theme analysis of the great gatsby

The American dream or the illusion of 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.