The theme of achieving the American Dream is evident through Carraway’s diction because it voices that Americans remain in such optimism towards reaching their goals and creating a bright future, that they are unaware they are constantly reliving their past. This is an example of irony because Buchanan had left Gatsby due to his financial situation. However, when he returns five years later with a much improved fiscal state, Gatsby is unaware that he wishes to create a relationship only with his idealised memories of Buchanan and not the woman she has become after her marriage. The irony becomes evident through Carraway's metaphor of the boat, specifically when he says "…So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past," (Fitzgerald 193). In these words, Carraway refers to Gatsby's oblivious character towards his own destiny. He indirectly states that Gatsby had been so fixated on developing a future with Buchanan that he did not realize he lost his battle with fate long ago; from their previous relationship, Gatsby should have known he was not destined to be with