left to find a better way of life. She believes that the American Dream began with people wanting a better life and has now progressed to greed of money. The American Dream has changed over time and Mrs. Carroll believes this is because as civilization changed, people naturally wanted more than what they had. When she thinks of someone who is living the American Dream, Mrs. Carroll thinks of someone who has a strong family and are very well off financially, but they are still very generous with their money and time. Although the American Dream can vary, Mrs. Carroll believes that it can be achieved. Although the best representation of the American Dream is through interview, there are many poems that explain exactly what the American Dream is all about. The poem Stupid America by Luis Delgado, reveals how difficult it can be for someone to achieve their American Dream. The last few lines, “but he will die/ with one thousand/ masterpieces/ hanging only from his mind.”(Delgado) show how even though people strive for their American Dream, most people will not achieve it in their lifetime. Another representation of the American Dream is A Red Palm by Gary Soto because it shows how the boy who dropped out of school to work on the farm may not seem like he is living his American Dream, but at the end of the day he is satisfied. The lines, “You get up and walk with the sigh of the cotton plants./ You go to sleep with a red sun on your palm,/ The sore light you see when you first stir in bed.”(Soto) shows how being satisfied and content is a major part of the American Dream. Thus, the American Dream can be represented in many different ways. The novel The Great Gatsby by F.
Scott Fitzgerald, is an amazing representation of the American Dream. There are many characters that achieved very different American Dreams such as Tom Buchanan, Jay Gatsby, and Nick Carroway. Tom Buchanan’s American Dream was not one of success, but one of affairs. Tom wanted to see how many women he could use to cheat on Daisy. Whereas Nick Carraway realizes his American Dream after Gatsby’s death. Nick recognizes that his American Dream is to learn from the past, but he realizes this once it is too late. Jay Gatsby also had an American Dream. His American Dream was that if he had enough money then love can all be his. He shows this through how he tries to impress Daisy with his money. The final lines of the novel show Gatsby’s American
Dream, “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter---tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther….And one fine morning----- So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”(Fitzgerald 180).
Therefore the American Dream was well represented in the novel The Great Gatsby. In conclusion, everyone has an American Dream. Whether that dream be a better life, improved finances, or love. Many people such as Mrs. Carroll, Tom Buchanan, Nick Carraway, and Jay Gatsby have American Dreams along with so many more people. The American Dream is what these people want to achieve in life.