Throughout many generations of American immigrants, there is a common theme of people attempting to achieve their American dreams. When this event occurs, we feel the need to ask ourselves: what is the American dream? At first glance, one might think of a suburban white family settling for mediocrity, but upon closer inspection, one will see that the American dream is centered around people from all walks of life simply trying to be happy. Happiness is generally acquired through the people (or perhaps material goods) we choose to surround ourselves with. People's expectations for quality of life have skyrocketed due to technology and media portraying the American dream as a lavish lifestyle in Hollywood. Some people are willing to sacrifice everything for their dream, while others feel like they are already living it. The American Dream, although desired by many, is actually achieved by very few people due to the social and economic adversity that many Americans must overcome. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayJay Gatsby, a character in Fitzgerald's book The Great Gatsby, is a great example of someone who would sacrifice anything what for his American dream. Gatsby sacrificed his old life and created a whole new persona for the sole purpose of being with a girl: "He had come a long way to that blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so near that he could hardly not understand. that. » (Fitzgerald, 180). Although Gatsby overcame poverty and became the wealthy socialite that many people consider to be the pinnacle of success, he nonetheless was unable to fully realize his dream. Gatsby perfectly fits the profile of an American whose standards are so astronomically high that achieving his dreams would be nothing short of a miracle. Another character from The Great Gatsby is Daisy Buchanan. Daisy, unlike Gatsby, values ​​money more than happiness. Because Daisy is both rich and materialistic, she achieves her "dream" very easily: she will sacrifice everything, including love, for money, which can be seen when she doesn't even come to the funeral of Gatsby. “She and Tom were gone. early in the afternoon and had taken their luggage with them. (Fitzgerald, 164). People like Daisy beg the question: If you start with wealth, where do you go from there? Does your dream then become simply to maintain your wealth?, “Every person's vision is different...The American dream is to own a home. " (Bean). The Great Gatsby, written in the 1920s, showed how difficult it was for people to rise above the class they were born into; even Gatsby, who rose from poverty, could not overcome adversity and, moreover, the gap between social classes prevented him from achieving his American dream. Freedom and prosperity are the main reasons people pursue the American dream. We hope that by simply coming to America, we will achieve everything we have always hoped for, “Like millions of others/ I too come to this island/ Nine decades the one who answers/ Dreams” (Bruchac, 9 ). Many people believe that when they come to America they will enjoy unlimited wealth, but in fact, many find that money may not be the key to their American dream. American immigrants come from many countries where they have nothing and often hope that if they have material possessions they will find happiness. “He who thinks that money does everything can be,.