In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel  "The Great Gatsby '' (1925), Nick Carraway asserts that symbols derive their meaning from the mind rather than possessing any inherent qualities; this assertion exemplifies the disillusionment and moral ambiguity fundamental in the portrayal of the 1920s. Nick Carraway furthers this assertion through a declaration regarding the grotesqueness of a rose (a symbol commonly perceived positively which is used as  an emblem of societal constructs, such as the glamorous ideals of the 1920s). Consequently, Carraway’s condemnation of the rose highlights the belief that the ideals of the 1920s American dream are subjective and arbitrary. Carraway’s declaration, therefore, also displays his disillusionment with the American Dream. Furthermore, Fitzgerald uses Carraway’s disillusionment to showcase his own perspective on the American Dream. 

In this interpretation, the rose symbolizes the idealized facade of the American Dream, which, upon closer examination by Carraway, reveals both of their inherent flaws. In The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway is the personification of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Using Carraway as an avatar is Fitzgerald's method— his instrument in scrutinizing the rose & American Dream himself. Therefore, Carraway's assertion reveals Fitzgerald's broader critique of societal values present at the time. Namely, the pursuit of wealth, success, and social status that often came at the expense of moral integrity. Fitzgerald’s perspective challenges the 1920s reader's romanticized notion of the American Dream as a universal ideal. 

By the end of the book, Fitzgerald fully rebukes the American Dream as a hollow construct devoid of true fulfillment. In doing so, Fitzgerald utilizes Gatsby’s murder and funeral, devoid of any true friends, as the final blow to the feeble facade of the American Dream. Despite the robust and lively parties thrown by Gatsby, desperate for the attention of Daisy, neither Daisy nor any of his partygoers attended his funeral. Fitzgerald employs Gatsby’s life as a warning against the pursuit of the illusionary American Dream. And through this warning, Fitzgerald invites the readers to reconsider their own preconceived notions surrounding success and happiness.