The Great Gatsby: The American Dream The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is about the pursuit of the American Dream. This dream is different for many people, but for Jay Gatsby, the dream is that one can acquire true happiness. In order to obtain this happiness, Jay must obtain the love of a girl, secure wealth and power, and alter the future. Jay Gatsby is the central character in the novel; He longs for the days when he was in a love affair with Daisy Buchanan. He met her when she was eighteen years old and her was in love with her. “The officer looked at Daisy while she was speaking, in a way that every young girl wa