a href="https://medium.com/illumination/the-great-gatsby-and-the-american-dream-40129fe3d694">Visit Now</a>