The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a novel about several people's lives in high society, told from the point of view of a rather normal man. The theme of the withering of the American dream shows itself in the book through many of its characters. Most of these people seem to be either living or pursuing the American dream, but they could not be considered altogether 'good' or 'happy'. This is shown in many of the characters, including Tom, Gatsby, and George. Through rising by his own actions from the poor state of his youth to a st ....