The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is about Jay Gatsby's pursuit of the American Dream and his inevitable downfall as he tries to achieve this imaginary goal. The typical idea behind the American dream is to be happy by any means necessary and the characters try to achieve this happiness with large amounts of money and this leads to disappointment and unhappiness in the characters. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby believes that happiness can be acquired through the accumulation of wealth. In the novel, the characters' perception of the American dream is perfect. Perfection is an unattainable goal and leaves the characters disappointed. Jay Gatsby is a clear example of the failure of the American dream. Gatsby is living the American dream. At first he seems like an honest, wealthy man and is a prime example of how hard work can bring a great deal of wealth and power. Gatsby demonstrates that wealth and power can be achieved through determination. Gatsby, however, gained wealth and reputation through illegal activities, including bootlegging. As due to the fact that Gatsby had to earn his wealth through bootlegging, greed, selfishness and arrogance were shown to be valued more than simply working hard, taking responsibility, having respect and showing decency to others eyes of the rich. people in East Egg. These people are blinded by their own wrong guidance and believe that money can buy happiness. They come to Gatsby's parties uninvited and talk about Gatsby disrespectfully in his house: "'Someone told me they thought he killed a man once'...'I don't think it's so much that...it's more what other than he was a German spy during the war” (48). People tend to overlook the significant characteristics of others and find ways to ridicule the negative characteristics of others