Category: American Dream

The American Dream is the idea that anyone who works hard enough can have wealth and success here in the United States. A growing threat to that ideal is money in politics, with lobbying in particular at the forefront of the issue. In this essay we’ll be taking a look at the historical origins of lobbying in the U.S, it’s original purpose,what it’s become and how it can affect the american dream.

Lobbying has existed in the U.S since its founding. Although the term ‘lobbying’ would not be coined until the early 19th century, the concept itself was enshrined in an often overlooked passage of the first amendment, which allows the right “to petition the Government for a redress of grievances”. It was originally a way for businesses and other entities to convey their needs and concerns to the U.S government. Businesses would want to make sure that laws and regulations were passed that would help their business succeed. In its early days, it allowed people to ‘bridge the gap’ if you will between ordinary citizens and politicians. This was especially important back then, due to the lack of technological advancements we have now. It was also a smaller nation and handling those sorts of political interactions were much more manageable. Unfortunately, as time progresses and current settings/standards change, the concept of ‘lobbying’ has not aged well.

Although lobbying as a system has not aged well, major issues had already arisen as early as the 19th century, with the advent of trains and building the railroads across the United States. When the country was still young, much of it, the west in particular, was still very wild. Different railroad companies sprouted up around the country, with the intention of building tracks. A major reason for this was companies were able to have the projects funded through public subsidies, land grants and loans from the federal government. Of course, this was a big incentive. Due to this, lobbyists would work to petition and sway the U.S government for these loans which were ultimately funded by tax payers.

One of the many major problems this presented was different companies using different sized tracks, which would be unable to connect with other kinds. Also, almost the entire western U.S was wild at that point, with tracks and stations having no use but political ones. Around this time, a few lobbyists had realized that they only had so much ‘pull’ if they operated in Washington, D.C – So they found a way to drum up local support and organized publicity campaigns. The thing is, they were created just to push a false narrative, there was never any organic support or desire from the people. This tactic went on to become known as ‘astro-turfing’ and still occurs frequently in politics today. Ultimately, what this meant was that millions of tax-payer dollars were spent on mostly inefficient and unnecessary railroad projects, just for the loans and land grants companies would receive for taking these tasks on. Luckily, after the civil war, plenty of tracks were destroyed and they were able to ultimately reorganize and restructure them. It’s an interesting backdrop to the story of the rail-roads, as well as a good example of how lobbyists can work behind the scenes.

In modern times, lobbying still exists, although there have been some changes and regulations applied to help try and keep things balanced. But, as always, people inevitably find a way around these rules. The first major act introduced was the Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act of 1946. Now this applied to; “Any person who shall engage himself for pay or for any consideration for the purpose of attempting to influence the passage or defeat of any legislation by the Congress of the United States.” – Basically what this meant, was that if you were being paid to try and influence policies, now you have to register. It was at least a step in the right direction, people already had a growing concern. Nearly 50 years later, they would next pass the “Lobbying disclosure Act of 1995”. This added a few more details, such as stricter registration and more insight as to what exactly you were lobbying for. Although more regulations were put in place, it was still hardly foolproof.

For example; one would not legally be considered a lobbyist if they devoted less than 20% of their time for a particular client on lobbying activities. To cover up having to register legally as a lobbyist, people have gone as far as having medical programs, which clients would become a ‘member’ of. This is just one example of how one could hypothetically work around these rules. The reason the system is able to be exploited in ways like this, is because many lobbyists were politicians themselves. This is known as the “revolving door”, a term that’s used when someone leaves office and goes to work in the private sector. This is useful for companies, because the main asset a lobbyist provides isn’t money, but key knowledge on the subject, as well as contacts within the government itself.

So- if all of this is happening, why is it allowed in the first place? Well as pointed out earlier, the first amendment states that people have a right “to petition the Government for a redress of grievances”. Although it’s a bit of a stretch to sum up the entire situation to that phrase, that’s the constitution, that’s how it’s been, so rules are rules. There are some supposed positive benefits to lobbying, such as groups being able to make themselves formally heard. If people are organized, lobbying can give themselves a bigger voice in government, to help have a say in what policies they may believe in. It’s intended to be a way for people to ‘make themselves heard’ so to speak. That’s all fine and nice in theory, but in reality, it hardly seems to play out that way. With the political climate the way it is, the policy scene is already crowded and full of competitors, with each special interest group trying to push something. In order to ‘break through’ or try and get a foothold, you would need vast resources to compete, ie, a ton of money. Money that most average groups of people would just would not have access to. In my opinion, at this point, the original purpose is lost. The only groups that can ‘petition the Government for a redress of grievances’ these days are multi-million dollar corporations.

