The Illusion of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby

The American Dream is only a dream as no matter how diligently you try to achieve it it will always be just out of your grasp.  The American Dream is the belief that anyone in America can be successful if they just work hard enough.  Gatsby believes that money will solve all his problems, to acquire money, he does some shady activities to prove to himself that he was able to build himself up from nothing and the American Dream was achievable.  Tom did not need to work to achieve the American Dream as he had already acquired it at birth, but having no goal for success, he always wanted more.  Though Gatsby was successful, he always wanted something that was just out of his reach, leaving him in an endless loop of him chasing a never ending dream and unable to reach his American Dream.  In spite of having the American Dream of wealth, a house, luxury cars, fancy clothes, a beautiful wife, and a child, Tom still craved more to satisfy his unquenchable thirst for money.  However, neither Gatsby, nor Tom, were happy or satisfied with their lives; one chases an unreachable dream, and the other always wanting more to fill a hollow dream.  As attainable as the American Dream is painted to be, the truth is, only those born into success and wealth will achieve this dream, which is, however, a hollow and unreachable notion for most, including Gatsby. 

Gatsby sees wealth as the solution to all his problems, therefore he pursues the accumulation of money through any means.  Gatsby’s dream is to be a wealthy and educated man, as well as, having Daisy’s hand in marriage.  F. Scott Fitzgerald portrayed this through a green light: “He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and far as I was from him I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward—and distinguished nothing except a single green light” (Fitzgerald 24).  Though Gatsby has many materialistic possessions, such as his large mansion in West Egg, Gatsby still yearns for something else, something just out of the reach of his trembling arms: Daisy.  Gatsby tries to win Daisy over, but he never succeeds, which disappoints him as she is the only other item Gatsby wishes he had in his life.  Though he has tremendous success in life, he was not satisfied with his current status and always wanted more, this led him to have an impossible desire and an unfeasible American Dream.  Ultimately, his idea of the American Dream was too great and too far, much like the green light Gatsby reached out for, he could not accomplish it. 

Daisy is a woman who is married to Tom, but Gatsby wanted to marry her.  She, like Tom, was born into money and has had money all her life “‘Her voice is full of money,’ he said suddenly.  That  was  it.  I’d  never  understood  before.  It  was  full  of money—that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in  it,  the  jingle  of  it,  the  cymbals’  song  of  it....  High  in  a white palace the king’s daughter, the golden girl....” (128).  She is the personification of the idea of having the American Dream.  Just like the American Dream Tom has her, but he is unsatisfied with her, the American Dream, so Tom cheated on her because he wanted more.  Gatsby wants her, just like the American Dream, but he is not able to win her over. 

Gatsby is the representation of people trying to obtain the American Dream, he had nothing, but through all this hard work and determination, he was able to make a name for himself.  “‘Anything  can  happen  now  that  we’ve  slid  over  this bridge,’ I thought; ‘anything at all....’” (74).  Just as in the American Dream, Nick believes that anyone can be anything in America which is why Gatsby was able to become very successful without the help of a wealthy family.  This was not enough for Gatsby as he was always reaching outwards for something more, Fitzgerald portrayed this hunger in Gatsby by using a green light at the dock of Daisy’s home.  Gatsby lived at West Egg and Daisy lived at East Egg, when he reached out to this green light it represented the money, lifestyle, and the girl that Gatsby wanted.  Gatsby was always separated from the green light by a river that stopped him from reaching his dream.  

Tom, on the other hand, has everything: highly educated, comes from money, owns a mansion in East Egg, drives very nice cars, has a beautiful wife, and attained the American Dream; yet, it was never enough for him.  Tom’s greed and unfulfilled desires are the characterization of the hollowness of the American Dream.   “ ‘Tom’s got some woman in New York... she might have decency not to telephone at dinner-time.Don’t you think?’ ”(18).  Although Tom was wealthy, he still wanted more money.  Although he has a wife, he cheated on her with other women.  Although he has more than enough, Tom still wanted more to fill the endless desire the American Dream brought upon him.  

The American Dream is not the pursuit of happiness, but the pursuit of money, which is why Tom is never satisfied with what he has.  “Why they came East I don’t know. . . . I had no sight into Daisy’s heart, but I felt that Tom would drift on forever seeking, a little wistfully, for the dramatic turbulence of some irrecoverable football game.” (8).  Tom has no sense of direction, which means he has no goals or milestones, thus meaning he has no ambitions in life and with nothing to work towards.  He won’t gain satisfaction from his achievements, as there is nothing for him to achieve.  Like Tom, Gatsby is unhappy with what he has and always wants more.  He set unrealistic expectations for himself, hence he will always fall short of his own goals leaving him unfulfilled.  This is symbolized through their enormous mansions that were empty and lifeless, they also have cars that brought no contentment to them.  

As attainable as the American Dream is painted to be, the truth is, only those born into success and wealth will ever achieve this dream, which is, however, a hollow and unreachable notion for most, including Gatsby.  No matter how persistently Gatsby worked for the American Dream he always fell short of his goals.  Daisy is the personification of having the American Dream, she is married to Tom, who was born into success and the American Dream, however Gatsby did his best to get her to come with him, just like how Gatsby tried to achieve the American Dream, but, however, in the end Gatsby was unable to acquire neither Daisy nor the American Dream while Tom got both Daisy and the American Dream.  Though Gatsby always strives to attain the unattainable he always falls short of achieving the American Dream leaving him unfulfilled.  In spite of the fact that Tom had the American Dream he always wants more to fill the hollowness that the American Dream left in him.  Since the American Dream was unattainable by most people, such as Gatsby, it was hollow in the sense that the people were led to believe the American Dream was achievable by anyone while in fact it was not.  Those who did achieve the American Dream always wanted more as it brought a sense of hollowness to them.