There is no real definition of what the American Dream is. But rather it’s your own viewpoint on society, yourself, and where you place yourself on the chart of happiness and success. Winston Churchill claims, “Success is not final, failure Is not fatal: It Is the courage to continue that counts” and believes that nothing Is final or fatal, but persistence and self-encouragement Is Ideal to living a successful life. In a broad sense, the American Dream represents self-fulfillment In the aspects of wealth, luxury, love, beauty, and health.
But It Is ones attitude that determines whether or not the American Dream Is achieved. Wealth F. Scott Fitzgerald novel The Great Gatsby, Gatsby reveals his embarrassing own American Dream, which broadly relates to my aunt, Tina Paddling’s, American Dream, along with my own. Throughout the novel Jay Gatsby reveals his American dream as ways of lifestyle that ultimately lead up to relighting the love he once had with Daisy. He fantasized of Daisy and had a strong drive that wealth would be able to grant him anything.
He had a dream of luxury, wealth, and extravagance that would lead him to his past love ND self-fulfillment. But by chasing Daisy down, Gatsby missed out on living his life to the fullest, and enjoying what he had earned himself. Nick states, “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter–tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther…. And one fine morning– So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past” (Fitzgerald, 189).
The green light represents Daisy, but Nick acknowledges that Gatsby never gave up on Daisy which resulted in his failure f achieving his American Dream. Chasing after Daisy was only the reason Gatsby chased after money, trying to lure in Daisy to coming to one of his parties because of his wealth. Gatsby states, “Her voice is full of money,”(Fitzgerald, 127) which showed his strive for wealth went hand-in-hand with his strive for Daisy. Nick claims, “That was it. I’d never understood before.
It was full of money – that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the Jingle of it, the cymbals’ song of it… High in a white palace the king’s daughter, the golden girl” (Fitzgerald, 127) Nick acknowledges what Gatsby true strive was for his own American Dream as wealth and the love of Daisy, that even Gatsby remarked how both of them went hand in hand. Gatsby American Dream can be identified by wealth, luxury, and the love of Daisy which he ultimately failed to achieve before his life came to an end.
Although Gatsby did not accomplish his American Dream, my aunt, Tina Boatload, claims the opposite. She Is at the age forty-two and claims, “l never realized how happy I am, and how accomplished I feel about my American Dream, until now! ” (Tina Boatload) My aunt Is a happy mother of two perfectly healthy kids, apply married to a strong hardworking man, lost 30 pounds wealth the last year, and has a high-paying enjoyable Job that allows her to work from home to spend time with the kids.
After talking to my aunt and lasting out the aspects In her life that are part of her American Dream she claimed, “l never realized how lucky I am… I always stable, and have a healthy body along with a healthy relationship with my family. I realized all those things came along with time and effort, and now is the first time I have thought about all that I have and how blessed my life has worked out” (Tina Batching). My aunt has achieved her American Dream through effort and time, while Gatsby failed trying to force something in the past that didn’t come naturally in the future.
I for one am too young to be able to determine whether or not my American Dream has been achieved or not. But I am not too young to decide how I want my American Dream to look like and for what I strive for. My aunt is more of a mother to me than my real mom, and therefore I want to be nothing more than one in her shadow. Her American Dream consists of being successful, strong willed, economically stable, and have healthy family relationships along with a healthy body and mindset.
I can honestly say because she is such a role model in my life, that her American Dream is my American Dream. Yet the only difference is Tina Batching has already chosen her husband, had her kids, determined her occupation, and achieved all aspects of her American Dream! My main goal is to be happy with myself and stress free, yet also be a Joy to others around me. If I grew up to be Just like my aunt, my lifetime would be a success yet fulfill my American Dream to its limit! Overall, the
American Dream is truly what you look at your life like, and whether you have achieved self-fulfillment. Gatsby failed to do so, while my Aunt Tina achieved and now is living life in happiness and health. The only person left is me, where I have the responsibility to shape my and determine whether I am successful and happy. Like I mentioned before, Woodrow Wilson claimed, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts”. Wilson shows success is only what you make of it, and whether you have achieved your own American Dream is up to you to decide.
