Everyone wants to be successful in life, but most often people take the wrong ways to get there. In the 1920's the American Dream was something that everyone struggled to have. A spouse, children, money, a big house and a car meant that someone had succeeded in life. A very important aspect was money and success was determined greatly by it. This was not true in all cases however. The belief that every man can rise to success no matter what his beginnings. Jay Gatsby was a poor boy that turned into a very wealthy man, but did he live the American Dream? Money is actually the only thing that Gatsby had a lot of. Jay Gatsby tries to live the life of The American Dream, but fails in his battle.

I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors' eyes - a fresh, green breast of the new world. Its vanished trees, the trees that had made way for Gatsby's house, had once pandered in whispers to the last and greatest of all human dreams; for a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something commens

urate to his capacity for wonder. (P. 171).

Not even Tom shows respect for him. In Tom's eyes, Gatsby is his social inferior. He was born rich and always belongs to the rich and the highly reputable. Gatsby, however, has just happened to be rich and is always below him in the social hierarchy. He is incredulous and contemptuous of Gatsby's educational attainment. When somebody tells him that Gatsby was an Oxford man, he is outright disdainful and opprobrious of Gatsby, insofar as he makes such abusive remarks:

His dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him... And Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. (P.171).

The scenario is made more explicit by Daisy's lament:

"An Oxford man! Like hell he is!" (P.116).

"Your wife doesn't love you," said Gatsby. "She's never loved you. She loves me... She only married you because I was poor and she was tired of waiting for me. It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart she never loved anyone except me." (P.124).

"Oxford, New Mexico, or something like that." (P.116).

"Who are you, anyhow? You're one of that bunch that hangs around with Meyer Wolfshiem... I found out what your 'drug-stores' were. He and this Wolfshiem bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That's one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn't far wrong." (P.127).

Some common words found in the essay are:
American Dream, Daisy Gatsby, P171 Besides, Roaring Twenties, Probably Gatsby, P164 Rise, Tom Gatsby, Meyer Wolfshiem, P142 Gatsby, Resolves P164, american dream, jay gatsby, desire daisy, failure american dream, green light, gatsby's house, gatsby's dream, gatsby's desire, money success, extravagant parties, gatsby's desire daisy, buy daisy's love, extraordinary gift hope, belief life,
Approximate Word count = 2323
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)