Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Dreamers

Please answer the following questions in a thorough response; please pay attention to fluency and conventions. I would like you to repsond to at least one other person within your reflection.

If you are a dreamer, do you have to be more careful or vigilant? Explain.
Do the characters in Gasby have a dream? Is idealism a way for people to escape reality?
Nick says to Gatsby, " You can't the repeat the past." What do you think? Are there repercussions? Can we reinvent what has already happened?

23 comments:

Whitney S. said...

Many dreamers I feel focus on their futuristic dreams rather than participating with reality. Many people look to take advantage of these types of dreamers, because they are usually found in an incomprehensible state. These warnings of being alert and prepared, will allow one to have more success toward their dreams, because they’re not loosing site of the main objective. Knowing the personalities of the characters in Gatsby, I would say that they all have a dream. In fact, that’s what I think the whole undermining theme of Fitzgerald’s novel is; however their dreams are all different, yet they’re all centered on trying to obtain “the dream.” Some pretend to escape reality through being slothful impractical and so on, to forget about their problems or issues. We see it numerous times in our society, people who run away from problems instead of fixing them on the front end. Often times we find that doing this usually results in bigger and more complicated dreams. As for repeating the past I agree with Nick, it is physically and mentally impossible to relive the past verbatim. You might be able to remember bits and pieces of those things, but they won’t ever be they way they were in that exact moment they first happened. Try and try as you may, nothing can ever be exactly the same, not a day, conversation, or celebration. That’s why I feel we should live each day to the fullest and have gratitude for those wonderful moments that only happen once in a life time, and cherish them forever.

Maryanne E. said...

Generally dreamers are more careful and vigilant because they have more to risk, they don’t want to make a mistake or miss an opportunity that could aid in attaining their dream. To dream is to go out on a limb, to follow your heart and put at risk certain securities. What if you fail? Dreams are fragile and because they come from within, putting them in jeopardy is something rarely done. Do you think there are dreamers that let go of their hopes and wishes because of fear of being hurt by failure? It’s clear that each character in The Great Gatsby has a dream, a greater desire, and one can see how vigilance and care is played into harboring each dream. For example, if in fact Gatsby’s dream is to win the affections of Daisy, Gatsby had strategically befriended Nick for the purpose of meeting Daisy, Gatsby throws lavish parties in hopes Daisy will stumble upon one and Gatsby also bought a home just across the bay from where Daisy lives. Coincidences? Definitely not. However, when Gatsby finally is presented with the opportunity to meet and converse with Daisy at Nick’s “tea party”, he shies away and convinces himself it was a bad idea. Do people allow fear to control aspects of their lives? If so why does fear have such a substantial influence on someone’s decisions? Regarding idealism, it is an escape because the thought of being “perfect” in the eye of society could also be a form of protection. To live an idealistic life helps one feel accomplished, perhaps like Daisy. Daisy lives more than comfortably, is beautiful, has a mansion and a rich, ex-football player for a husband and, appears to be simply ecstatic about life. It’s easy for her to convince herself she isn’t a failure even if she isn’t living her dream, she’s living societies. Whitney said, “Many dreamers, I feel, focus on their futuristic dreams rather than participating with reality.” Why do people feel like they can improve life later? If one isn’t satisfied in the now, will they ever be? I also feel that although dreams may lay hidden in the future, some may be buried in the past. I believe one can repeat the past to an extent. Granted it wouldn’t be a replicated experience but like Gatsby is attempting to do with Daisy, people can recreate environments and situations and mentally maneuver their way around old mistakes. This could lead to success or new forms of failure, it’s the luck of the draw.

katie s. said...

I think that dreamers do need to be careful that their dreams don't get lost over time. I think if they have a dream that is important to them they need to think about there futures and how to achieve their dreams. I think all of the characters in Gatsby do have dreams and all of their dreams are different from each other. I think some people's dreams do help them escape reality. For most other people dreams are a way to keep moving forward. It is true that you can't repeat the past but like wars mistakes can be repeated over and over again. People have to remember the past so they don't make the same mistake twice, or they can fix what they did by remembering the past.

Amy B. said...

