One of the most striking motifs in the novel The Great Gatsby is the disillusionment of the American dream. When the American Dream first emerged in society, it was based on the ideas of freedom, excellence, and self-reliance. He challenged people to dream of spiritual greatness and to strive to make them come true. However, over the years, these ideas have transformed into purely materialistic values. Many people began to believe that an easy life, with a luxury car and an extravagant house would bring them fulfillment. Gatsby represents the aspiring American who desires something beyond what he has. And yet, in the end, he failed to make his dream a reality because, like the majority of real Americans, he misunderstood the true meaning of the American dream. In the novel The Great Gatsby, the story is told from the point of view of Nick, who comes from the Midwest to the East Coast. At first, Nick recognized Gatsby's flaws and disdained his values, but by the end of the novel, Nick finds something heroic and noble in Gatsby's vision and his extraordinary gift of hope. Gatsby was the son of a poor farming family, but he didn't even consider them family at all. All he had to begin with was his Platonic view of himself, which he was determined to bring to fruition, and no amount of fire could challenge the fairy tale vision he had of his life. He grew rich, albeit through criminal activities, earning the title "new money". He lived in West Egg, where all the "new money" people lived, across from the white palaces of old East Egg. Gatsby, ever since he met Daisy while in the army, had imagined and planned his life with her. He won a large amount of money, threw away big, middle of paper...... tells him he's "worth the whole damn group" i.e. the rich people of East Egg , “put together”. (Fitzgerald 162). Nick says this because, although Gatsby's story is tainted with criminal activity, he is much more admirable than people like Tom and Daisy. It is not wealth or a life of leisure that makes a man great, but rather his determination and dedication to both his dreams and the people he cares about. Money does not bring happiness to a person, as Tom and Daisy see, who are unhappy and bored with life. Not only does wealth not make you happy, but it also causes a person to be very careless when it comes to the feelings of others. All this shows the disillusionment of the American dream through Gatsby who seeks what is very materialistic and brings no true happiness while ignoring the qualities that prove a person's true worth..