Another downside to all of this? Lobbying will not disappear anytime soon. Over the last twenty years, there was an 85% increase in spending for federal lobbying, with an increase in state lobbying as well. It seems to only increase as time goes on, as lobbying -is- an effective way of getting policy made/changed. It’s just nearly always business oriented policies as opposed to social policies, which usually does not have much benefit for the average person. This is another negative point- Lobbying almost always is in regards to corporate interests. In 2012, business entities spent roughly 2.5 billion lobbying congress, which was nearly twice as much as spending as all political organizations. To help put that into perspective, for every one dollar that was spent by public interest groups, 34 dollars was spent by business groups. Of the 100 highest spending lobbying organizations, 95 of them were business. As you can tell, the number of business groups affecting policy as opposed to public interest groups is extremely disproportionate.

The reason this ties in with the American Dream, is because lobbying effectively silences people in the political arena. All of these policies affect every single one of us on a daily basis. The federal money that gets allocated to all of these different companies, is our money, tax money made off of U.S citizens. It’s not instantly apparent, but a government that operates off money and favors in anything but name, from special interest groups, is just not conducive to a healthy economy or society at the end of the day.

So what can we do? The trickiest part is that lobbying has been a part of our system for so long now, it’s practically intrinsic. Maybe one day, stricter regulations and guidelines can be put into place to prevent these kinds of issues, although that would depend on enough policy makers to back it in the first place. The main problem seems to be that there are just too many loopholes to work through, it would be near impossible to make things foolproof. As long as money and people are involved there will most likely be some way to work around it. Still, though, that does not mean we shouldn’t attempt to alleviate the situation. The last lobbying reform act was over twenty years ago, we’re probably about due for a much stricter set of regulations, so at least the problem wouldn’t be so rampant. As society changes and more younger people take office, I like to think that maybe there really can be positive reform. If we can get lobbying and private money out of politics, we’ll be one step closer to a positive change. A real difference would have to start from the ‘top up’ so to speak. I feel like Lobbying reform would be a great start to fixing the many issues that reside within our government, thus making the American Dream that much more attainable for everyone.

Disney’s Snow White was released in 1937. The protagonist is a young girl, named Snow White, and the Evil Queen, her stepmother, wishes to kill her so she can become the “fairest of them all”. She orders a huntsman to kill her in the forest. He cannot stand to do so and tells Snow to run away and never go back to the castle. Whilst in the forest, Snow White finds a house filled with 7 dwarfs. In order to stay there, she must be the housekeeper of sorts, cooking every meal and cleaning the house so that the house is spotless, as well as constantly doting on the dwarfs. When the Queen finds out she is still alive, she disguises herself as an old lady and goes into the forest with a poison apple. Snow White falls for it, and the only way to save her is from a prince’s kiss. This movie highlights major events from the 1930s. It highlights the importance of the American dream during this period and shows the rigid role and expectations of women.

The song most people remember from this movie is called “Heigh ho”. The song is played when the dwarfs are making their way to the mines. The song explicitly shows people watching the importance of hard work in order to make a living. If you ‘dig’ for what you want and you stay on task, you will eventually get to your goal. Moreover, the song says that you can “dig up everything in sight”. Both sayings paralleled what Americans thoughts and wants were during that time period. This reflects how Americans should seize every opportunity they get in order to have the best life possible. Lastly, at the beginning of the song, there are strong themes that imply the importance of work obstacles during this time. The dwarfs are walking across logs, which signifies an obstacle. Additionally, these obstacles symbolize the mobility challenges of the American public had to face each day in order to get to work. Therefore, it is made clear that this song highlights the importance of hard work every day, which most people during that time period could understand.

This movie shows audiences the clear and rigid gender roles of this time period. There are two key points that are evident: it shows a woman as an antagonist and shows another woman as a protagonist as ditzy and in need of saving. The woman who is the antagonist is the evil queen, which to most, is also a woman in power. The thought of a woman being in a spot of power was considered evil and diabolical, and often came with the thought of “How on earth did we [men] let this happen?” They were also shown as destructive to society. Moreover, the only reason the evil queen is thinking of killing Snow White is that she is prettier than she is. It is obvious that one of the main assets to a woman is their beauty; if you were not beautiful, you did not deserve a man to take care of you and were considered a disgrace to society. Snow is beautiful, so this does not apply to her. However, being beautiful requires a man to save her. She is dependent on men for protection and guidelines. As soon as she disobeys the dwarfs, everything seems to go wrong, and she needs help. They warn her when she is home alone not to let anyone in while they are at work in the mines. The Queen tries to harm her three times, first with an extremely laced up bodice, then with a poisoned comb, and then with a poisoned apple. The first two times, Snow White faints but is saved in time by the dwarfs. The last time, she passes out, and the dwarfs assume that she is dead. If she listened to the dwarfs, the movie makes it clear that this could have been completely avoided. Additionally, Snow is portrayed as only knowing how to do certain tasks, like cleaning and maintaining the household as well as taking care of her “men” when they return from work each day.