I think that the characters in The Great Gatsby do have dreams. Their lives are wrapped up in so much drama and materialism and yet I think that the reader commonly misses what each of these people are really about. For example, I think that Gatsby has more too him then what people see. He has a gargantuan house, throws elaborate parties, and seems to live the life that everyone in the 1920’s strived for. Bystanders may formulate the assumption that this lifestyle has been a goal of his, and has been achieved. I think they are wrong. I get the impression that Gatsby is a very vulnerable character. He is very alone and needs someone. He has an emotional need to be with someone, and that someone is Daisy. Next, I agree with Whitney when she says, “many dreamers I feel focus on their futuristic dreams rather than participating with reality.” I think that when someone “dreams”, it should be somewhat unrealistic. That is what is unique about a dream. Sometimes they are attainable, but sometimes they don’t fit in with reality. Last, I think that reality is something that is extremely hard to escape. I truly believe that if one tries, it will eventually catch up to them, and show that reality is reality. For example, if someone has a broken arm, they can ignore it for a small amount of time, but eventually reality will set in and they will realize that they need to do something about it. As a result, reality and the idea of dreaming are something seen very often in The Great Gatsby. One can dream to try to escape reality, but there will never be a permanent getaway.

Nick D. said...

Dreams are peoples goals or aspirations to become a person they want to become or to attain something they've always wanted to have. One big mistake on a person's road to their dream can result in failure. Dreamers need to be wary of their actions because mishaps can create chaos and unsuccess. A dreamer, too, must always be strong in the sense that if failure does occur they have the motivation to get back up on their feet, continue their dream and dream bigger. Some are more capable than others and that is why some people are more successful than others. The bigger the dream a person attains, the more confidence the person will have when striving for a new aspiration.
I agree with Whitney when she states that all the characters in Fitzgerald's novel have a dream but it is evident that each character's dream is different. "The dream" as Whitney says, is something 99.9% of people do, it is our culture. Perfection, hope and determination are characteristics of a dreamer and when an area is lacking a dream cannot be realized. The bigger the goal the more motivation an individual will have and the more realistic the goal will become. In reality anything can be achieved and if people say something is impossible, ask them, "have you even tried?", "Maybe it is possible for someone with more determination and capabilities than you have". There are times where people set too high of standards and a dream can be lost. Smaller steps is the key to larger success.
Gatsby has a dream and his dream is to one day have a similar relationship with Daisy as he did before he left for war. Nick states, "You can't repeat the past". In Fitzgerald's novel, Gatsby has all the determination to achieve his goal and his love for Daisy. Gatsby has thrown numerous parties in hopes for Daisy to attend. A question I keep asking myself is, what are Daisy's dreams? Does she want what Gatsby wants? Or is she just trying to stop the past from reoccurring? Fitzgerald only knows. Nothing can happen exactly as it did in the past because an individual is constantly learning everyday and, for example, when Gatsby is trying to gain Daisy's love back, he is going to do it differently. Gatsby won't leave Daisy and go to war and if Gatsby does end up leaving to go somewhere he would make more of an attempt to stay in touch and share his love with her frequently.

kelseyh said...

I believe that to be a dreamer, being careful and vigilant is just a part of it. Being careful just helps to ensure that your dream becomes a reality. When one is vigilant, they are attentive and are always on the lookout for possible danger. When one possesses this, they steer away from possible danger that could lead them to failure of this dream they are trying to obtain. Many of the characters in Gatsby have dreams if not all of them. For example, I believe that Gatsby's dream is to regain his past which includes Daisy. He dreams of how they were before he left for the war and happy he was to be with her. I believe that he has been hoping and dreaming of the day he sees Daisy again and when that day came, he realized that he would do anything to get her back. Would you consider that as selfish? No, all he wants to do is be happy again with the person he cared most about in the past. I do not believe idealism is a way to escape reality because when one truly believes in achieving something, no matter what it is possible. I do not agree with the statement by Fitzgerald that you can not repeat the past. I believe that what one had in the past, is always retainable. If one truly wants to gain something they had before, only time and effort can bring t back but it is always possible. I agree with Nick when he says that Gatsby is going to try and win Daisy back by doing things differently. Ibelieve that that is the only way to "reinvent" what has already happened. If somethig did not work the first time, another approach is necessary for a new attempt at something such as a dream.

Mandey K. said...

