She wants to emulate the women who achieve it. In his mind, life will be better with him. No more poverty or pain. Just luxury. Her research makes her truly believe she can achieve it. What she doesn't understand is that "the American dream must not be a reality, in the sense that it no longer exists, except in the minds of men...which it destroys" (Pearson 645). . People are born into “the American dream.” They don't go in there. Myrtle cannot cross the barrier because wealth is not the only criterion for access to the upper echelons of American society. Tom brings him capital. But it can't provide her with the beauty or poise, the innate characteristics that the upper class needs to get in. You can never be truly accepted into American high society unless you are born there. People like Myrtle become obsessed. They want to achieve the American dream, but they can't. Their quest for success is ultimately in vain. This will “destroy” their “spirit”. She wants the dream but she can't find it. In her vain attempts to find him, she risks hurting herself. The more she searches and aspires to the dream, the more likely its destruction becomes. The American dream will destroy Myrtle. In America, people like Myrtle believe they will succeed. However, no matter how hard they work, they will never achieve the dream that only those like Tom and Daisy were born into. It's not a dream but a privilege. Attempts to obtain this privilege only lead to