Category: American Dream

The Great Gatsby and the Satirical Pursuit of the American Dream

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was written about a satirical story that embraces American ideals. The narrator, Nick Carraway, describes Gatsby’s satirical life, his incredible parties, and the amount of money he has. When reading the book, there is a lot deeper meaning than the luxuries some people have. Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby to portray the ideal American dream and a real look at the fancy lifestyles everyone wishes they had in America.

Gatsby’s Shirts and Daisy: A Glimpse into the American Dream

Fitzgerald expresses the American ideal with a satirical story between Daisy and Gatsby. Looking more deeply at Fitzgerald’s writing, when Daisy goes to Gatsby’s house for the first time, she is shocked about Gatsby’s shirts, “He took out a pile of shirts and began throwing them, one by one, before us, shirts of sheer linen and thick silk and fine flannel… Suddenly, with a strained sound, Daisy bent her head into the shirts and began to cry stormily.

“They’re such beautiful shirts,” she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. “It makes me sad because I’ve never seen such beautiful shirts before.” The point of Fitzgerald adding this is because Gatsby was not proper, and he’s making a point that it’s okay not to follow some guidelines. When Daisy starts to cry in front of Gatsby, she’s crying because of how Gatsby had so many-colored shirts he was throwing, not because she has not seen him in 5 years. That proves being wealthy is a need for Daisy to be in a relationship.

Parties, Popularity, and the American Dream’s Facade

Fitzgerald also expresses satire about the American dream ideal when Gatsby throws huge parties and everyone, even people who were not invited, finds a way to go to the parties. When Nick Carraway goes to Gatsby’s house the first time, he states, “I believe that on the first night I went to Gatsby’s house, I was one of the few guests who had actually been invited. People were not invited — they went there. Sometimes they came and went without having met Gatsby at all, came for the party with a simplicity of heart that was its own ticket of admission.” Clearly, the people who were not invited were acting carelessly at the party, and they would not tell people directly, but they were moving from house to house like a moth to only get the gossip and the champagne.

Fitzgerald also adds, “his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars… and stocked with gins and liquors and with cordials so long forgotten that most of his female guests were too young to know one from another”. Fitzgerald added that because Gatsby’s female guests are quite young to know the difference between what drinks were being served. This shows how the American dream ideal that the younger you are, the better because girls started to go to parties and meet men without knowing what everything meant.

The Downfall of Gatsby: The American Dream’s Harsh Reality

The last of the American ideal is how Fitzgerald mentioned Gatsby’s personal life in the book. Gatsby went from being poor to out of nowhere getting an inheritance from a friend and becoming ridiculously wealthy. Gatsby is a figure of the American dream because people wanted that life so badly. In society, people believed the American dream was “big money, big house, and parties.” However, reading the book, the American dream was not real, and it would die eventually. The moment when the story is set at Gatsby’s funeral, and Tom says, “..Mr. Nobody from Nowhere..” Well, Tom is saying even though Gatsby was wealthy and famous, people only cared for his parties; Gatsby was not seen as “popular” in others’ eyes.

Even Though Fitzgerald showed a satirical story between Daisy and Gatsby, he also showed other strangers the luxurious life of the people they know. Fitzgerald wrote the book to feel what it was like back then: people’s luxurious lives and their dark sides. The American dream was not the perfect life after all. The Great Gatsby showed the American Dream as someone starting low on the economic or status level or working really hard towards becoming wealthy and having fame. In the 1920s, people wanted to be rich, popular, and happy, but Gatsby thought money would fix his happiness, but money doesn’t buy happiness.

References

1. Fitzgerald, F. S. (1925). The Great Gatsby. Scribner.
2. Fitzgerald, F. Scott. 1925. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner.

The American Dream: Taxation’s Toll on Prosperity

We all dreamt of money, being rich, owning extravagant cars and houses, and being married to a prince or princess as a child. Everyone desires a perfect life. This Dream is known as the American Dream, which is the belief that an individual will be successful in life if one works hard. For decades, achieving the American Dream has been an ideal for many Americans. Some may view The American Dream as having a white picket fence, while others believe it’s becoming a celebrity. The idea anyone can achieve financial stability through hard work is the American Dream.

However, Americans are lagging behind; Joseph E. Stiglitz further explains how the distribution of the American tax system is not fair for those striving to obtain the American Dream. The nature of economics depends on the stability of the state. The economic stability of Americans is at stake. Stiglitz reports that about 6 out of ten Americans believe the tax system is unfair, according to Joseph E. Stieglitz. Stieglitz goes further in-depth and discusses how the American tax policy targets those who are indeed of financial help and not the ones who can already support themselves financially. Due to the unfair distribution of taxes in America, many of those who seek or are in desperate need of financial help are being taxed more than the individuals who are considered rich, barely paying tax at all.

Chasing the American Dream: Financial Barriers and Hope

A tax is a monetary financial charge by a governmental organization in order to fund various public expenditures. A failure to pay, along with evasion of or resistance to taxation, is punishable by law. Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society. However, the burden of paying taxes has been distributed unfairly in numerous ways over the past decades. Stiglitz reports, “The richest 400 individual taxpayers, with an average income of more than 200 million, pay less than 20 percent of their income in taxes – far lower than mere millionaires, who pay about 25 percent of their income in taxes, and above these earning a mere 200,000 to 500,00 dollars”.

Stiglitz’s evidence includes more than just facts and data about individuals making 200 million versus 500,000 thousand; he’s implying those who make less money in American society or have a hard time supporting themselves financially pay a higher percentage of taxes than those who are financially stable or rich. He explains how rich individual taxpayers are only paying a small percentage of their taxes compared to those who are far lower than millionaires who have to pay a higher percentage of tax due to their lack of financial stability.

