Gatsby's pursuit of the American dream is depicted in The Great Gatsby, by Scott Fitzgerald. In the novel, the American dream is shown through Gatsby's eyes. The novel shows the downfall of Gatsby's attempts to reach its illusionary goals. The attempt to capture the American dream is central throughout life. For Gatsby, his dream is not through wealth or power, but for his love of Daisy. All Gatsby has ever wanted in life is to have happiness, but Gatsby can only achieve his happiness by winning Daisy. To get this happiness Gatsby must reach into the past and relive an old dream. The American
             dream has always been based on the idea that each person no matter who he or she is can become successful in life by hard work. The dream is also embodied the idea of a self-sufficient man, an entrepreneur making it successful for himself. The Great Gatsby is about what happened to the American dream in the 1920's, a time period when the dream had been corrupted by the avaricious pursuit of wealth. The pursuit of the American dream is the sublime motivation for accomplishing one's goals and producing achievements.
             Jay Gatsby, the central figure of the story, is one character who longs for the past. Surprisingly, he devotes most of his adult life trying to recapture it and finally dies in its pursuit. In the past, Gatsby had a love affair with the affluent Daisy. Knowing he could not marry her because of the difference in their social status, he leaves her to amass wealth to reach her economic standards. Once he acquires wealth, Gatsby throws extravagant parties, hoping by chance that Daisy will show up at one of them. Gatsby even moves next to Daisy just so he can be near her. "Gatsby bought that house so that
             Daisy would be across the bay" (83).
             Jay is convinced that he loves Daisy and that Daisy loves him. Gatsby proves this by taking the blame for the death of Myrtle. Gatsby thinks that if he takes the blame then D
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