"The Great Gatsby", paper titled, "Can the American Dream be Defined?" Compares the media portrayal of the dream to the lives the characters lived. Quotes included.

Can the American Dream be Defined? In the novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, we are introduced to characters who are chasing the American Dream. We see that while these people are busy trying to achieve their goals, they lose sight of what is really important in life, such as family and being happy. People spend their whole life chasing the American Dream, when most do not really know what is the dream. …

…from the Declaration of Independence where this famous statement originates, "...life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness". The two components of the American Dream are tricky ones to define and to achieve. Each must way on the scales equally so that one does not corrupt the other. The novel The Great Gatsby is a perfect example of what can happen to one's life if the love of money is able to corrupt their American Dream.