The Corruption of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby, by Scott Fitzgerald, embodies many themes; the most salient one relates to the corruption of the American Dream. The American Dream has always been based on the idea that each person no matter who he or she is can become successful in life by his or her own hard work. The dream also embodies the idea of a self-sufficient man, an entrepreneur making it successful for himself. The Great Gatsby is about what happens to the American dream in the 1920s, a time period when the dream has been corrupted by the avaricious pursuit of wealth. The pursuit of the American dream is the sublime motivation for accomplishing on