The American Dream and how to achieve it has been modified in many ways over the decades. It is more difficult today than at the beginning of the 20th century to realize the American dream. This dream is the idea that any individual can climb the class ladder from nothing. The fact that the taxes of the wealthy population remain low and that those same people remain wealthy contributes to the difficulty of realizing the dream. Many immigrants move to America in hopes of achieving the American dream. The reluctance to grant citizenship to those who work hard in our country makes it difficult for these individuals to obtain wealth. In the twentieth century the economy was thriving, making it easier for people to find work; Nowadays, in times of recession, it is difficult to find a well-paying job without a high school education. All of these factors make it more difficult to achieve the American dream. America's richest people continually receive the biggest tax breaks. Because of this unfortunate process, the rich remain rich while the poor collect extra taxes, remaining in deep poverty. “Americans find themselves stuck in the same place as their parents” (Class and the American Dream). It's harder to move up the class ladder today than it was in Gatsby's day. Gatsby came from nothing, rose from poverty by accident. Meeting Dan Cody was his entry into the world of the rich. If Gatsby had not learned the basics of how to behave and how to be proper, it would have compromised his ability to get rich and climb the ladder. The gap that currently needs to be filled from the poor to the rich is now triple that of the last 28 years, making the highest incomes 74.6 times higher than the lowest incomes (Sherman and Stone). .middle of paper....... The gap between rich and poor that has continuously increased over the decades makes it even more difficult for an individual to move from the poor to the rich class. The rich, who receive large tax breaks, remain rich. This leaves poor-class Americans to bear the brunt of the heaviest taxes, leaving them in the same class with little to no hope of becoming rich and achieving the American dream. Furthermore, delaying and denying citizenship to immigrants hinders their ability to obtain wealth and the American dream. Low wages also reduce the ability of many Americans to obtain a higher education, decreasing the likelihood that they will receive high wages and the American dream. In the era in which The Great Gatsby was written, it was much easier to move up the class ladder due to the smaller class gap, as shown by the story of Jay Gatsby.