The Wishing Well
The Dreams
Being with Daisy forever ~ jay Gatsby
Starting from 1917 gatsby fell in love with daisy and made it his life mission to be with her for the rest of his life. He soon found out that she was married to another man, but that does not distill him from being with her. He moves into an enormous mansion just across the river from her, waiting for the day that they meet again. They start a brief romance that gatsby thinks is forever. His dream falls when they are in the plaza hotel and he sees that daisy is so interested with reputation that she would not be with him because of how he got his fortune. the dream is completely shattered after myrtle's death. Gatsby is not alive to see the ultimate tragedy of daisy not even attending his funeral.
Fitting into east coast society ~ Nick Carraway
Nick moves to the East after college wanting to leave the West, to become a bonds salesman. He is excited by the town at first. He demonstrates this through his attraction to Jordan. By the end of the novel he is disgusted by the greed and corruption of the East and moves back to the West preferring that lifestyle. His dream never came true because he could never actually fit in with the people of the East.
Marrying a wealthy, socially acceptable man ~ Daisy Buchanan
Daisy began this dream by marrying Tom when she had promised to wait for Gatsby. She seemed to love him for a little however she knew of his infidelities and still stayed with him. Her desire for money and acceptance ruined her ultimate happiness. This is demonstarted through her affair with Gatsby, he was extremely wealthy however she still did not accept him in the end because the way he obtained that money was not respected in eastern society during the 1920s. Her dream comes true in the end, but it destroys her character causing her to be calloused and pessimistic.
Being rich and leaving past poverty in the past ~jay Gatsby
Jay Gatsby a.k.a James Gatz has wanted wealth and fame even as a boy. He tells Nick of his life story and leaving home at a very young age in hopes of wealth. His current fortune is to impress Daisy, however much before that he still yearned for wealth. As a boy he even went as far as incorporating tactics to make him rich into his daily routine. He got his dream, however dishonestly, he bootlegged. Some may argue that Gatsby would have made an honest fortune if he did not feel the pressure of impressing Daisy.
Being with a man who can advance my position in society ~ Myrtle Wilson
Myrtle is married to George Wilson, a local mechanic. She is ashamed of her choice of marriage, and tries to correct her choice by engaging in an affair with the wealthiest man available, Tom Buchanan. However he views her as a mere object and does not take their relationship seriously. He does nothing to advance her position, which is why her dream fails. Her life ends tragically with her getting run over by a car, which Daisy is driving.
Having the upper hand in relationships ~ Jordan Baker
Jordan proves herself to be dishonest throughout the book. The reader first learns of her dishonestly by learning that she cheated to win a golf tournament. Nick makes a comment that much of what Jordan says is a lie. The main reason for this is her desire to constantly have the upper hand in her dealings with people. This can be seen through her various relationships with men throughout the book, and in the way she ultimately treats Nick. Jordan's dream does not come true because Nick breaks things off with her in the end which gives him the upper hand.
Having Myrtle’s approval and love ~ George Wilson
All George Wilson lives for is approval from his wife. He yearns to make her happy, he is so in love with her that he is naive to her affair with Tom. When he finds out about it he locks her upstairs in her room, and feels horrible. Despite the fact that his wife cheated on him and caused him so much pain he still loves her. Myrtle is run over by Daisy, which devastates George. However George thinks that Gatsby killed her, and as a result kills him. George's dream does not come true, Myrtle hates him and views him as cowardly, ironically his last action in killing Gatsby may have gained him her love and approval.
The American Dream ~ america
The American dream in the 1920s, is much of what the dream is now. The dream is to start from the bottom and rise to the top enabling you to leave a legacy. The 1920s was a period of great wealth, but also great poverty. Many viewed this as a time to become wealthy, and many believed that the dream was possible. The stocks and the start of organize crime led to many previously impoverished people to gain wealth. However, as Fitzgerald demonstrates in Gatsby, the general disrespect of new money makes the dream not as sweet. During the 1920s the "old money" and the "new money" clashed. "Old Money" never fully respected "new money", and the ultimate tragedy of most of the "new money" losing their money during the great depression made leaving a legacy very difficult. The American Dream does not come true in The Great Gatsby, Gatsby dies in the end showing that his dream did not come true thus the entire American Dream has deteriorated. The 1920s American Dream also ultimately falls.