This was since the role of homemakers was enlarged because of the Great Depression. During the war, women had a chance to work outside of the house, but when they came back, the women had to go back to doing their regular jobs. This left them feeling upset and demanding equal rights, such as the right to vote, which they did get in 1918. Thus, this movie illustrates women’s roles in the 1920s, such as looking beautiful and doing housework.

Introduction: The Illusion of the American Dream in “Of Mice and Men”

John Steinbeck is one of many talented authors that wrote a variety of novels, both fiction and nonfiction, allowing for almost anyone to read and enjoy; one of his most famous pieces of literature to be the novel Of Mice and Men. The novel Of Mice and Men was inspired by Steinbeck through the 1930’s California laboring class, exhibiting the overarching theme of the novel to be of the American dream being more fantasy than reality. Steinbeck demonstrated and explained this key concept through the use of two main characters, Lennie and George, and following them through their lives on a brand new farm, consisting of what they do, how they are treated, and how the others around them are treated. With this, the reader can develop the consensus that the American dream is in fact more of an optimistic point of view compared to the actuality of the situation. Through Steinbeck’s principal proposal that he was trying to get across to readers, his point was further supported through his use of alternate themes as well, including the theme that life is filled with loneliness and alienation, as well as the power struggle that results from class conflict leading to injustices.

The American Dream: A Mirage for Lennie and George

Although Steinbeck uses multiple themes within the novel Of Mice and Men, his main point is that the American dream is more fantasy than reality. This theme is exhibited in many differentiating ways throughout the entire novel. The American dream is the optimistic perspective believing that within America someone can have a brand new beginning, and become successful no matter what their past consisted of. The American dream is the perception that you can “make it big” anywhere you go, no matter who you are, but within the novel, you can see that this perception is nowhere close to the reality of the situation. You see this American dream perspective with Lennie and George who are constantly talking about, “‘Someday- we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an’ a cow and some pigs an-’ ‘An’ live off the fatta the lan’’ Lennie shouted. ‘An’ have rabbits. Go on, George! Tell about what we’re gonna have in the garden and about the rabbits in the cages and about the rain in the winter and the stove, and how thick the cream is on the milk like you can hardly cut it.’” (Steinbeck, 14).

Lennie and George have this idea that they are gonna make it big, be able to get off of the wretched farm, and be able to make a profit for themselves without being constantly nagged or looked down upon. This theme is expressed through many characters’ dialogue, especially Crooks who has the worst situation, of being permanently planted on the farm, compared to the rest 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 gets it. Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their heads.’” (Steinbeck, 75). You can see here that Crooks has seen time and time again the fact that the “American dream” in this case, which would be a farmer attaining land and quitting his job on the farm to go out on his own, is not a reality, in fact, it is almost an impossible wish that people have. The American dream that Lennie and George have persisted almost to the end of the novel, being their main motivator for constantly working. Towards the end, their dream began to die as Lennie is convicted of murdering Curley’s wife.

This was the last straw for Curley, and Lennie’s only options consisted of being placed in jail forever, or dying; this was the turning point where George knew that their dream was no longer plausible. George expresses this to Candy, saying, “I think I knowed from the very first. I think I knowed we’d never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would.’ ‘Then it’s all off?’ Candy asked sulkily. George didn’t answer his question. George said, ‘I’ll work my month an’ I’ll take my fifty bucks, I’ll stay all night in some lousy cat house …then I’ll come back an’ work another month an’ I’ll have fifty bucks more.’” (Steinbeck, 94-95). You can see here that George understands that this dream was no longer in reach, and you see him begin to question whether it ever really was. This truly puts into perspective the rarity of the American Dream and how in fact it is more of a fantasy that works as a motivator, rather than a reality.

Loneliness and Alienation: The Universal Struggle

Not only does Steinbeck emphasize the theme of the American dream, but he supports this concept as well with the theme that life is constantly filled with loneliness and alienation, which is also seen throughout a vast majority of the novel. In the beginning of the story, the reader is introduced to the two main characters, Lennie and George, and automatically the reader becomes aware of their special “family-like” bond with one another. They are seen travelling from place to place with together, which is odd for their occupation and period of time. As the two characters arrive at this “halfway” mark to their destination they find themselves at the Salinas river and begin talking with one another, “‘Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. They come to a ranch an’ work up a stake and then they go inta town and blow their stake, and the first thing you know they’re poundin’ their tail on some other ranch. They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to…. With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us. We don’t have to sit in no bar room blowin’ in our jack jus’ because we got no place else to go. If them other guys get in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us.’ Lennie broke in. ‘But not us! An’ why? Because… because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.’” (Steinbeck, 13-14).