Furthermore, Stiglitz reports that 116 of the top 400 earners paid less than 15 percent of their income in taxes. Once more, he provides factual data supporting the fact the less money you make in American society, the higher percentage of taxes one individual will have to pay. Due to the unfair distribution of taxes, many Americans believe that the American Dream, by definition, is the ability to obtain financial stability through hard work and dedication, no matter what social status an individual comes from.

Beyond the White Picket Fence: The Unequal Quest for the American Dream

However, many do not have the same opportunities, financial and family support. Sadly, this is the case for a young girl named Robert; she is 18 years old and has tried her very best to obtain the American Dream but failed to do so. Her parents split up when she was merely in preschool, and she grew up in a broken and impoverished household. Robert did not grow up in the safest environment as well. She faced constant abuse and became consumed in the world of drugs in high school, ultimately making bad decisions.

Robert’s story is truly heartbreaking, and Robert D. Putnam goes further in depth about how Robert is only one of the hundreds or even thousands of children facing this dilemma over the past decades in Port Clinton. Putnam explains, “By 2011, the child poverty rate along the shore in upscale Catawba was only a one percent fraction of the fifty-one percent rate of the few hundred yards inland”. Putnam’s evidence shows how those in poverty who do not have the same opportunities and support as others may have struggled to obtain the American Dream.

On the other hand, a young boy with an identical background story to Robert’s was still able to obtain the American Dream even through the impoverished life he grew up in. Joseph grew up on the port side of town and worked two jobs to keep his family afloat. He worked seventy-plus hours, and he and his dad were unable to afford a car. Through hard work and dedication, Joseph was able to apply for financial aid in college.

References

1. Stiglitz, J. E. (2012). The price of inequality: How today’s divided society endangers our future.
2. Putnam, R. D. (2015). Our kids: The American dream in crisis. Simon and Schuster.

Immigration has been going on for who knows how long. Immigration isn’t only about Mexican Immigrants crossing the border from all the southwestern states. Immigration is considered any kind of people from different races coming in that isn’t American. In this case, I will focus on immigration from our southern neighbor, Mexico. Immigration was an issue, but not as big of an issue is being made about today. With Donald Trump as President, Immigration hasn’t touched headlines in decades until now. Millions of dollars have been invested in the elimination of immigration, but that cannot break the big dream of a Mexican. Although the big Mexican dream has many key parts to it, I will only focus on the three major parts that are meaningful to me.

Crossing the Border: The Pursuit of Safety and Prosperity

The big Mexican Dream every Mexican can dream of is, first and foremost, to be able to cross the U.S. border. Mexicans cross illegally to escape the harsh society they live in. Their society is far less developed than ours here in the U.S. They cross for better economic opportunities and to provide a better life for themselves and their families.

The number one reason why immigration is happening from Mexico to the United States is simply to have a better life for themselves or their families. Crossing the border is a tough journey. Not only does it test you physically, but it also tests you mentally. Walking through endless miles of deserted land or going through the Rio Grande River isn’t an easy task. Everything is thought through thoroughly. Is risking their lives worth getting closer to the big American Dream? I could possibly speak for every immigrant that, yes, it is worth the risk.

Economic Struggles in Mexico: Low Wages and Few Opportunities

Back in Mexico, there are far more lower-paying jobs than what the minimum wages are here. People make their living based on taco stands or selling homemade products. They can’t afford much because of how low their income is. Some don’t have any kind of income coming in. The government is so corrupt that they can’t even go to the government for help. They want to escape that and come to the U.S. to get jobs as cleaning staff, construction workers, or any job the typical American wouldn’t take because of the low wages.

Americans are the first to point and blame fingers that the immigrants are taking their jobs and that they don’t belong here. The immigrants are coming for better economic opportunities, so they’ll accept any job, no matter how low the wage is. It’s better than getting two or three hundred dollars a week rather than getting a couple of bucks every other day or no money at all back home. Manly, immigrants come to work to send money back home to their families or save money to prepare when their families make it over. Most of the immigrants come to work on Construction sites because it requires little to no education and because that’s all they know because that’s what most did back home with lower wages than here.

Escaping Corruption and Danger: Mexico’s Struggle with Law Enforcement

Much of the law enforcement back in Mexico is corrupted, including the government and much more. As I had said before, their economy is so low that their law enforcement must seek other ways to make a quick buck. To pull people over for no apparent reason but to make a quick buck off them to threaten someone’s life to get their money. Many immigrants don’t want to be next because many don’t have money to give, so they’ll probably end up being taken into custody or even killed. Many can say that they don’t want that for their family and loved ones.

How could they make it stop when everything and everyone is corrupted, including the government? Many just live with it, but others cannot take the risk. That’s why people flee to the U.S. to get away from the corrupted law enforcement and the dangers of gang wars.

The Cost of Dreams: Coyotes and the Perilous Path to the U.S.

Many people care about their loved ones and can’t bear to see them suffer living in the situation they’re living in, so they make plans to cross the border with the help of coyotes. Coyotes are fearless people who lead the way to the big American Dream for others to feel at their fingertips. It’s expensive when paying a coyote to pass you over the border. They sometimes charge one thousand dollars per head, adult or child, but still one grand for every head. The price is high, but the reward can be even bigger. That’s why many families leave their country to leave the violence behind them, so they won’t have to worry so much about getting robbed or killed.

