The Great Gatsby Through the Eyes of George Wilson

“Beat me!” Myrtle cried. “Throw me down and beat me, you dirty little coward!

After a brisk moment she ran from me, she was waving her arms madly and before I could do anything she was gone. It didn't stop, it was gone as fast as it came, like a phantom out of nowhere. 

Michaelis hurried to her and I could only watch as they checked the pulse on her, the car had mutilated her body beyond belief and I could no longer look. It felt like my life was over and the end was somewhere near.

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After a while, a crowd had gathered consisting of policemen and those with an insatiable curiosity for gossip or news.
"....and let's have your name. Look out now. i want to get his name," said the policeman. I knew the type of car, the yellow blur had reconstructed itself in my memory.
"You don't have to tell me what kind of car it was! I know what kind of car it was!"
Tom came over and in a comforting way he put his arms on my shoulders.
"You've got to pull yourself together," I didn't know his gruff character could manage a gentle word, much less a phrase and I let myself go for a second.
"Listen," said Tom, he was shaking me. " I just got here a minute ago from New York. i was you that coupe we've been talking about. That yellow car I was driving this afternoon wasn't mine - do you hear? I haven't seen it all afternoon."

The American Dream Today

The American Dream these days is much harder to pursuit, it not only takes an education or a skill but rather some luck it seems. Some people out of college are having it so bad that they have to move in directly to their parents' house because of the lack of jobs the economy is providing. The unemployment for our youth (14%) is reaching the levels it once had during the Great Depression.
It seems that these numbers are so discouraging or most people do not even want to give pursuit to their American Dream that 23% have not even tried looking for work. Despite these harsh numbers a lot remain optimistic about their future, the promise of a piece of their own American Dream is close.
This promise of independence, before easily achieved has become it's own part in the American Dream because of how elusive it is. It's come to the point where other people have to hold your hand or give you a little push so that you can make it.
This relates to the Great Gatsby because we see the same struggle in George, in my opinion he represents a working man that the American Dream has let down and so he has to continuously wait for Tom to give up his car so that George can profit from it. He's lost part of this independence in pushing George to sell him his car.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/07/business/economy/07generation.html