Dreamers are people that have a goal that they are trying to achieve during their lives. They need to be aware and cautious of the choices they make, because every decision that they make in their life will affect their future. One small mistake could cost them their dream so they need to be careful to make sure they’re going down the right path to get where they want to go. I think all of the characters in Gatsby have a dream. They all have different dreams but I think that’s one of the points that the book is getting across. Everyone has their own “American Dream” and they all have their own ways to attain them. Gatsby’s dream is to get Daisy’s love and he wants to try to repeat the past to get things back to the way they were. But I agree with Nick in the sense that you can’t repeat the past. That’s why we learn about history, so that we don’t make the same mistakes that people have already made. The past is there to learn from, and to build off of. If we repeat the past in the same way, the same problems will come to be. I don’t think that it’s possibly for Gatsby to get Daisy back in that way either, because everything changes, including people. If he tries to repeat the past to get her back, she won’t fall for him like she did before. It’s possible to back-track and achieve a dream that you think you’ve lost, but by repeating the past you’ll only get to the same point you got to before.

Parker C said...

By definition, a dreamer is someone who is impractical and unrealistic. Thus it would sensible for them to be vigilant; however the nature of a dreamer tends to shy away from carefulness. It is rather paradoxical to say a dreamer is vigilant. Can a dreamer by vigilant while maintaining the authenticity of being a dreamer? Fitzgerald's characters in The Great Gatsby surely embody the characteristics of a dreamer; impractical and unrealistic. Nevertheless, Gatsby for example, is successful in enacting his overzealous dreams of lavish parties as a result of his excessive wealth. His motivation was to escape the life of his unsuccessful parents and develop his ideal persona. Consequently, his success in creating his material goal a reality yields false hope that his dream to recreate the past with Daisy holds possibility. Daisy and Gatsby have experience situations that have impacted them since their initial infatuation with each other. Through these experiences, each evolved into their current personage. In essence, the Daisy that Jay Gatsby fell in love with those 5 some years ago is not the same girl. Therefore, not extent of Gatsby’s wealth can recreate an exact replica of their past. This harsh reality has devastating repercussions for Gatsby. The endless parties and arrangements in hopes of Daisy’s attendance will not fulfill Gatsby’s desire for unconditional love. Daisy did not marry Gatsby because of his insecure status; whether it be financial or geographical. Gatsby’s concludes that since this is no longer an issue, Daisy will be able to surrender to her to emotions. Unfortunately, this is the epitome of the dreamer’s mentality; impractical and unrealistic. There are not simple solutions in Fitzgerald’s money driven society whose foundation is of flamboyantly deceptive people. An insular dreamer pursuing their fantasy is manipulated to reap benefit for the realist.
*Though I did not directly reference a person’s ideas in my comment, it was greatly in response to the conclusions of Whitney’s comment

KyleL said...

I agree with Maryanne when she says that dreamers have to be more careful because they have more to risk. Nevertheless I also think that dreamers should be more risk taking than a “non-dreamer” depending on the dream. Some people have dreams that, in order for them to achieve them, will have to take sizeable risks and make extensive sacrifices. If they achieve their dream, however, it will be worth it. All the characters excluding one have the same dream. They all believe that the only way to be happy is to become rich and famous. Gatsby on the other hand, from experience, understands that the true way to be happy is to have the smaller things in life such as a wife, kids, or even a dog. So although his dream used to be riches and parties etc. his loneliness has altered his dream significantly. I think some people (especially those who are rich… because it’s easier that way) do try to escape reality through idealism. They do it all the time at Gatsby’s parties. They all go and get drunk to forget about the problems in their lives. You can also see it in toms’ affair. He is trying to escape reality through a mysteries “against the rules” affair. I agree with nick when he says, " You can't the repeat the past.” This is because no matter what times keeps on going and as time changes so does people and other things in this world. So to try to re-live the past is crazy and not possible. So repercussions would be a low self-esteem because of your failed attempt to re-live the past and no we cannot reinvent what has already happened. A good example of this is Uncle Rio in Napoleon Dynamite he is always trying to re-live the past saying, “If only coach would have put me in the forth quarter, we would be state champs for sure!” He continues to explain how he would be rich and famous and life would be so much better. The bottom line however is you can’t re-live the past so you just have to move on.

NickyM said...

