In the novel, Tom is altered by the wealth and status in the society and chooses to express these motives towards others to impress his greatness with Daisy. Even though Tom was granted wealth from his family, he continues to achieve his way of self-fulfillment. Valuing his focus on society, Tom is challenged by Gatsby competition to achieve these motives for the love of Daisy. As Gatsby continually has parties his status increases in the society “I suppose you’ve got to make your house into a pigsty in order to have any friends”(Fitzgerald 137). Desecrated by Gatsby status, Tom’s pursuit for more status and wealth is paused by the impact of Daisy.
In the novel, Fitzgerald describes societal expectations as the importance to having the American Dream. Considering the correlation of the American Dream, The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald focal characters such as Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby present a satisfying demonstration of these expectations that influences their values to accomplish life-long goals. Many individuals such as these characters strive to achieve the American Dream in the modern society today, but societal standards that took place in Fitzgerald has changed to become more difficult to