The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald: In Pursuit of a Dream

"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic 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." (189) The most prominent theme of Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is of dreams. Every character is ceaselessly chasing the American Dream, whatever their interpretation of that …

…In this story, there has been no true change, there has been no advance, no improvement. From that we all must realize that the pursuit of a dream, while tempting, cannot be the substance of our lives. For there is always an end to our dreams. At some point, we must wake up. To reconcile that brief dream with the everlasting reality of our world is the necessary ability towards which we all must strive.