It is human nature to hope and dream; what lessons does The Great Gatsby present about hopes and dreams?

In the novel, Gatsby is defined by his dreams, and his
life is determined by them. It could be said that he, in fact, died for the greatest of
his dreams--to repeat his past with Daisy. It is important, however, to recognize that
there is a significant difference between Jimmy Gatz growing up in North Dakota and Jay
Gatsby of West Egg.

As a boy, Jimmy Gatz dreamed of a
successful life far removed from his poverty-stricken upbringing. He longed for romance
and beauty, a glamorous life infused with mystery and enchantment. He hoped and dreamed,
but he also worked and planned. His journal shows his attitude and efforts to secure the
future he wanted. After running away from home, he attended college for a short time,
but soon left. He did not want to continue working as a janitor to pay his tuition, and
he was in a hurry. He had no time or inclination for work and study, as he once had.
Even though his attitude had changed at this point, his dreams were still
possible--until he meets Daisy.

After he meets the
beautiful and wealthy Daisy Fay in Louisville, she becomes the embodiment of all his
early dreams; his romance with her one summer determines the rest of his life. Throwing
in with a gangster (Wolfsheim), Gatsby soon amasses a fortune. With money, he believes,
he will belong in Daisy's privileged world and can win her back. His dreams are not
fulfilled, however, and his story ends in tragedy.

One
especially important lesson can be drawn from Gatsby and his dreams. As a boy he seemed
to be on the right path in pursuing them, but when Daisy became his great dream, he was
doomed to failure. The reason? This dream of Daisy was rooted in an illusion instead of
reality. He did not recognize the reality of his relationship with Daisy. By the
circumstances of his birth, he was excluded from privileged social class; no matter how
great his wealth, he would never belong in Daisy's world. He would forever be an
outsider, making his dream an impossibility. Furthermore, as Nick tried to make him
understand, nobody can ever repeat the past.

The essential
lesson here seems to be this: In order to achieve our dreams, they must be realistic and
lie within the realm of possibility. Dreams based on illusion become illusions
themselves.