In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is the greatest example of falling into the illusion of the American dream but failing within it. He is a man whose world is shaped and sustained by illusion (Gallo 35). According to Dalton and Maryjean Gr

As the narrator, Nick sees the failure of the American dream first hand as all of the other

Daisy Buchanan is another example of a character who falls into the illusion of the American dream, yet shows how the American dream fails. Daisy focuses on the outside rather than the inside (Gatsby 1). She proves her real nature when she chooses Tom over Gatsby for his money and then allows Gatsby to take the blame for killing Myrtle (Mizener 99). Not only is Daisy very wealthy, she has a very busy social life, which shows yet another aspect of the American dream. When Nick goes to visit Daisy, she comments, “What will we do with ourselves this afternoon…and the day after that…and the next thirty years (Fitzgerald 125)?” This shows that Daisy has only her social life to worry about. Daisy and Tom also have a beautiful little angel for a daughter to worry about, but ,they, however, do not take care of her, for they have hired a nanny to take care of their daughter for them (Fitzgerald 117). Many people in society can only dream of having enough money for a permanent babysitter so that they, too, can have a social life, showing yet again how Daisy is an example of the American dream (The Great 84). Whenever Nick visits Daisy, she is dressed in a very beautiful and expensive variety of clothing, shoes, hats, and jewelry (Fitzgerald 115). This is another dream of many women in society; to be rich enough to buy beautiful clothes and accessories (The Great 115). As learned through Gatsby, money is not everything and it can leave one lonely. Tom is cheating on Daisy, and he makes no real attempt to keep it a secret (Fitzgerald 15). This disgusts Nick. According to David Bender, Daisy’s money and beautiful clothing can not keep her husband loyal. She also is the one who kills Myrtle, but Gatsby takes the blame and, again, is killed. These two murders will be on Daisy’s shoulders for the rest of her life and her money can not buy her out of her memories. Her money can also not buy her out of the regret that she does not attend Gatsby’s funeral. Her money also can not buy back Nick’s friendship, for he is extremely angry and disappointed that she has not attended Gatsby’s funeral (39). Daisy is careless and corrupt and cares nothing about society or those around her (Eble 97). She is just happy that she can continue living her American dream with her rich and powerful husband in a huge house with her servants and nanny (Gallo 45). Even though her life many still seem to be dream-worthy to society, Nick sees otherwise. Daisy is only made of money and she has no feelings or morals, which shows that the American dream is, again, not what it is made out to be and gives only an illusion of happiness (F. Scott 126-127). She is, however, perfect for her husband, Tom, for he also proves that the American dream is only an illusion.

Myrtle Wilson shows, after much physical pain, that the American dream is an illusion and is not as great as what others think it is. Firstly, Myrtle loves Tom for his money only, just like Daisy. Myrtle thinks that money is a means of release and hopes to escape the ash heaps by her affair with Tom (Gallo 49). Being with Tom, she has that opportunity. Myrtle’s husband, George, is a poor man who runs a gas station in the poorest part of New York (Gatsby 2). In fact, Nick is disgusted with the Wilson’s house when Tom brings him to meet Myrtle (Fitzgerald 25). The condition of the house, very shabby and dirty, shows that George can not provide Myrtle, an originally pathetic and vulgar woman, with the wealth she needs to be part of the American dream (Gallo 44). She, therefore, betrays the bonds of marriage and has an affair with Tom and gets killed, showing that the American dream is only an illusion of happiness. After she enters Tom’s rich social group, she mention’s Daisy’s name and Tom breaks her nose (Gross and Gross 5). She has now experienced her first ph

Some topics in this essay:
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