As they speak, they make constant references to that of other farmers and how they are not like them because they, Lennie and George, are not alone because they have one another whereas other farmers have no one and are all alone. The American dream, when referring to loneliness, produces the image that people are never lonely in America, but we get the insight from the main characters that in fact it is rare to have companionship with someone else. Other than George and Lennie, who have the unlikely family bond, the reader is introduced to a plethora of other characters who express their feelings of loneliness and alienation such as Crooks, the stable buck, who expressed to Lennie, “‘Books ain’t no good. A guy needs somebody- to be near him.’ He whined, ‘A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’ he’s with you. I tell ya,’ he cried, ‘I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an’ he gets sick.’” (Steinbeck 72-73). At this point in the story the reader comes to understand the loneliness that people on the farm, especially someone as a stable buck, endures on a daily basis, contrary to the whole American dream concept. Crooks has his own space within a small shack adjacent to the barn and is to live alone with no real visitors, as well as he is not welcome within the cabin with all the white farmers due to him being black, adding onto his loneliness. He is not allowed to do much with the others besides play horseshoes, but he is mainly forced to spend a majority of his time in his shack with books that he is unable to read. Another character that exhibits their loneliness would be Curley’s wife.

Curley’s wife is known around the farm for having “the eye” as the men would call it due to her always talking flirtatiously with other men, apart from being married to Curley for just a couple of weeks. As the story goes on, she becomes more open with her true intentions and feelings to Lennie as she says, “‘ I get lonely,’ she said. ‘You can talk to people, but I can’t talk to nobody but Curley. Else he gets mad. How’d you like not to talk to anybody?…Wha’s the matter with me?’ she cried. ‘Ain’t I got a right to talk to nobody? Whatta they think I am, anyways? You’re a nice guy. I don’t know why I can’t talk to you. I ain’t doin’ no harm to you.’” (Steinbeck 87-88). With this notion, a majority of the people living on the farm, whether you were on the lowest scale such as the stable buck, or on one of the most privileged scales such as being the wife of the son of the landowner, you could still feel that aspect of loneliness in your daily life such as they did. The theme of loneliness and alienation supports the hierarchical theme of the American dream being some fantasy due to the fact that loneliness was present just about everywhere and in everyone you were introduced to within the story, again, contrary to the whole concept of the American dream.

Power Struggles and Class Conflict: The Injustice of Social Hierarchy

Additionally, another supporting theme to the overarching theme of the American dream being an imaginative concept rather than reality was through the power struggle resulting from class conflict, leading to injustice. This key thought was exerted mainly between the lowest class at the farm, consisting of the stable buck, and the classes above him, including the farmers themselves. The stable buck Crooks was often ridiculed by almost everyone who worked/lived on the farm, but mainly by Curley who pushed him around majorly. Throughout the novel, Crooks is not often called by his own name, but instead is called with the use of an extremely offensive derogatory term.

People who were black were often looked down upon in society in the 1930’s and this is shown in the text with the constant power struggle between Crooks and the other men. You see this power struggle when Crooks is being called by Curley, and Curley uses this derogatory term in an attempt to grasp his attention, “From the distance came a clear call, ‘Stable Buck-ooh sta-able Buck!’ And then, ‘Where the hell is that God damn n****r?’” (Steinbeck, 29). Here the struggle between the powerful and the powerless is demonstrated perfectly, you see the powerless (Crooks) being yelled at, and not called by his name, but called by a derogatory term, by the powerful (Curley). This power struggle was often common during the time, and almost the norm, due to the fact that racism was a common aspect of the time. With racism, the white folk were often known as the powerful, over the black folk who were recognized as the powerless. Racism was not the only way this power struggle was demonstrated throughout the novel either.

A power struggle was also seen between the Curley and the rest of the white farmers. Candy, who is one of the people with the most experience on the farm, explains to George, “‘Don’t tell Curley I said none of this. He’d slough me. He just don’t give a damn. Won’t ever get canned cause his old man’s the boss.’” (Steinbeck, 27). You get to understand here that Curley has a lot more power to do as he pleases within the farm because his father is the boss of the farm. This further demonstrates the struggle between the powerful and the powerless. The struggle between the powerful and the powerless does not have to just be based off of skin color, it also became based on rank or position within society, as well as whether you owned some land or not.

