The American Delusion

The Declaration of Independence grants all Americans "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." In the '30s, the American Dream was coined. It can be summed up as having a spouse, two happy children, a house and a car. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the American Dream in the characters he writes. 

Just the American Dream evidently wasn't good enough for Gatsby. Even if he does desire a wife or children, it appears Gatsby went above and beyond in his goals of a house and car(s). Chapter I describes his house as "a colossal affair by any standard... with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden." 
Gatsby may have, at one point, desired a traditional house, car, and family, but perhaps was overcome with greed once he got a little taste of it—and abandoned his original aspirations.

Daisy's interpretation of the American Dream is similar to what you may have heard about before, involving a nice house, car, and husband. Daisy has a daughter as well but doesn't mention her very often. This may be because the situation she had created in her mind wasn't as appealing once she had it. One of Daisy's first sentences said to Nick is, "Do they miss me?" implying she is too caught up in others' view of her. This connects to the American Dream because, in her desire to achieve the dream, Daisy was sucked into the trap of doing it for the validation from others, rather than genuine desire from within her.

George Wilson and Myrtle are the most accurate representation of the traditional American Dream in the book. George is a conventional blue-collar worker, living in an ordinary house, working to live with his wife Myrtle. Myrtle is what most women are expected to be, doing her best to look pretty despite her not exactly being of model material. Together they live in an impoverished area but work hard to maintain their status. This is a good example of how people can still be unsatisfied with the state of their life, even after attaining what society says is "the dream."

Jordan appears to have her act together, content with her current situation, although she is far from the American Dream. Jordan exudes confidence and spends her time participating in athletic activities. Even if the truth is concealed, she seems unconcerned with chasing a man or amassing enough money for a dream house and vehicle.

Nick is leading the life of someone who is a few years from grasping the dream. He works a regular job, lives in a decent house, (at least for someone living on their own) and socializes with his friends often. It's not ridiculous to imagine Nick finding a loving wife, upgrading to a nicer house, and having a typical family 5 years from the time the book takes place.

Altogether, the characters in The Great Gatsby are either at different points in their end goal of the American Dream or aren't concerning themselves with it at the moment. The fact is the same for all of them, though. The American Dream isn't all what it's cut out to be, and putting too much faith in it can end in disappointment.