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The Power Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

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The Power Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby
The American dream based on our wants and desires, is corrupted by wealth. This is shown in how Fitzgerald uses characters to illustrate a corrupted dream.
Myrtle Believes that marrying into wealth is the key to happiness and she tries to reject her identity to be wealthy.
Gatsby Believes financial success gained by any means to win daisy over. Whenever Gatsby met Dan Cody and had a chance to receive wealth that he wasn’t born with he let money control his judgement. James Gatz turned into Jay Gatsby one afternoon when he stepped on Dan Cody’s yacht. He took charge of his American dream and gained opportunities for himself but as the story progressed he got drunk off this wealth and wanted more. The real person he once was got clouded by rumors and who people created him out to be. The only person that …show more content…
Daisy is the “American dream” because she is wealthy, sophisticated, and graceful. Daisy achieved the “American dream” but once you begin living that dream the magic of it was lost because what was truly important about life was lost. Daisy felt empty when she stated “I’ve been everywhere and seen everything and done everything” and as her voice breaks off she feels like there is something missing in her life. (Fitzgerald 17) When Daisy created a life with tom she didn’t know what she would have to sacrifice in order to create her life and when she heard that she put another little girl in the world she cried. Daisy believed that the best thing for her daughter was to be a “fool” because “that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” (Fitzgerald 17) Daisy understands how being wealthy corrupted her love for Gatsby which just fed a materialistic love with Tom and she doesn’t want the same life for her daughter. Daisy yearns for something deeper and meaningful because the corruption of wealth can’t over take her
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