Conclusion: The Reality Behind the Themes in “Of Mice and Men”

Steinbeck truly attempted to convey that things are not always as good as they seem in the novel. Overall, the novel Of Mice and Men demonstrates the clear theme of the American Dream being more of a fantasy than reality, and that theme being supported with others such as life is filled with loneliness and alienation, as well as the power struggle that results from class conflict leading to injustices.

Works Cited

1. Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. New York, N.Y., U.S.A: Penguin Books, 1994. Print.

The ideology of the American Dream was a common goal shared by many individuals in the 20th century and is often the underlying theme in many pieces of American literature. Two popular pieces of literature that portray this notion are F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Both novels are based around the time after the First World War. The Great Gatsby is set in the summer of 1922, during the Roaring Twenties, an era of economic prosperity where the American Dream feels easily achievable. The novel follows the life of Jay Gatsby, who tries to win over the woman he loves, Daisy Buchanan, by impressing her with his wealth. Whereas, Of Mice and Men is set during a time of hardships and poverty causing the American Dream to feel unachievable. The novel follows the lives of two ranch workers who share a dream of one day owning a farm together. One of the men, Lennie Small, has a mental disability and the other man, George Milton, is there to protect him. Despite being set within different eras of American society, both F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Steinbeck illustrate the failure of the American Dream and the consequences of such in The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men.

Fitzgerald illustrates the outcome of allowing moral values to be affected by emotions and desires affiliated with the American Dream. Gatsby is too blinded by his love for Daisy that he exchanges his morality for wealth. His whole adult life revolves around immorality. Gatsby is plotting to take another man’s wife, and is willing to go to any extent to do it. He acquires the wealth needed to impress Daisy by becoming a bootlegger when he had the option to win her over morally. Furthermore, Daisy commits murder by running over Myrtle, the woman Tom was cheating on her with, yet Gatsby is willing to take all the responsibility for it. Despite being in a car that just killed Myrtle, his mind was still fixated on his relationship with Daisy rather than the woman she just killed. The fact that Daisy allows Gatsby to take the blame for her wrong doing exposes us to how immoral she is. Her and Gatsby’s actions lead Myrtle’s husband, George Wilson, to wrongly seek revenge for his wife’s death by shooting Gatsby, “The chauffeur-he was one of Wolfshiem’s protégés-heard the shots” (Fitzgerald,169). Despite George’s reason to kill Gatsby, murder still remains an immoral act. The actions of one immoral individual acts as a ripple effect and has caused more immorality to be done. For instance, if Gatsby didn’t allow Daisy to cloud his judgement in the first place then Mr. Wilson wouldn’t have acted immoral and committed the murder of Gatsby. The whole society has completely allowed their morals and ethics to be diminished by their American Dream.

Immorality is displayed through Of Mice and Men through George and Lennie’s relationship. During the Great Depression, most men walked alone in search of jobs and couldn’t care for anyone else. However, George makes Lennie’s welfare his responsibility. Lennie is constantly causing trouble due to his disability, which eventually leads him to accidentally kill Curley’s wife. George is Lennie’s closest companion and is aware of the fact that Lennie’s murder is not intentional. Despite George being aware of this, he takes it upon himself to shoot Lennie in the back of the head, “And George raised the gun and steadied it, and he brought the mussel of it close to the back of Lennie’s head. The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. He pulled the trigger’ (Steinbeck, 107). George is constantly complaining about the burden of Lennie, once it became too much for George to handle, he makes the choice to relieve himself of that burden. As previously mentioned, in no circumstance is it moral to murder someone. Prior to his death, Lennie has a debate with an imaginary rabbit where the rabbit discusses the reasons for George to beat up Lennie. Despite these reasons, Lennie defends George, “I’ve knew George since–I forget when–and he ain’t never raised his han’ to me with a stick. He’s nice to me. He ain’t gonna be mean’ (Steinbeck, 102). This comment portrays that it’s not in George’s nature to hurt Lennie, let alone murder him. Therefore, this act of murder is going against George’s morals. After this event plays out, George lies about the details of the murder to the ranch workers and acts as if Lennie’s passing didn’t phase him by getting a drink with Slim. Similar to the Great Gatsby, both novels display acts of murder due to immorality.

The result of the American dream leads to an isolated lifestyle. Fitzgerald uses the character of Gatsby as a primary representation of a figure that is completely isolated as a consequence of acquiring the American Dream. Gatsby’s isolation is due to his separation from society in hopes to win over Daisy’s love with his wealth. During the roaring twenties, it was very common for large groups of people to join together for extravagant parties. However, once the parties would come to an end, most people were forced back into their reality which consisted of loneliness and isolation. Despite Gatsby being the most well known man in West Egg for his elaborate parties, the parties were full of people who didn’t truly care for him. Gatsby initially used these parties as a way to flaunt what he made of himself, in hopes to attract Daisy’s attention. However, the death of Gatsby demonstrates how isolated he truly was in society. Despite the hundreds of people that would attend his parties, only a few people paid their respects at his funeral, “but it wasn’t any use, nobody came” (Fizgerald, 113). Even Daisy, the root of Gatsby’s dreams and aspirations, didn’t bother to show up but rather continued to enjoy her wealthy lifestyle.

