what is the american dream in the great gatsby?

The American dream is one of the main themes of the story. Hopes and dreams are what fuels people to achieve a piece of that dream. The American Dream means different things to different characters. Gatsby represents this dream in a big way. Everything about his outward appearances is big except for the man himself. Gatsby is a self-made man which reinforces the possibility, although remote, for anyone to achieve the dream. Thus these words hope and dream resonate throughout the novel.