Gatsby's Dream

I was talking to one of my fraternity brothers before break about Gatsby, and he said, "Gatsby's the American dream." I was thinking about what exactly he meant by this, and this is what I came up with:

Gatsby is a man who climbed his way up the social ladder for the sake of having a worry-free, comfortable lifestyle. It's true that he had to bootleg to get there, but often in people's minds, they feel that they are innocent until they're caught. In a sense, people could possibly forgive Gatsby for what he does then.

The whole idea of Gatsby representing the American dream, though, is depressing when one looks at the way things play out in the novel. Gatsby wanted the perfect relationship with a woman. To him that woman was Daisy, the girl he was willing to wait for, even take the fall for. Also, Gatsby dreams that by creating an appearance of a luxurious life, he will be able to woo Daisy. However, Gatsby's life of luxury and social standing are shown to be fake. For example, hardly anyone attends his funeral.

Gatsby also plays into the "American dream" theory with the whole idea that anyone in America can change their fortunes at any time, all they need is a driving passion to do so. In the case of Gatsby, he believes changing his name will change his fortunes. However, as is evident in the novel, just because someone can change certain characteristics about themselves doesn't mean they can necessarily change their fate.

Haha, I hope nobody feels down because of that, it's just what I was mulling over recently. In a sense, if Gatsby truly is the American dream, then the thought of someone rising up that fast in society WITHOUT being hurt is and will remain just that: only a dream.