Immigrants in the U.S.: Challenges, Sacrifices, and Hope for a Better Future

In conclusion, an immigrant is a person from one country who moves to another country permanently for a better life. There are many different reasons why people leave their country to go to another country. I’m not an immigrant. However, according to my own experience, some people move to another country to find jobs, but some move to another country to look forward to a better education. Being an immigrant to the United States is not easy. What I mean is the way of life is not easy for some people because everything is about money. We must pay for everything.

In the U.S., there are many things we must go through if we want something, and we also spend a lot of money for many reasons: rent, water, and food. Everything always costs money. There are many sacrifices people face while they are immigrants. They work long hours for more money, but they don’t have enough time with their family. Some people work 24 hours in order to have enough money for their rent and bills. Some people even get sick because of working hard during the day and night. But they don’t choose to quit their jobs because they must work hard to get money for their needs and wants.

Being an immigrant is not an easy way to live well and have a better life. For immigrants, it is not easy to adopt the culture and the way that people behave. That’s why immigrants come to the United States: for a better life for them and for their families and for better economic opportunity.

References

1. Migration Policy Institute. (2019). Mexican Immigrants in the United States. Washington, D.C.: MPI.
2. Fernandez, L. A. (2017). Border Crossings: Stories of Desperation and Hope. Mexico City: University of Mexico Press.
3. World Bank. (2020). Economic Overview of Mexico. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank.
4. Hernandez, R. (2018). “The Impact of Corruption on Migration from Central America.” Journal of Latin American Studies.
5. U.S. Department of Labor. (2021). Mexican Immigrants in the U.S. Workforce. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.
6. Anderson, S. & Solis, M. (2019). “Coyotes: The Price of the American Dream.” Journal of Border Studies.

Introduction: The Illusion of the American Dream

Modern American youth are seemingly often delusional about a life filled with promise and self-satisfaction to of which they see suitable for themselves; however, this mere illusion has the capacity to tempt people to advocate towards their aspirations in life and lead them to what is believed to be the American Dream. The American Dream in the modern American youth is generally portrayed as having luxuries such as a high ranked social status, a higher level of education, having an up to the mark car or house, having a superior quantity of money, etc. In the novel, The Great Gatsby the author F. Scott Fitzgerald depicts his idea regarding the American Dream through his characters. For instance, in the novel the narrator, Nick Carraway, presents and encounters other characters such as George, Myrtle, Daisy, Tom and the protagonist Jay Gatsby. Furthermore, as the novel progresses the characters later reveal their anguished emotions regarding their lives throughout the novel. The message Fitzgerald is trying to convey is that the American Dream blinds Americans from reality and this makes it hard for them to achieve their goal and this leads to the American Dream to become almost unattainable.

The Blinding Power of Wealth and Status

For instance, how most people of high-income status are blinded by their wealth to a degree in which they don’t realize they sometimes hurt those around them. For example, within the novel The Great Gatsby, those who were blinded by their luxuries and wealth were Tom and Daisy Buchanan. Tom was a narrowminded young man around the age of thirty who once was a football player during his young years in college but was also a hypocritical and arrogant aristocrat from an economically solid family. Daisy, on the other hand, was a beautiful young woman who desired the nothing else but the status and wealth that her dear husband possessed. For example, throughout the novel, it can be seen how those in society’s high class are neither pleasant nor tenderhearted in the very least towards others. Not only are they very disapproving and judgmental of others and each other, but they also fail to see the genuine essence within an individual.

For instance, other individuals’ characteristics in how they view things, the way they act around certain people, their likes and dislikes, their personality, and much more. However, they live in such a way to boost their dominance over others of lower or equal class. For instance, in the novel, it is stated how people of “old money” are displeased and against those with “new money.” This is because the people with “old money” are families that have had money for several generations and have lived their lifeblood with money like Tom Buchanan. Meanwhile, those with “new money” are families or individuals with newly gained high status and money and are not accustomed to having such quantities of money suck like Jay Gatsby. Although families of “old money” don’t have to work throughout the novel to sustain themselves necessarily, they are still displeased with people who have obtained “new money” because it is believed they cannot have the same ideals or ways in thinking as someone with “old money,” and this leads there to be a sense of displacement and discrimination between people with different types of wealth’s.

Emotions, Obsession, and the Tragedy of Jay Gatsby

Nevertheless, not only can people be simply blinded by their wealth, but they can be blinded by pure emotions such as love, hate, anger, sadness, etc. For instance, within the novel it can be seen how the protagonist, Jay Gatsby, is deeply obsessed and in love with Tom Buchanan’s wife, Daisy. Gatsby secretly integrated himself into the high social hierarchy by doing shady business solemnly to be able to impress Daisy with his wealth and make her his. In addition, Gatsby believed that he could and would change the future into the equality of the past with the past relationship he upheld with Daisy. In the past, Gatsby and Daisy could be seen as a near newborn blossoming couple that could have been somewhat prosperous; however, things did not look very bright for Gatsby because he was sent off to serve in the military which led to his relationship to break off with Daisy. Now although, they both sent letters to each other occasionally, this still wasn’t enough for their relationship to fully blossom though. Therefore, after Gatsby encounters Daisy again, he becomes completely obsessed with trying to go back to how things were before he was sent to serve for his country. This demonstrates how desperate Gatsby was to reinitiate his relationship with Daisy and how he was blinded by his emotions entirely due to his desire to possess Daisy’s love.