I feel dreamers have to be vigilant but also careful. They need to be careful and act at the right time and place. A dreamer has to be open to new ideas and aware to everything around them. But they also need to be careful about what the choose to go after so their dreams can come true.
Being vigilant could lead a dream to find something they have been looking for. Also, being careful can keep a dreamer away from danger and making the wrong choose.
Most of the characters in Gatsby have a dream. I agree with Kelsey about Gatsby's dream. I also feel his goal is to regain what has happened in his past. I think this means mostly his relationship with Daisy because of the obvious importance of her in his life. Gatsby feels Daisy will complete him and the life he has created around him. I feel all the characters have or are letting their dreams get in the way of actual reality. I feel many people and especially the characters in the book use idealism to escape from their reality. Reality is always seen as something bad so these characters in a way create they own way of looking at things through their dreams or wants. The past can always be repeated. Until things are perfect it could always happen again. Things may not be exactly like before but there is always a possibility for something from the past to come back up later on in life. This could be considered as a second chance in life and could be a good things, something to take advantage of.

brittanyd said...

I think that the job of a dreamer is to be more careful and vigilant, like mary pointed out. When being a dreamer, anything could come in the path of your dream to distruct it and being careful falls into play. A dream is endless, in your mind it has no ends. Being aware is something that dreamers keep in their mind so their dream doesn't vanish within time. Dreams make the capabilities of a person escaping reality endless. In Gatsby, the dreamers are everywhere. I think all the characters contain the aspect of a dreamer. Gatsby's dream is aspiring Daisy in his life. All the dreams are based on achieving that dream. They focus on their dream to escape their reality, and the bigger the dreamer the more that they are able to achieve. But at the same time, the bigger the dream the more they can lose. Imposible is a word that dreamers in Gatsby dont comprehend. The past can be repeated, and its proven by the acts of Gatsby. Gatsby pursues Daisy in the present and he does so beacause of his love for her in the past. But she shows the prime example of the barrier between his dream. Does she love him? Or will she be the barrier that leads Gatsby away from achieving his dream?

kyndral said...

Dreamers tend to live outside of reality. They try to live in their dream, not the real world. Fitzgerald certainly portrays this in Gatsby, the characters live the life they dream of and not the one they really have. Gatsby himself dreams of being with Daisy and lives this dream, even though she is married to another. I agree with Whitney when she says that people tend to run away from their problems. And this creates the illusion that everything is fine, but really they just don't live in the world but their dream. Gatsby lives so completely in his dream of the past that he believes he can repeat the affection that existed between himself and Daisy. She lives this dream with him, but she also lives another life where the past is cherished but different from the present. I firmly believe that you cannot go back and live in the past. You cheat yourself and those around you when you try to live in any time but the now. You can learn from the past, you can try to fix problems of the past, but you cannot revisit is and change what happened. Gatsby is living the dream of his past with Daisy, and as shown in chapter seven, she remembers more then just her time with Gatsby and can not decide what to do now. Living in the present and the past does not work, it will only confuse you. You have to live and enjoy life as it is, not as it was.

LouiseT said...

If you are a dreamer, you need to be careful and vigilant to some extent, yet I don’t believe they’re the main aspects needed to become a dreamer. Over everything, a dreamer must have determination, perseverance and faith to truly affect the outcome of your dreams. If a dreamer is too careful during the process of attaining their dreams or too occupied by their fear of failure, they will get no where near achieving the wanted results. Like Kyle said, one must be willing to take risks and really have the mindset to go after their dreams with full faith and perseverance in order to achieve them, not holding back or being too careful. A dreamer isn’t careful. A dreamer is a risk taker.
Yes, the characters in Gatsby have dreams. Gatsby dreams of reinventing the past of him and Daisy, Tom dreams of wealth and living up his name in pride, Mr. Wilson dreams of a healthy and happier life and Nick simply wants to find true love and discover the Truths in the world around him. So yes, each character has different desires and dreams within this story varying completely from person to person.
Idealism could indeed be considered a way of escaping the hectic world of reality. People develop dreams due to something they are unsatisfied within their current lives that they eventually want to change or achieve. So having these goals and dreams in mind helps them to focus on the hypothetical future while escaping realities of the present.
The past can be repeated to an extent. For instance, World Wars have been repeated, people experience re-marriages, many people repeat high school and most everybody has experienced a déjà-vu. Yet these are all very broad events and general mistakes that are repeated. The specific emotions, blessings, feelings and moments in the past, at those certain times, in that certain memory can never be simulated twice. So in that case I agree with Whitney…cherish the little moments and memories for they will never be repeated in the same way.

Anonymous said...

