define the term The American Dream using quotes from the novel and hypothesize whether or not the dream is still alive

The American dream is one of the main themes of the story. Hopes and dreams are what fuels people to achieve a piece of that dream. Gatsby represents this dream in a big way. He comes from humble beginnings to become part of the super wealthy. Everything about his outward appearances is big except for the man himself. Gatsby is a self-made man which reinforces the possibility, although remote, for anyone to achieve the dream. Thus these words hope and dream resonate throughout the novel. Fitzgerald shows the Amarican dream of big noney to be empty and unhappy. It is really the illusion of American dream that people are obsessed with.