The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is about the American Dream, and the downfall of those who attempt to reach its illusionary goals. The attempt to capture the American Dream is central to many novels. This dream is different for different people, but in The Great Gatsby, for Jay, the dream is that through wealth and power, one can acquire happiness. To get this happiness Jay must reach into the past and …showed first 75 words of 1272 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1272 total…dreams perceive it to be. The Great Gatsby is a story that captures the glitz and glamour of the 1920’s, but it is also the portrayal of a young man and his disastrous search for happiness through materialism. Gatsby’s dreams of happiness and love are corrupted by the emptiness of a dream based on wealth and possessions. Money may be able to buy you many material possessions but money cannot buy happiness and love.