The Significance Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

Each year hundreds of thousands of immigrants enter the United States, the “land of opportunity”, in search of a more comfortable life. Whether the immigrants are fleeing persecution or looking to earn sufficient income, all come with their own version of the American Dream. By definition the American Dream is the belief that anyone, regardless of what class he/she comes from, can attain some form of success and upward social mobility is possible. However, in the early 1920’s, the American Dream became a term more typically applied to the achievement of material success, and the sense of happiness that would supposedly ensue. In the novel The Great Gatsby, which takes place during the summer of 1922, the main character Jay Gatsby, born poor,
Gatsby best exemplifies this aspect of the American Dream. Once he has Daisy, literally in his arms, Gatsby’s infatuation with the green light on Daisy’s dock disappears immediately. “‘You always have a green light that burns all night at the end of your dock.’ Daisy put her arm through his abruptly, but he seemed absorbed in what he had just said. Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever… His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one” (93). In its replacement, Gatsby now wishes for Daisy’s life with Tom to be completely forgotten. In other words, now that Daisy is within Gatsby’s reach, he wants more from her. This exemplifies the futility of the American Dream in that Gatsby has reached his original goal, but he is still left wanting more. Gatsby now expects nothing less from Daisy than for her to abandon Tom and live in Gatsby’s mansion with him. Most simply put, this expectation is unrealistic. Further, if Daisy were to do exactly as Gatsby wanted, he would still wish for more. In summary, Gatsby’s achievement of his version of the American Dream leaves him feeling not only unfulfilled because he wants more from Daisy, but also unsatisfied because his former dreams did not make him as happy as he had