Greed, Satisfaction, and the Unattainable Dream

Furthermore, the Great Gatsby essay shows how people may also be blinded with greed and have everything, yet never be satisfied no matter how much they have. For instance, in the novel, it can be seen how Tom Buchanan was a man with an extravagant wealth and had everything any American can dream about, yet he was never satisfied with what he had. Of course, this might have been because of the fact that Tom desperately desired to live once again his life filled with the adrenaline, he at one time had during his days as a sports enthusiast and football player in college. Nevertheless, this was probably one of the several reasons he chose to be with Myrtle, his second women, because she was a woman that gave him the same enthusiasm he once had in his younger years.

For instance, during that time it was normal for a man to have more than one woman and how women had few to no rights. Also, people from lower family statuses would marry into families of higher status to ensure a healthy lifestyle; however, this didn’t mean that they loved the partner they were marrying because they were only doing this to better their lives in the long run. This reveals how the American Dream is not accomplishable due to how people only desire more than they already have as well as how they can be greedy about these types of things and this too reveals how the American Dream is not what people seek it out to be initially. Of course, it is understandable that not all individuals can be placed under the category of being greedy towards others that are not of the same status or class; however, in most cases statuses are used as a sort of weapon against those of a lower class or status. For example, in the essay “paradox and dream,” it can be seen how Americans contradict themselves very often either in their actions or in the words they say. The author, John Steinbeck, describes how Americans are never truly satisfied no matter what we accomplish due to our lack of seeing the reality of our own achievements and goals. Furthermore, this emphasizes how Americans lack a sense of direction when delusional about the American Dream and what lays past the line of thought that may never be seen due to how we are blinded by so many aspects in life.

Conclusion: The Modern Interpretation of the American Dream

Apart from this, one can also say that by being in a certain social tier, class, or status, you can be labeled as one of many things; however, between all those things we only label our own worth by others opinions without seeing our own value. For instance, in our modern world of today, most people in our population are inclined to either glamorize one’s material possessions or exhibition their own. Nonetheless, in several ways people correlate their own worth and value with what they possess and therefore try to impress people in a various amount of ways. Most of the time the reason may be because we want to catch someone’s attention by giving them our time, energy or kindness, and this isn’t necessarily a bad thing; however, in some cases others try to impress people just for the desire to feel special. Things that are considered very highly now a days would be appearance, status, knowledge, clothes, etc. For example, today’s society is heavily affected by this belief system that people use to impress others.

Society has become solely dependent on the opinions of others as to what is adequate and what is inadequate, which has tremendously hurt our society. Although most believe that by trying to impress people by what one possesses keeps others from getting to really know your inner true self, this is not always the case. For instance, in the novel “When the Rich-Poor Gap Widens, ‘Gatsby’ Becomes a Guidebook,” it can be seen how in several recent studies, being wealthy is very highly considered a majority of people’s top selection of choice when it comes to dreams related to the future, or life in general. For instance, in a large quantity of society’s today people are willing to do almost the upmost impossible in order to obtain money whether it be the right way or the wrong way. For example, within the novel Gatsby became involved with shady business with his close friend Wolfsheim in order to get to Daisy. Later, the article mentions how although people have already reached their upmost goal on receiving a large amount of money they are still seeking or desiring more than simply that. This leads people to become both greedy and blinded by their emotions which lead us to never be in near distance from the American Dream.

In summary, we can infer how the American Dream over the years has been developed even further by society itself and henceforth has become almost unattainable to most.

The American delusion that anyone can accomplish economic success and substantial relief lies at the center of “Death of a Salesman”. Many of the secondary characters attain the dream in different ways. Ben travels off into the outback of Alaska and Africa and happens to come across a diamond mine. Howard Wagner obtains his dream through his father’s business; while Bernard, who suggests a diligent bore when he was young, becomes very successful in his lawyer work. Revolving from this, Willy’s idea of the American dream has been leveraged by his brother Ben’s triumph. Willy’s version of this is that any man who is masculine, charming, and favored deserves prosperity, and that the lavish lifestyle will come spontaneously. Over the span of his life, Willy falls short of the impractical norms of this dream. As he fails to accomplish the financial gain promised in his realization of the American dream, Willy gets over involved in his idea of this. While doing so, he neglects the tangible things that he is surrounded by such as the affection of his family, while still focused on the path that he hopes will grant his family security. Willy’s unsighted confidence on his view of the American dream leads to his accelerated intellectual decline where he is unable to obtain the variation between the dream and his own life. In the process of this occurrence, Willy validates that the American dream, while an influential source of eagerness, can also twist a human into earning for success, whose only commodity in life is economic worth. With that being said, not all things that come with the American life are rich, elegant, and delightful. The American dream is merely an illusion. “Death of a Salesman” appears to parallel this idea to Willy’s attitude towards reality.

Willy, who is on the verge of death, wants desperately to justify his life. While in his sixties, he has yet to achieve the dreams he had in store for himself and his family. Willy has disregarded everything that has happened to him in the past, which takes a great toll on him and he must face what he’s done wrong. As this quote states, “he must face the consequences of past choices and question the values inherent in the life he has constructed from himself and his family” (Centola). Willy must fight his view on the American dream while being torn away from his chosen image for who he is in life. Success plays a tremendous part of the American dream, but Willy ties too much of his life with the importance of needing to attain happiness from his fantasy. As this quote states, “the American dream, which is the belief that an individual’s value as a person is tied to the socioeconomic success that individual has attained” (Lois). This helps show the correlation with Willy’s idea of wanting to be someone that truly isn’t possible with his effort. He neglects the obligations of his family and designates himself to endure in the mentality that if he is beloved based on the fact of his gain in wealth, he will achieve success.

