"Anything can happen now that we’ve slid over this bridge. . .anything at all" - F. Scott Fitzergerald
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald is one of the greatest American novels of all time. Within the narrator Nick Carraway’s focus, there revolves a mysterious, wealthy, and powerful man named Jay Gatsby. Through Gatsby and those around him, Fitzgerald explores the American dreams in two main characters, Gatsby and Daisy.
The most principal version of the American Dream is Gatsby himself. From the distant West Egg home, it seems as though Gatsby has achieved the epitome of the dream. He owns one of the most lavish houses in the East Coast, constantly throws parties that are the talk of the town, and most importantly, is a self-made man. Even his identity is a dream: a young boy named James Gatz fled his poor and normal life and created the persona of “Jay Gatsby.” Yet, Fitzergerlad’s novel is not about the success of this “Great” man; it is the demise and the fruitlessness of him. Gatsby’s only dream is to have the love of his life Daisy Buchanan return and by his side. He has drastically shaped his life around Daisy; the location of his house is set right across Daisy’s, his lavish parties are all to grab the attention of his love, and Daisy's acquaintances, including Jordan Baker and Nick Carraway, are utilized by Gatsby to reach him closer to Daisy. Although Daisy’s affair with Gatsby is thrilling, after the fight between Gatsby and Tom, Daisy realizes that her fling will not be sustainable, and soon returns to reality with Tom Buchanan. In the end, Gatsby fails to recognize that Daisy has left him and foolishly waits. And regarding Gatsby’s fate, he is killed near his pool and fades away as a dream from others, evident from the small number of people who come to pay respects at his funeral. In a sense, Gatsby did everything right to fulfill his life, only to be killed with no presence left in the world. Gatsby raises the question: is the American Dream, whether in wealth or hopes, worth fighting for?
In contrast to Gatsby, who encompasses those going through the American Dream, Daisy Buchanan is the real empowerment of wealth, the holy grail of the American Dream. From a young age, she was raised in a comfortable household with no real concerns of money. When Daisy met Gatsby five years before the premise of the book, Gatsby could not marry her because of her high social and economic status. Daisy married Tom, who is able to provide for her comfort and physical wellbeing, even if he is unable to provide for her emotionally. Gatsby, after their reunion, confesses to Nick, “Her voice is full of money.” Daisy is the breathing and living existence of the economic stability and echelon that defines the American Dream. In the end, when Daisy is given the choice between continuing her dream-like affair with Gatsby, Daisy instead chooses to live the rest of her life with Tom as she learns that Gatsby, although wealthy, is unstable and tries to achieve an unworthy dream.
It is important to note that none of the characters examined above are truly happy and content: they all live with their desires and faults that break and shape them. Gatsby is too infatuated with his ideal image of Daisy and desperate to find her back, and Daisy wishes for her daughter to be a “beautiful little fool” and marry someone who will make her rich, not joyful. Yet, Daisy and her husband Tom, as those who have surpassed the need for the American Dream, do live MORE content lives than Gatsby. As Nick comments in the last chapter of The Great Gatsby, “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.” Although unhappy, the Buchanans are able to escape several of the consequences of their actions and are left to continue living their lives due to their high wealth and social status. Meanwhile Gatsby loses his lives for actions he was not directly responsible for. Thus, the American Dream seems fruitless for those beneath it and unjust for those underneath the Dream.
In conclusion, Fitzgerald examines the failures of the American Dream through Gatsby and Myrtle and those who are above this journey through Tom and Daisy. And although there is no positive message or hope left by the characters, in the end, it is the wealthy and the plenty who survive.
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