The theme of isolation is presented in Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Curley’s wife is a dominant example of the oppression against women during the Great Depression. Curley had great control over his wife, which was very common during the 1930s. Her husband had forbidden anyone in the ranch from communicating with her. She is a female in an all-male world where women are not to be trusted. Despite Steinbeck’s initial portrayal of Curley’s wife being a mean temptress, readers come to pity her loneliness. Her desperation for companionship becomes so severe to the extent that she comes to question her worth, “what’s the matter with me? Ain’t I got a right to talk to nobody?” (Steinbeck, 87). Her hopes to find a companion in an all-male world led her to Lennie, but in doing so this communication resulted in the loss of her life. Similar to Gatsby, Curley’s wife is also a victim of isolation due to the prejudice caused by the American Dream. She had an American Dream of achieving wealth and success through becoming a famous Hollywood actor, “I coulda made somethin’ of myself… I met one of the actors. He says I could go with that show. Coulda been in the movies, an’ had nice clothes. If I’d went, I wouldn’t be livin’ like this, you bet” (Steinbeck, 89). But her dream couldn’t be fulfilled while stuck with her prejudiced husband. Whereas Gatsby felt the need to achieve the American dream to impress Daisy because she was prejudiced against lower social classes than hers, and only wanted men of her social ranking.

An individual may take extreme measures to achieve the American Dream which may lead them to a loss of innocence. In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is highly determined to achieve the American dream in order to impress his previous lover, Daisy Buchanan. Despite their previous affairs, Daisy continues to pursue an interest in men of her own social class which drives Gatsby to reach a similar status as her. Since Daisy is the focus of all of Gatsby’s dreams, he is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve the wealth and status associated with the American Dream and impressing Daisy, even if it means going against the law. The Prohibition Act of 1919 banned the production, importation, and distribution of alcohol in the United States up until 1933. The prohibition era didn’t stop Americans from drinking, but rather lead many of them to illegally purchase their alcohol from bootleggers. It is through Tom Buchanan that we come to learn that Gatsby is a wealthy bootlegger, ‘He and this Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter” (Fitzgerald, 284). Gatsby hides the fact that he is a wealthy bootlegger in order to preserve his innocence and the reputation of his success in achieving his wealth.

Steinbeck portrays the loss of innocence in the novel Of Mice and Men through the death of his characters. For instance, the death of Curley’s wife displays a loss of innocence. Despite how she is initially displayed in a negative light, Steinbeck preserves her innocence through her death. When Lennie accidentally kills her, she is described in a light of innocence, “She was very pretty and simple, and her face was sweet and young. Now her rouged cheeks and her reddened lips made her seem alive and sleeping very lightly. The curls, tiny little sausages, were spread on the hay behind her head, and her lips were parted” (Steinbeck, 93). Furthermore, the death of Lennie also displays a loss of innocence. Due to Lennie’s mental disability, he is portrayed with a child-like innocence. The 1930s consisted of a very violent society that was obsessed with wealth as a result of the American Dream, hence the fact that Lennie’s disability gives him this innocence that causes everyone around him to talk down on him. This leads Curley to constantly belittle Lennie because he feels as if he isn’t of the same violent nature as everyone else in the ranch. Every bad situation Lennie creates is an accident. Therefore, it’s not logical to hold Lennie responsible for his actions when he doesn’t have control over his power. His death illustrates a loss of his innocence and George’s innocence because as previously stated, it’s not in George’s nature nor innocence to hurt Lennie. In comparison to The Great Gatsby, both novels display a loss of innocence as a result of a society obsessed with financial success as a consequence of the American Dream.

Both The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men illustrate the failure of the American Dream and the consequences that it leads to. The goal of the American Dream felt achievable during the Roaring Twenties in comparison to the Great Depression where times were much more difficult. Despite being set in different eras, both novels display themes such as loss of innocence, immorality, and isolation as a result of the American Dream. It is through both of these novels that the authors demonstrate the importance that a dream can have in someone’s life.

The American Dream demonstrates the hopes of financial success leading to happiness, despite how achievable it may be.