Willy’s bewilderment blossoms from his own feeling of being inadequate as an admired father. His adamant rejection of these feelings, connected with his confused effort to measure his dignity, only plays a big role to provoke his mental state. As this quote states, “Willy unwittingly hastens his own destruction by clinging fiercely to values that perpetually enforce his withdrawal from reality” (Centola). This dilemma is exceptionally noticeable in the way Willy approaches his career as a salesman. Being said, he sways himself to believe that his success or even failure in his career has significance for how his family values him. Willy does not pursue wealth as having any value in itself, but wants to be seen as a contributor and praised by his family. As this quote states, “Willy’s suicide turns out to be not to help Biff out of love with the twenty thousand dollars of usnruance money but his desire to be worhippped posthumously” (Sharma). While Willy’s self-identity weakened and crippled, he loses grasp of all things in general. His self-awareness remains at best imprecise and does nothing to sharpen it. Besides his weak mental state, Willy imagines the missed opportunities that he has had throughout his life. As this quote states, “This feeling of futility makes him wonder whether he has failed as a father and impels him to explore his past” (Centola). Like his brother, he could have experienced the riches from traveling to Alaska and Africa. He was also offered a position to be a partner in his brother’s firm but he denied in order to hopefully become successful on his own. This conveys the current way that the ordinary American looks at this false advertisement of the American dream as to Willy thinking he could be successful. Willy was only obscuring his identity and to that degree was not acting kindly. This shines a light on the issues that Willy was facing with identifying himself. He searches for a reason to continue his quest to find the American dream, but loses sight of what’s really meaningful in life.

In “Death of a Salesman” Willy validates that the American dream, which can cause influential decisions for life, causes mental distress that can later backfire on what is truly reality. Not all things in life are luxurious, simple, and amusing. Willy’s idea of this is merely an illusion which causes him to parallel this fiction to his life decisions. This has drove Willy to throw all of his frustration towards his family, while openly showing what happens when the American dream fails to unfold. At the center of “Death of a Salesman”, lies the American delusion that anyone can achieve economic success and substantial relief. Willy’s unsighted certainty on his view of the American dream leads to his quickened mental decay where he is incapable of obtaining the variation between this illusion and his own life.

In Of Mice and Men, it is clear that America did not achieve what it promised in the Great American Dream. The American government did not initiate any policies to protect the interests of workers and the poor, causing them to be constantly abused and mistreated and forcing them to adhere to long working hours in exchange for low wages. “Candy was going to be canned because of his old age”. Despite all his previous contributions to the farm, Candy was going to be set aside from the farm just because he was too old to do jobs as effectively as people of a younger age. As the American government did not impose any laws to protect old people who were still working to earn a living, employers could just hire and fire people anytime they want.

The absence of retirement pensions meant that people who retired could only scrape by every day with the meager amount of money they pooled from working day to night every day in the past decades. They are not recognized properly for all the contributions they made to their jobs and even the country itself, being shunned aside when they are of a lower ability than others who are much younger and fitter. As such, they are unable to enjoy the rest of their lives in happiness which they deserve. This can be seen in the case of Candy as he only had 350 dollars in his savings after getting canned. This amount was not even sufficient to afford basic housing, hence buying items that they want is definitely a no-no as he is expected to live with that amount for the rest of his life. This contradicts the claim that success is achieved on the grounds of hard work and determination, since people were forced to live in suffering for the rest of their lives despite putting in effort.

Furthermore, George and Lennie only earned 50 dollars each per month, although the average income during the Great Depression was $1368 according to National Archives. This wage is certainly unfair as they have such a strenuous and taxing job but still cannot earn enough money to get by. Wages were decided by employers and there was no such thing as minimum wage. Thus, this is usually exploited to overwork their employees and underpay them. Not only are employees being treated unfairly, they also did not dare to oppose due to fear of being canned as it was difficult to secure a job back then with their lack of proper education. Thus, it can be said that the employers are in complete control over their employees and do not have to give in to them even if they oppose as they can easily find new employees to replace them while employees risk not being able to find new jobs. The payment that they get is so low that they are almost unable to survive on it, and reaching their dream of tending to a farm of their own is nothing but a joke as seen from others’ eyes. Thus, the Great American Dream did not protect the rights of every social class as seen where the poor are always being mistreated by the rich and the rich could exploit the system to become even richer, exacerbating the income gap and confining many within their respective social classes since they are unable to achieve social mobility no matter how hard they work.

To characters in Of Mice and Men, the Great American Dream was just a fallacy, a lie told by the American Government to attract more immigrants to boost the economy. George and Lennie always had a dream but owning a farm and making it rich was only a small part of it. The bigger hope which allured George and Lennie is the idea that they will not be owned by another person. However, it was impossible to succeed. It took every dime of their salary to survive, but when Candy offered his savings, there was hope, but not for long as whatever they did resulted in failure, from the incident in the weed to the killing of the puppy. It was evident that their ultimate dream would fail as well. As expected, George’s Great American Dream died alongside Lennie as he realized what a hoax the promise was. It was simply unachievable as he could only inch forward to reach his goal with many impossible obstacles in between. In the end, despite hoping and trying so hard, he still had no choice but to kill his best pal, who had dreamt of the same thing day and night with George, so as to grant him a quick death free of pain and torture. All these happened before he was even close to his dream. He realized that the rich would always tower above him and reach their dreams easier, and that even if people like him were given chances, it would still be close to impossible to reach these dreams, thus the Great American Dream was just something that should be ridiculed and sneered at from George and Lennie’s perspective.

