F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays the decline of the American
Dream in his book The Great Gatsby. The American dream was first manifested in
the Declaration of Independence in the early days of American settlement. Most
immigrants were poor and the notion of the American Dream promised hope,
happiness and equality. In the book, the values have shifted towards people
getting as rich as they can and this can be observed in the behaviors the
characters. No doubt, this new type of American Dream fails several times. It
shows that there is still inequality and social discrimination as in the
car-reselling scene between Tom and Wilson. Jay Gatsby is filled with hope to
win the love of his life Daisy through this new kind of American Dream. He
struggled hard to attain the status of the upper class. However, it failed
tremendously.