The message Disney is trying to say is simply if you have a good heart, good thing will eventually happen. The American dream was showed when then the fairy brought the puppet to life-giving him the opportunity telling him “Boys who minister tenderly to their parents, and assist them in their misery and infirmities, are deserving of great praise and affection”. I say this because there’s a reason why Disney’s motto for Cinderella is ‘Dare to Dream’. Going into further detail the movie was based off the song “ A dream is a wish your heart makes”. With that being said Cinderella never gave up her dreams and expected thing to not go her way so she was already ready to embrace adversity.

​Disney is trying to say is simply if you have a good heart, good thing will eventually happen. Even though Cinderella was seen as less than by others, she was good in her heart. Perrault says of Cinderella, ‘A young daughter, but of unparalleled goodness and sweetness of temper. She maintained her good temper throughout all of life’s hardships and was treated as a servant. Cinderella is “saved” by the Prince when he offers her a place in his castle as his wife and an escape from her abusive family.

​The American dream i feel was shown when then the fairy brought the puppet to life-giving him the opportunity telling him “Boys who minister tenderly to their parents and assist them in their misery and infirmities, are deserving of great praise and affection”. ​Boys who minister tenderly to their parents, and assist them in their misery and infirmities, are deserving of great praise and affection”. He is redeemed by love for his wood-carver ‘father’ just at the very end of the tale

He’s disobedient and lazy, he lies, he has a nose that rather famously gets longer. Pinocchio wants to be a real person because he’s tired of being knocked around as a puppet similar to how we live life now.

​There’s a reason why Disney’s motto for Cinderella is

​ “ A dream is a wish your heart make”. With that being said Cinderella never gave up her dreams and expected things to not go her way so she was already ready to embrace adversity. She maintained her good temper throughout all of life’s hardships and being treated as a servant.

In the novel ‘Grapes of Wrath,’ Steinbeck attempts to depict the hard conditions in which ranchers like the Joads needed to endure during the Dust Bowl. All through the novel, he centers around the Joad family and their adventure to California. Steinbeck had blended aims that he is attempting to express, maybe his message in this novel is the way the confiscated families were treated through the voyage from Oklahoma to California was, or it could have been how the American dream was formed by the disastrous occasions that was occurring during this time. The tale represents what the American dream is assumed to be, and yet another thought of what the American dream ought to be is being created. The American dream changes concerning time; this is the reason there will never be a substantial thought of what the American dream is. In Steinbeck’s tale, he is attempting to characterize another meaning of the American dream, for a rancher during this time it could have been, possess land with a house in which their family could live in and have enough to eat. While this may appear nothing to us, they felt like that was as well as could be expected get.

The American dream created because there where numerous individuals at specific occasions that were in hopelessness. In the event that there would of never been wretchedness in this nation, at that point the American dream would of never existed, on the off chance that everybody is rich and has all that they need, at that point they don’t generally have any goals to have or move toward becoming something throughout everyday life. Steinbeck gives an itemized depiction of how weird was the wretchedness of the individuals living during the Dust Bowl. ‘The first light came, however, no day. In the dim sky, a red sun appeared…Men and ladies clustered in their homes, and they tied tissues over their noses when they went out and wore goggles to ensure their eyes.'(Steinbeck, 2), this is the thing that the individuals during the residue bowl suffered and figured it would leave in two or three days; however, for their misfortune, it wouldn’t.

Some portion of the improvement of the American dream is the solidarity that American families had during this time. Everybody relied upon every other’s work. Generally, the dad was the leader of the family and was accountable for carry the nourishment to their home; the mother was responsible for dealing with the house just as instructing their youngsters. Steinbeck uses the characters dialect to express the Joad’s solidarity. ‘The family turned into a unit. Dad crouched on the ground, and Uncle John next to him. Dad was the leader of the family now.'(103). Regardless of the misfortune the family stood joined together and could pick a pioneer to continue onward.

In ‘Grapes of Wrath,’ each character it could be said had dreams of their own, similar to Rose of Sharon which had her fantasies and sat idle yet wonder about what her fantasies would bring. She needed Connie to think about during the night and afterward work at an ice store, she additionally had dreams for her child, and she envisioned living a decent house isolated as a family. In any case, she honestly didn’t do anything and couldn’t accomplish her fantasies. She just as the remainder of the family were in a battle to enduring, so she had no other decision than to surrender her illusions. While a significant number of Americans have their concept of what the American dream is, few get the opportunity to see that fantasy work out as expected.

The vast majority of the portrayed occasions in the novel will, in general, demolish the opportunity at prevailing to live the American dream. Times for the families couldn’t be most exceedingly awful, Americans wherein an extraordinary discouragement which implied that the economy was downright awful, this signifies one reason for why Americans in this time lost expectation on the American dream. ‘Furthermore, cash that may have gone for wages went for gas, for weapons, for operators and spies, for boycotts, for boring. On the interstates, the individuals moved like ants and looked for work, for nourishment. What’s more, the resentment started to mature.’ (215). Something other than the cash, wood, and work the Joad’s are searching for equity, for humanity.