Picture this: the United States just faced the world’s worst economic downfall in the history of industrialization. The Great Depression. It is at the period of time, between 1929 to 1939, when jobs are slim to none. A young woman finds herself in a difficult situation. Driven by the futility of the American Dream, she takes advantage of every opportunity that comes her way, even if fate’s not on her side. The only way she can have a slight chance of achieving her goal and making it her reality is to get married to a rich man. In the story, Of Mice and Men, the author John Steinbeck challenges the idea of Curley’s wife. However, the men on the ranch are quite aware that she doesn’t give off the best first impression, therefore leading to inadequate assumptions about her. Thus, further developing into a topic of discussion as the author reveals her secret that “…I [she] gets awful lonely” (Steinbeck, 94).

To start off, Curley’s wife is offering a misconception. She continually talks to the men on the ranch due to the fact that she lives in a male-dominated area. During this time period, the idea of a woman involved in a place that requires a lot of ‘dirty work’ is hard to comprehend. Elucidating the reason why the men haven’t reached out to create a bond with a person, especially a woman who is seen as ‘useless’ in any type of work form. It’s apparent that Curley’s wife struggles to obtain the attention she wants considering that she experiences isolation and is powerless. Wanting to have some sort of interaction with the people around her, she puts out all the stops to finally be able to talk to someone and experience a connection. All she ever wanted was to feel included. To be apart of something that’s bigger than herself. Regardless of the fact that she tries to become apart of society, her attempts are futile. Based on the reasons provided, the men on the ranch create false judgments depending on the stereotypes that society has created.

In the same fashion, the men who have acted irrationally toward Curley’s wife have established a reputation without her consent. As a result of their actions, their own obstacles are revealed and it showcases how similar the characters are. This especially goes for Candy, Crook, and George. These characters specifically attack an easy target, laying their burdens upon the person’s shoulders. In this case, Curley’s wife is the victim. Curley ‘s wife, a young woman in a place encompassed by the opposing gender. Candy, an old man in a work field full of young men. Crook, a colored man surrounded by white males. George, never wanting to interfere with trouble, distancing himself from society. If these characters were to stand alone, they would be seen as the outcasts of society. They seem to face discrimination in their own certain way. As Candy, Crook, and George become frustrated with their own problems, they use Curley’s wife as an outlet they look upon to gain relief from the stress they experience. As she continually gets labeled as a tart, students begin to understand that the reasons behind being called such a derogatory term aren’t, in fact, logical.

Indeed, Curley’s wife could be interpreted as a misfitting character in the novel, considering that no one seems to relate to her from a distance. Although, she is misunderstood. Stuck with their own opinions and not open to changing their perspectives is the justification behind the use of the term tart. In truth, the accurate description of Curley’s wife is that she’s a simple and pretty young woman. It is admirable to see Curley’s wife’s description grow and develop from a nuisance of a character to someone people relate to, gaining a reaction out of many readers. Supposedly, the men on the ranch presume that Curley’s wife’s life seems ideal. Too perfect. Too superficial. She has the money, the luxury, the benefits. She wants them to understand that life isn’t perfect. She represents all the people that have ever failed and haven’t truly attained the dreams they strive for. She knows that beauty is her power using this as an advantage to get where she wants. She intends to use her body due to the fact that she is the only female. Grasping this sort of information, and being able to apply it towards the accurate description of Curley’s wife clears the fog as readers begin to know her true intentions.

Given these points, people are now aware of the fact that Curley’s wife is suffering from loneliness and seclusion. The topic is very contentious, especially revolving around the character’s own opinions about her. Nevertheless, Curley’s wife is just a lonesome young female who just wants to experience inclusion. For many reasons, it is clear that her life isn’t what the workers on the ranch make it out to be. Her life isn’t ideal. She is just a lonely individual that uses the mentality of the law of attraction, the idea that if she seems remotely interested in a person, they must return the feelings. Overcome with the obligation to talk to men, Curley’s wife is labeled as tart. So, the accurate description of Curley’s wife may seem correct at first, but as readers begin to analyze her, they start to conclude that everyone else on the ranch that ever thought otherwise, was, in fact, correct.

What does the American dream mean to you? The American dream is the ideal by which equality of opportunity is available to any American allowing the highest aspirations and goals achieved. That being said, I do not believe the documentary Born Rich and the novel The Great Gatsby is the only evidence that shows the myth of equality in America and the falsehood of the American dream.

My first piece of evidence is from The Great Gatsby being that the American dream is hardly earned. Gatsby did not work for his money, the novel states, ‘I found out what your ‘drug-stores’ were.’ He turned to us and spoke rapidly. ‘He and this Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That’s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn’t far wrong.’, Gatsby obtains his wealthiness through illegal bootlegging of alcohol. Creating a fake interpretation of himself. As you can see the “American dream” is not lived to the full expectation, being of how Gatsby “earned” his money through his illegal ways.

Second, The American dream is a myth, it is no longer lived by what it is truly meant to be. In the novel, Daisy is on Gatsby’s bed while he is throwing all of his shirts at her and out of nowhere she says, “They are such beautiful shirts, she sobs, her muffled in the folds, it makes me sad because I’ve never seen such beautiful shirts.”. This shows how materialistic Daisy is. This is the first time at Gatsby’s mansion and when he throws the shirts at her she gets overwhelmed by how much he has changed and by his new wealth. That being said, having money changes people’s perspective on others. Using them for wealth other than who they are as a person.

