The Carraways are something of a clan, and we have a tradition that we’re descended from the Dukes of Buccleuch, but the actual founder of my line was my grandfather’s brother, who came here in fifty-one, sent a substitute to the Civil War, and started the wholesale hardware business that my father carries on to-day.
– F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby. Chapter 1, Nick is from a prominent and well off family, but hasn’t lived the luxurious life that Daisy and Tom have. Instead Nick’s family achieved the American Dream through hard work. Referring to the family’s tradition of who they were descended from, he admits that’s all an illusion.