I think that there is a big difference between dreamers and achievers. I think that basically everyone on this earth has some dream, aspiration or want wich could classify anyone and everyone as a dreamer. No matter how realistic or far fetched a dream is or may be it is still a dream. It is those dreamers who absolutely have to accomplish there dream, that should be careful. I think that it is beat described by a quote I heard in a movie "I found that if you have a goal, that you might not reach it. But if you don't have one, then you are never disappointed." (Peter La Fleur;Dodgeball). Its those who dream but never take action that should be careful of dreaming because they are only making goals they know they cannot reach and in the end it just makes them unhappy. However their are the dreamers that work towards their dream and feel a great sense of achievement when they reach it.
Many of the characters in Gatsby want the one thing they do not posses because it is human nature to always want somehting more. For example Gatsby has money but wants the girl, Tom has a girl but she is not enough to keep him satisfied and Nick in some sense kind of wants both the money and someone to love. In the end not everyone can get everything they want because some way or another something else will always have to give.

Sophie M said...

Dreamers do have to be very careful because they have no control over how the world unfolds, dreaming gives people hope which is great but it also means that they have something to lose. Being a dreamer can be a dangerous thing in different ways, first of all yes I do believe that when you are a dreamer you are separate from reality meaning that a dreamer is sometimes unaware. Another risk of being a dreamer, I think, is missing out on what is going on right before your eyes, if your head is always in the clouds wishing and dreaming that means that the rest of you isn’t doing anything. I think if you are a dreamer and you are not careful life will pass you by. Now I’m not saying that being a dreamer is a bad thing just simply that a dreamer should still be aware of the world spinning around them. I have to say that I don’t totally agree with Nick Davis because I feel that goals and dreams are two different things, they are very similar but they have their differences. Goals are more of physical things that a person strives for where as dreams have to do more with the desires of the heart, which are obtained through the passage of time.
Yes I do think that every character in Gatsby has a dream or hopes or goals, not all of them as apparent as others but certainly present. –All people/ humans have dreams.- Some characters “goals” are less noble then other characters dreams but I think these dreams/wants drive the character to do the things that they do. Just like us people are motivated by their desires, sometimes to do crazy things, both good and bad crazy. In this story I think each person is shaped by his or her dreams/goals. I think Fitzgerald does this to put a focus on the aspect of the 20’s that everyone always wants more. The grass always seems to be greener on the other side.
As for this quote from Nick, " You can't the repeat the past." I agree, I think that all we can do is learn from the past to create a better future. Without making mistakes you can’t gain live experience and without live experience you can mature and fully understand the world. Although yes sometimes I wish I could go back and redo things but in reality it’s probably better that we can’t because we would waste away our lives trying to fix the past. No, the only thing I think we can do is to move forward, to keep going.

Stacey B. said...

I agree with Kyle and Maryanne with the idea that dreamers have more to risk. When someone has a dream that is really important to them they will do anything to achieve it. Jay Gatsby is no fool will it comes to trying to get what he wants. He knows that Daisy and Nick know each other and that's why Gatsby has been extremely nice to Nick. Gatsby seems like the type of man that is willing to hurt the people around him in order to get what he wants.
I think people use idealism to escape from reality. I agree with Whitney on that people run away from their problems and there fore everything gets complicated. I think you can repeat the past if you don't learn from your mistakes. We need to take the past as a time to learn and there fore improve our future for us and the people around us. I don't think people should try reliving their college days. The past is needed to base our future off of. We need to remember it and learn from it. People change and times change. We will never get the opportunity to relive our past so we need to cherish every moment of it.

Nick E said...

If you’re a dreamer you have to be careful to an extent, so that you don’t cross any boundaries that would hold you back from your dreams, but you must be very vigilant because nothing comes to you easy, you have to go get it. It’s important to not be too vigilant though and go for an unrealistic goal and in turn waste away your chance at a more realistic dream. In my opinion the Gatsby characters that we’ve meet thus far don’t really have dreams. Their main concern is partying and gossip. In there eyes they are probably right where they want to be and with their wealth, anything they dream, they can achieve solely based upon their status. I think that people that try to relive parts of their lives or go back for second chances find that they are impossible to recreate. Its completely unhealthy to live in the past, people must always live in the now and look forward to the future. I disagree with Parker’s “definition” of dreamer, I feel that a dreamer isn’t unrealistic, a dreamer just wants a better good and strives for what they aspire.