Next, in order to live the American dream, you will need money. Having money leads to how successful you will be in the future. The novel states, “… And on Mondays eight servants including the extra gardener toiled all day with mops and scrubbing-brushes and g=hammers and garden-shears, repairing the ravages of the night before…”. By having money Gatsby goes to the extraordinary extent for materialistic things, being over-the-top with his wealth. Everyone who comes to Gatsby’s parties is attracted by his wealth- many people don’t even know who he is personality wise. This shows people are blinded by money and wealth.

My fourth piece of evidence is also from the novel being that, not everyone can live the American dream because everyone grows up living in different situations. Nick’s father gave him advice saying, “In my younger and more vulnerable years my father… whenever you feel like criticizing anyone,” he told me, ”just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had”. Don’t be too quick to judge peoples living situation, you never know what they had to grow up living with. Whether it be poverty, health issues, no family; everyone’s life is different. Not everyone grows up the same and people are not going to have the same chance to have the same opportunities.

My next piece of evidence is from The Great Gatsby being that everyone gets stuck trying to live up to the American dream. To truly achieve it you have to live up to hard work and dedication. In the novel, Nick states, “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded faster, stretch out our arms farther… And then one morning- So We beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”. Nick focuses on the struggle of humans to achieve their goals by transcending and re-creating the past. Yet humans themselves are unable to move beyond the past and there is a constant struggle to turn their dreams into reality.

Finally, the last piece of evidence is also from the novel proving that your environment can affect your American dream. Who you surround yourself by con convey your outcome of life. Nick is one of those people who surround himself around the wrong people, for example, Nick states, “I am one of the most few honest people that I have ever known.”(pg 49). Nick Carraway comes from the midwest and is determined to make something of himself. Then he develops interests in the wealthiness of New York that he is surrounded by. Nick never truly achieved the American dream because he becomes so caught up in the life of others around him.

All in end, due to the many reasonings, I do not believe that the novel The Great Gatsby is the only piece of evidence that shows the myth of equality in America and the falsehood of the dream. The American dream is not available to any and every American due to the fact that not everyone has equal opportunities. It is often sensed of physical accomplishments and not the hard work behind all of it. The dream has once meant hard work leads to fortune but has now changed to greed, laziness and “earning” your fortune in an easier way. This proves that the American dream no longer exists.

Comedian, George Carlin once said, “That’s why they call it the American dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.” Of Mice and Men follows the journey of two men trying to achieve their version of the American Dream, which leads them to their unfortunate demise. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck conveys that the American dream is unattainable – through foreshadowing and symbolism – no matter how much hard work is put in, it leads to pain and sorrow.

Foreshadowing was used to hint at the inevitable ending. “Lennie- if you jus’ happen to get in trouble like you always done before, I want you to come right here an’ hide in the brush … hide in the brush till I come for you.” (Page 15) Steinbeck indicated that inevitably Lennie will get into deep trouble that will lead to him needing to hide in the bush. George deep down knew that Weed(Lennie was accused of rape and got both himself and George chased out of the town) wouldn’t be the last time Lennie would get into trouble so, as a precaution he set a meeting spot. Foreshadowing was used towards the middle of the book as well. Just as Candy, George was meet with the same choice of letting strangers kill his long-time companion or take responsibility and do themselves. “I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog.” (Page 61) Candy later regretted not killing his long-time companion and ending his suffering. George, in the end, knows that he needs to be the one to kill Lennie. “ Lennie. Look down there acrost the river, like you can almost see the place. Lennie obeyed him … You… an’ me. Ever’body gonna be nice to you. Ain’t gonna be no more trouble. Nobody gonna hurt nobody nor steal from ’em.” (Page 106) George was the only one that would be able to give comfort and relaxation to Lennie in his final moments. Since Lennie continuously kills animals unintentionally it foreshadows the fate of Lennie and what he could potentially do to a human being. “you’ve broke it pettin’ it” (Page 9) Often Lennie didn’t know the strength he had and often had trouble controlling it. In the case of the mice, the mice would bite Lennie and he’d squeeze their heads hard enough to kill them but, he was never aware until after the fact. “You wasn’t big enough … I di’n’t know you’d get killed so easy.” (Page 85-86) After unintentionally killing his puppy Lennie understood what he has done. These foreshadowed events eventually lead to the deaths of Lennie and Curly’s wife.

George and Lennie’s farm is a symbol of how unobtainable the American dream really is. Their dream farm portrays that nothing goes wrong, they’ll live their best lives out on the farm. “I seen hunderds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an’ that same damn thing in their heads. Hunderds of them. They come, an’ they quit an’ go on; an’ every damn one of ‘em’s got a little piece of land in his head. An’ never a God damn one of ‘em ever gets it.” (Page 74) Even when it was brought to their attention, that many before them had the same dream and failed. George and Lennie believed they’d had a better chance to succeed because they were different from the rest. Other men’s past failures didn’t stop Candy from believing that all three of them could achieve that dream. Another symbol is the rabbits. The rabbits symbolize Lennie’s dream, what he’s working toward. The rabbits are extremely important to him. He’ll do anything to get them and eventually he kills for it. “Then Lennie grew angry. ‘Now don’t,’ he said. ‘I don’t want you to yell. You gonna get me in trouble jus’ like George says you will. Now don’t you do that.’ And she continued to struggle, and her eyes were wild with terror. He shook her then, and he was angry with her. ‘Don’t you go yellin’,’ he said, and he shook her; and her body flopped like a fish. And then she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck.”( Page 91) His biggest fear is that George will take them away from him if he makes a big enough mistake. In the end, Lennie will never be able to get his rabbits. Candy’s dog is a symbol of Lennie’s later fate. “Awright- take ‘im.’ He did not look down at the dog at all. He lay back on his bunk and crossed his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling.” (Page 47- 48) The only difference is, is that candy’s dog was killed by people who didn’t care for him as much as candy did. Lennie was killed by his long-time companion George. Lennie’s dog was also a symbol of the weak, those who couldn’t defend their selves against the strong (Lennie).

