In the novel The Great Gatsby, the American Dream is a powerful and recurring theme, it represents both hope and disillusionment. The American Dream promises that anyone can achieve success and happiness through hard work and determination; however, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses characters and settings to show that this ideal is often an illusion. Jay Gatsby, the books main character is an example of someone who pursues the American Dream with relentless determination. Being born into poverty and then going on to seemingly reinvent himself and achieve great wealth in hopes of winning back Daisy Buchanan, the love of his life. For Gatsby, the American Dream is not just about financial success but is more about having a perfect, idealized version of the past. His huge mansion and lavish parties are symbols of his success, yet they also reveal the emptiness beneath the surface. Despite all his wealth, Gatsby remains an outsider in the exclusive world of the wealthy, and his dream of reuniting with Daisy remains just out of reach. A key symbol in the novel is the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. It shows a connection to Gatsby’s hopes and dreams. Gatsby constantly reaches out to the light, believing that it represents his future with Daisy. But, like the American Dream, the green light is ultimately unattainable. George Wilson is representative of critiques of the American dream as he is a man who works tirelessly but remains in the Valley of Ashes. This serves as a reminder that hard work alone does not lead to success which consequently means the American Dream is more of a hopeful dream rather than a tangible course of action. Wilson’s struggle shows the darker side of the American Dream, the idea that not everyone can achieve the dream no matter how hard they try. This is a central theme of the novel, revealing the flaws in a society driven by materialism and class inequality. Throughout the book the characters Gatsby and Wilson chase the American Dream with hope, the reality is that the dream often leads to disappointment and even self destruction. It invites readers to question the true meaning of success and to reflect on the outcomes that may happen when pursuing an ideal that may never be within reach.