HaileyM2009 said...

If dreamers become vigilant in their pursuit of their goals, they will not take the risks they need to take in order to achieve their dreams. Of course a person shouldn’t just pursue in reckless abandon, but the dreams that are most satisfying to achieve are those uncertain gambles you worked whole heartedly for.
Most of the characters in Gatsby are striving to be in control as a leader of high society. Though their motives are different (Gatsby wants this to get to Daisy, and Tom and Myrtle just want power), they ultimately are striving for the same unrealistic happiness they think they will attain from being in charge. Idealism may provide a fantasy of escaping reality, but any actual escape is brief and, generally, harshly and suddenly broken off.
Though you can line up certain incidences to repeat the past, there is no way to genuinely repeat. Change is a natural part of life and over time people are continually growing and changing opinions and emotions. Also, many tend to revere their past as this pristine perfect time when everything was joyous and nothing was sad. They forget the hurt, only remembering their current hurt when they say, “Wow, those were the good old days.”

kirstiea. said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
kirstiea. said...

As a dreamer, I believe that you do have to be more vigilant. I agree with Maryanne in the fact that as a dreamer there is more to lose. Someone who is a dreamer is at risk for all the their hopes to get ripped out from under them. Dreamers are constantly trying to reach the point in which there dreams are finally fulfilled. Take Gatsby for example. He has been dreaming of the day when he and Daisy can finally be together. This puts him at great risk for disappointment because circumstance does not always work in flavor of a person’s dreams. Gatsby spends his time idolizing Daisy, ignoring the reality that they may never be together. To me, dreams are an escape. A dream is a place the mind takes us to get away from the harsh reality of the world, a sense of individualized perfection. Most can distinguish between obtainable dreams and unrealistic dreams. Aiming for the closest reality to their individual perfection, if a person fails then the life they live will never be satisfying. I do believe however that dreams change over time. This gives hope to those with shattered dreams. The path one takes is not always the path they planned to travel.

Rick Maestas said...

If you are a dreamer, you both have to be more careful and vigilant. Caution will be essential to attaining your dream, since it will prevent you from making stupid mistakes along the way. Vigilance is another key ingredient to attaining a dream, since it is a quality that, in its absence, makes anything impossible to accomplish. All the characters in Gatsby have their own unique dreams. Idealism is a way for people to escape reality, but an idealistic fantasy will rarely play out in the real world. Nick is absolutely right in telling Gatsby “You can’t repeat the past”, and there are repercussions for not looking towards the future. It is possible to reinvent what has already happened, but it is impossible to fully repeat it.

anna_c said...

Dreamers are risk takers. One might want something to happen but it depends on how life folds out. Dreamers can be careful and viligant, but eventually there comes a point that they cross where they are no loger in their comfort zone. A dream is a personal thing and sometimes to achieve it, you have to just throw yourself out there and give it a shot. I agree with Whitney when she made a point about not losing sight of the main objective; staying alert and focused will help to keep the dreamer on the right track, toward their true dream, instead of getting caught up in things that will cloud their way. All the characters in Gatsby have dreams. They dream, but let unimportant issues cloud their way to achieveing what they desire the most. They seem to use their dreams in a negative way, using them to shield themselves from their true reality. This is where "the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg" come into play. The characters can lie to themselves all they want, but they can't lie to the eyes. The past always repeats itself. An event will take place and there is always repercussions.It's not always repeated in the exact same manner, but that aspect is always there being buried and uncovered. I'm not saying that we dwell in the past, but things don't always only happen once. Then again, bringing up the past may not give one the desired effect they hoped for. One can recreate certain events or memories but this can lead to new dreams, or new failures, even new dissappointments and let downs that caused to explorer to seek out the past in the first place.

amuramoto5 said...

"You can not repete the past". This is a true statement because everyone at one point in their life wants to go back in time to fix a problem or situation; however it is impossible. This is why it is so important to live everyday to the fullest, this is simply because you will never get the chance to returt to the same place or be in the same situation. It is important that your dreams are obtainable. If a dream is to difficult to reach then you can be easilly dissappoited or let down. It is also important it is a "healthy" dream. If your dream is dangerous it wont be good. In Gatsby the dreams are hard to see simply because they are wrapped up in drama and lying. When they reach for a dream it is obtained by secretly stabbing someone else in the back and being dishonest. This is wrong and hurtful.