Lennie ends up killing anything he comes in contact with to pet. Also, it symbolizes the later fate of Curly’s wife and how Lennie ended up killing her as well. Of Mice And Men makes you think will you ever reach your version of the American Dream or settle for less than what you think you deserve.

By the definition of the American dream,“The American dream is the belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society where upward mobility is possible for everyone”. The American Dream is achieved through sacrifice, risk-taking, and hard work, rather than by chance.” In the novella Of Mice and Men, the concept of the American dream is set by two migrant field workers in California on their plantation during the Great Depression George Milton, an intelligent but uneducated man, and Lennie Small, a bulky, strong man but mentally disable are in Soledad on their way to another part of California. They hope to one day attain the dream of settling down on their own piece of land. Lennie’s part of the dream is to tend and pet rabbits on the farm, as he loves touching soft animals, although he always accidentally kills them. This dream is one of Lennie’s favorite stories, which George constantly retells. They had fled from Weed after Lennie touched a young woman’s dress and would not let go, leading to an accusation of rape. It soon becomes clear that the two are close and George is Lennie’s protector, despite his antics. In the novella Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the theme Dreams can be unitanible depending on what the scenario is, this is developed through Lennie, Crooks, and Candy. Them all being seen in the novella as disabled in some sort of way.

Lennie Small is a migrant worker who lives in california.He hops around working for various ranches,trying to fulfill the almost impossible dream of owning his own land with his best friend George.Unfortunately Lennie has a mental disability making it hard for him to comprehend social ques and directions from people and bosses, which affects the way people look at him and trust him with work. Although Lennie is a very large man that possesses a lot of strength, its gets overlooked because of his behavior and his actions. Lennie like most people at the time wanted to achieve the american dream. Although this is very challenging for him as his mental disability blockades him from working to his full potential and people don’t take him as serious. Many triggers of Lennie’s disability can leave him in great danger for other people, as unconsciously he can get nervous and freeze. Not realizing his own strength could leave the person in great harm. Lennie is not safe on his own and needs assistance which his best friend George helps him with. This is shown in the text by Geogre stating, ‘Well, we ain’t got any,’ George exploded. ‘Whatever we ain’t got, that’s what you want. God a’mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an’ work, an’ no trouble. No mess at all, and when the end of the month come I could take my fifty bucks and go into town and get whatever I want. Why, I could stay in a cathouse all night. I could eat any place I want, hotel or any place, and order any damn thing I could think of. An’ I could do all that every damn month. Get a gallon of whisky, or set in a pool room and play cards or shoot pool.’ Lennie knelt and looked over the fire at the angry George. And Lennie’s face was drawn in with terror. ‘An’ whatta I got,’ George went on furiously. ‘I got you! You can’t keep a job and you lose me ever’ job I get. Jus’ keep me shovin’ all over the country all the time.’ This quote demonstrates that Lennie is a burden on other people’s lives especially George, and that the American dream could not be attainable by himself with his mental disability.

Crooks is a lively, sharp-witted, black stable-hand, who takes his name from his crooked back. He has been dealing with hardships throughout his whole life as segregation was almost at its peak, Crooks was treated very poorly and many people did not respect him or even talk to him. Crooks worked on the ranch with Lennie and George but was isolated from everyone else because of his skin color. His back is crooked and can’t help around much at the ranch, him being crippled he is left with no hope for the American dream. Stated in the text, ‘I seen hundreds of men come by on the road an’ on the ranches, with their bindles on their back and’ that same damn thing in their heads. Hundreds of them. They come, an’ they quit an’ go on; an’ every damn one of ’em’s got a little piece of land in his head. An’ never a God damn one of ’em ever gets it.’ This quote explains, that crooks seen so many people just like Lennie and George not succeed that he doesn’t think it’s possible for anyone. Especially for someone like crooks as he is crippled and black having no chance of attaining the American dream.

Candy is an old ranch worker who has lost one of his hands in a farm accident. He’s spent the best years of his life working on someone else’s ranch, only to lose his hand and have little money. Candy is washed up, and old leaving him to do very little on the ranch candy wants to retire and be done working for the rest of his life. He is slow on his feet and with one hand no one needs him on the farm. One night he overheard George and Lennie talking about their dream about living on their own ranch and how Lennie can tend the rabbits. Candy likes this idea and offers them a lump sum of cash to offset the balance of him not being to help on the ranch as he is disabled .This is s Candy goes through hardship as well as he had to put his dog down of old age. Although he overcame this and he was still very eager to follow through with the idea of George and Lennies dream. Candy is too old for the life he wants to live out on his remaining years. Stating Candy said miserably, ‘You seen what they done to my dog tonight? They says he wasn’t no good to himself nor nobody else. When they can me here I wisht somebody’d shoot me. But they won’t do nothing like that. I won’t have no place to go, an’ I can’t get no more jobs. Candy wants to leave the ranch but the sad reality of it is he cant. He stated he will be there until he dies knowing the American dream is out of reach due to his old age and disabilities.

Conclusion

In conclusion the American dream may sound attainable to many different races, cultures and people with disabilities, although the harsh reality of it is that only certain people are able to obtain the American dream. It is hard and long process and some dreams are unattainable by certain scenarios your put into. Whether that be controlled or uncontrolled.