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The American Dream is the hope that anyone can earn success if they work hard enough. Throughout the novel The Great Gatsby, the main character James Gatz believes that achieving the American Dream requires making money. Fitzgerald illustrates for the reader an image of Gatsby’s struggle to obtain the approval and acceptance of high society and to earn the same status. Jay Gatsby travels the journey to achieve the American dream, but his dream is corrupted and outside forces prevent him from ever fully attaining it. For him making money will then equal happiness and the woman of his dreams, Daisy. At the beginning of the 20th century class ranking in society played a huge role in the people you would be introduced to. James Gatz came from a poor family whereas Daisy was brought up in an affluent family. For James to be in the same social class as Daisy and have the opportunity to be in a relationship with her, he must become a man of wealth. To James Gatz attaining love is equal to attaining wealth.
Fitzgerald sets up social class as a huge theme in the novel. He focuses on life during the roaring 20s and sets up the book in separate social classes with each group having its problems to contend with, leaving a powerful reminder of what a dangerous place the world is. By creating distinct social classes – old money, new money, and no money – Fitzgerald sends strong messages about the aristocratic running throughout every layer of society. Daisy and Gatsby met at her house, at first with other officers from Camp Taylor, then alone (Fitzgerald 148). He had to be careful because at any moment the invisible cloak of his uniform might slip from his shoulders (149). Meaning that he had to be cautious of hiding his true identity. He won her over with Pretenses…He let her believe that he was a person from much the same stratum as herself (149). He had to spend his life making money to stay in the upper class. Following the theme of alcoholism, as discussed in class, it is very interesting how Gatsby acquired most of his money through bootlegging. The next time that Daisy and Gatsby met, he had become very prosperous. He had built a massive mansion filled with tons of elegant riches which was located across the bay (78) from Daisy. While flaunting all he had in his house he also revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes (91). Even after achieving the wealth he desired, Gatsby was still unhappy because he didn’t have Daisy in his life. Fitzgerald criticizes American society for depriving Gatsby of his American dream because of the country’s growing obsession with consumer culture and misunderstanding of the American dream as a culmination of wealth. Gatsby is a great example of showing that this Dream is corrupt. You can have all the money and riches in the world and still be very unhappy.
Nick Callaway is one of the very few characters in this book who is not selfish and careless. He, like the majority of people in the early 1920s, was in search of hitting it big in the stock market and investments. He too followed this goal of achieving wealth. However, while observing all of Gatsby’s parties and the way people act, he is struck by the number of young English men dotted about; all well dressed, all looking a little hungry, and all talking in low earnest voices to solid and prosperous Americans. They were at least agonizingly aware of the easy money in the vicinity and convinced that it was theirs for a few words in the right key (42). Nick realizes that the people here aren’t true friends of Gatsby’s but are just in it for themselves to make money. After all, Nick had been the only guest who had been invited (41). Everyone else invited themselves. Once he sees the type of lifestyle of everyone living on the Eggs and how selfish they are, he decides to move back to the West, where he came from. He states that even when the East excited me the most, even when I was most keenly aware of its superiority to the bored, sprawling swollen towns beyond Ohio, with their interminable inquisitions which spared only the children and very old- even then it had always for me a quality of Distortion (176). This shows how he finally realizes that this Dream he once dreamt about, moving to the East and getting rich, was corrupt and did not make him happy.
Even today this still holds people equate happiness with wealth. This corrupt American Dream in the novel and real life makes people focused on making money, but money cannot buy true happiness, especially love. Gatsby spent his whole life achieving great wealth and prosperity but feels incomplete because he has not gotten Daisy. Fitzgerald sends a message through The Great Gatsby that chasing an unworthy dream will lead to tragedy and for Gatsby, In the end, this unworthy dream of attaining Daisys love is what killed him.
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