The American Dream

During the time period in which The Great Gatsby was written in, a popular belief of the American Dream was in the minds of everyone. It was a belief that everyone, no matter what background you came from, could become wealthy and have a perfect life. The unfortunate thing about this American Dream was that very few people successfully achieved it in their lifetimes. In the case of The Great Gatsby, the American Dream was looked at from a different point of view. In the novel, Gatsby was shown to have come from rags to riches yet he still was not happy. This was because he had his eyes set not on money, but on a girl named Daisy. As we continued through the book, what seemed like anyones American Dream, was only a step for Gatsby into getting his dream, Daisy. In the end Gatsby never reached his dream and died because of it. This shows the reader just how hard it is to reach the "perfect" American Dream and that you should always have a backup plan to fall back on.