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The American Dream In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

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One of the greatest attributes Americans take for granted is the amount of opportunities and possibilities they are presented with living in this free nation. Compared to other countries, America has always been the most appealing to outsiders because of the perpetual American Dream. In America, the capitalistic environment minimizes the number of external sources influencing an individual's success. Therefore, a person has the power to control their own destiny and creates this idea of a dream where a person’s success is solely dependent on their work ethic and desire. This is the glorified American Dream; the propaganda that is used to make our country seem dignified above the rest. However, as many people have found out the hard way, the dream does not always turn out to be reality. In reality, it is likely a forgone premise that is publicized to create an illusion that America is still the land of equal opportunities and wealth. As evident in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book The Great Gatsby, several of the characters discover that the Dream is not all that it is advertised to be. The American Dream cannot be always be achieved, and factors in more than just work ethic and one’s desire to succeed. In the book, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald paints the picture of the American Dream as a meritocracy based society; where anyone can rise up to the top as easily as anyone from the top can come crashing down. Throughout the story, the narrator, an observant character named Nick,

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