The American Dream and Its Decline

• American Dream: anyone can make it in America (meaning gaining fame, fortune or success) by working hard and being determined
• early settlers and pioneers headed west in order to seek wealth and freedom; in The Great Gatsby they had east to New York City in order to conquer the stock market fortunes for themselves
• this shift also symbolizes the corruption of the American Dream: it is just about getting rich, no matter the consequences (being involved in crime,...)
• Jay Gatsby himself symbolizes both the corrupted dream as well as the original dream since he sees wealth as the ultimate solution to getting Daisy back
• thus, he does not shy away from attaining his riches through crime, he reinvents himself (by changing his name), and eventually, he becomes a hollow and disconnected version of his past
• however, he is motivated by his incorruptible love for Daisy (he does not see her flaws and idolizes her)
• Gatsby‘s death proves the fact that a short-cutting of his dream (by committing crimes and by favouring materialism and corruption over hard work and integrity) eventually leads to failure
• the decline of the American Dream is mostly visible in the Valley of Ashes: it is a barren wasteland and comments on the downfall of American society since the American Dream has been reversed and corrupted

Money, Materialism and Class

• all the characters are obsessed with money, regardless of which class they belong to (Tom, Daisy, Jordan, Nick who were born more or less rich; Gatsby who made a fortune; Myrtle and George who yearn for more money)
• differences between "old money" (Tom, Daisy, Nick, Jordan), "new money" (Gatsby), "no money" (Myrtle and George)
• old money families are usually aristocratic, their wealth dates back to before the 19^th century, they have powerful and influential connections, feel superior over other classes
• new money people made their fortune during the financial boom of the 1920s and have to compensate their lack of social connections with extravagant and lavish exhibitions of their wealth (Gatsby‘s parties, his car)
• the no money class is mostly ignored by the other classes, unless they can exploit its members (Tom having an affair with Myrtle, treating George rudely when he wants to sell his car)

Love and Relationships

• the major characters are driven by love or desire or both - Gatsby desires as well as loves Daisy, Tom desires Myrtle, Daisy both "loves" Gatsby and Tom (she is mainly driven by materialism and hides it underneath the notions of love), Nick has a summer romance with Jordan, George loves his wife Myrtle, Myrtle desires Tom for his fortune
• only Tom‘s and Daisy‘ relationship lasts, yet it is neither a loving relationship nor is it driven by desire, although they feels some kind of affection for each other
• marriages in The Great Gatsby are connected to adultery, deception and dissatisfaction
• Gatsby believes that his life would have been better if Daisy had chosen him over Tom, but Daisy would have been unhappy due to her materialistic stance towards relationships
• it is ironic that Daisy - who is materialistic and corrupt - ditches Gatsby for his humble past

Mortality

• different kinds of deaths: the actual deaths of Gatsby, Myrtle and George as well as Gatsby‘s metaphorical death when he reinvents himself in order to take a new life
• cars as symbols of death: the accident in Chapter 2
foreshadows Daisy running over Myrtle, George remembers the car that killed his wife and hence assumes that it was Gatsby who killed her, which finally leads to both Gatsby‘s death and George‘s suicide

The Hollowness of the Upper Class

• newly rich are described as being gaudy, showy, vulgar, lacking in social graces and taste
• Gatsby lives in fancy mansion, wears pink or golden suits, drives a Rolls Royce
• old money families move around gracefully, have taste, are subtle and elegant
• Tom and Daisy live in a tasteful mansion, Daisy and Jordan wear flattering white dresses
• yet, people living on East Egg are careless and inconsiderate
  
  • Daisy does not care about the fact that she killed Myrtle, even letting Gatsby take the blame for it
  • Daisy and Tom move to a new house after the tragic deaths, they do not attend Gatsby‘s funeral
  • Tom hitting Myrtle
• Gatsby - being newly rich - is sincere and loyal despite his being involved in criminal activity
  
  • waits in front of Daisy‘s window in order to make sure she is not hurt by Tom (Chapter 4)
  • tragically, those qualities lead to his death because he takes the blame for killing Myrtle in order to prevent Daisy from being punished