e novel, it is learned that Jay Gatsby was influenced by his association with the millionaire adventurer Dan Cody and that he was an officer during the First World War. However, the manner in which he obtained his wealth is not directly stated until near the end of the novel. Throughout the story, rumors about Jay Gatsby's past are referred to, such as the possibility that he may have killed a man or that he may have been a bootlegger at one time. Questions are also raised by Gatsby's association with Meyer Wolfsheim, the notorious gambler responsible for filing bets at the 1919 World's Series (Fitzgerald 74). In fact, it is gradually revealed that Gatsby and Wolfsheim indeed became rich together by selling illegal alcohol in their chain of "side-street drug stores" (Fitzgerald 134).
Despite Jay Gatsby's shady past however, it is clear that Fitzgerald intended him to stand as a symbol for the American dream. One way in which Gatsby represents the American dream is that he rose from rural conditions to become a self-made millionaire. When he first met Daisy, Jay Gatsby was still "a penniless young man without a past" (Fitzgerald 149). When he meets her again five years later, he has become rich and is haunted by his past. What little else is known about Gatsby's past, such as his travels with Dan Cody, simply adds to his overall mythical nature. The fact that Gatsby's source of wealth is a mystery further contributes to his mythical quality. In this regard, it is interesting to note that Fitzgerald modeled his character somewhat after newspaper accounts of "the mysterious appearance of Gatsby-like figures who had suddenly emerged from the West with millions of dollars at their command" (Piper 114).
The American dream holds out the promise of wealth to all American citizens, but the reality is one in which only an elite few are able to attain wealthy status. The majority of Americans are middle class, or even poor, and ...