C.+Gatsby+Essay

Joshua Martin English 11/1A November 17, 2010 Everyone has their own American Dream that they wish to accomplish. James Truslow Adams said, “It is not a dream of motor cars and highways merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain the fullest structure of which they are innately capable” (Seelye 3). Everyone’s goal in life is to be the best they can be. Not everyone can be the richest man in the world. Some people may have the desire to become a nurse, a policeman, or maybe even a school teacher. If everyone tried to have the best career possible, then the community would not have what is necessary for it to last. For instance, if everyone was to become a doctor, there would not be teachers to help the children learn, or even the grocery store employees to supply food. In the novel, //The Great Gatsby//, there were many different aspects of the dream. One aspect was displayed by James Gatz, which was to obtain the most amount of money one can and show it to the world. Gatsby demonstrates this by constantly showing off his mansion. He always had big lights to let everyone see how fancy his home was. Nick once said, “I was afraid for a moment that my house was on fire. Two o’clock and the whole corner of the peninsula was blazing with light. Turning a corner, I saw that it was Gatsby’s house, lit from tower to cellar” (Fitzgerald 81). However, Gatsby tried to seem modest. “Your place looks like the World’s Fair”, Nick said. “Does it, Gatsby questioned” (Fitzgerald 81). The American dreams in both the novel, //The Great Gatsby,// and in the article, “What Happens to the American Dream in a Recession”, are very comparable. Both dreams concentrate on the person to become the most successful as far as money, social rank, and amount of income.

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