For the Joads the American dream implied for, than self-accomplishment, it intended to ensure their and other’s right since they needed to live in a nation that was secure for them and their family. ‘Any place they’s a battle so ravenous individuals can eat. I’ll be there. Any place they’s a cop beating’ up a person, I’ll be there…I’ll stand out children chuckle when they’re eager n’ they know dinner’s ready.'(319). This likewise demonstrates the solidarity of a person with its general public.

The American dream keeps a general public contained and going because then one accepts that on the off chance that I’m not flourishing, on the off chance that I’m not purchasing these things, at that point that implies that I may accomplish something incorrectly. The American dream for these individuals during this time was to a greater extent an asylum and motivation to continue onward and continue longing for what one accepts and needs, the American dream resembles a religion for the individual, he would have the fantasy in his mind for each choice that he makes, he would attempt to develop his life around this conviction. Steinbeck epic demonstrates this, the Joads with their fantasy about having a superior experience need to change their method for living, move from the spot they generally lived in, leave their loved ones to seek after their convictions.

The contrast between the new rich and the old rich is a prominent theme in the novel and is reinforced by certain techniques throughout the novel. This theme, discussed in the Great Gatsby essays, takes a central role in the story, showcasing the differences between these two groups. Fitzgerald uses characterization to portray the contrast between the two cultures on Long Island. The ambitious and bombastic new rich of West Egg and the careless, shallow and aristocratic old rich of East Egg. Characterization is used to reinforce this theme. Fitzgerald uses the old rich as antagonists for the narrative. Tom, an aristocrat of the American Elite (old rich), is initially portrayed as an unlikeable character. He is inherently racist, sexist and within the first chapter, it is discovered that he likely cheats on his wife.

“Civilization’s going to pieces,” broke out Tom violently. “I’ve gotten to be a terrible pessimist about things. Have you read ‘The Rise of the Colored Empires’ by this man Goddard?”

Fitzgerald chooses the topic and nature of Tom’s dialogue carefully and deliberately. Immediately, it is clearly pictured that Tom is racist. A man reading rise of the coloured empires doesn’t connotate the traits of a likeable character. Additionally, phrases such as “broke out Tom violently” creates the idea of an abrupt and unlikeable character, a person who interrupts to talk about his own misfortunes or bad ideas. This helps the reader to develop a dislike for the eventual antagonist of the narrative. Furthermore, the characters around Tom also display their growing contempt for him. This is a way of insinuating to the reader about a certain character’s actions.

“Tom’s getting very profound,” said Daisy, with an expression of unthoughtful sadness. “He reads deep books with long words in them. What was that word we ——”

Regardless of the reader’s knowledge of books such as Rise of the Coloured Empires, and even if the reader cannot interpret the meaning of such a title, Fitzgerald uses Daisy’s initially likeable character to insinuate that Tom’s reading isn’t a positive trait. The techniques that Fitzgerald uses to establish the protagonist are also used to reinforce the prominent themes concerning the contrast between the new and old rich in America. This theme has high importance in the narrative as it leads directly to the second theme. The conflict between the new and the old is a factor to the beginning of the end of the American Dream.

The decline of the American Dream is portrayed using symbolism, it is the key to the setting of the narrative. The American Dream, more specifically the decline, is central to the setting of the plot. This theme is portrayed in the use of symbols and motifs. The valley of ashes is described as a dark, grey and hellish place where “ashes grow like wheat in a field” The valley symbolises the dark truth behind the glamorous party lifestyle.

“This is a Valley of Ashes—a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens; where ashes take the forms of houses and chimneys and rising smoke and, finally, with a transcendent effort, of men who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air.”

The effect of this symbolism on the reader helps them to understand the way America worked in the 20s. The Valley of Ashes is a dirty industrial complex on the way from long island to New York, with men working back and forth to achieve their wealth and to improve their nation. The Valley of Ashes is an interpretation of the slow decline of the American dream. Once being the pursuit of liberty and happiness, it decays into the exploitation of cheap labour for wealth. Furthermore, the green light is a symbol that represents the hope of the American dream.

“he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward—and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock.”

The observation made by Nick describes a desperate Gatsby reaching out at an unreachable object. This symbolises how many people failed to achieve the mythical American dream. Finally, along with the decline of the American dream, society began to decline in the United States too. The main people effected by the decline were the aristocrats. With the decline of the American dream, came the loss of moral values.

Tennessee Williams’ play, The Glass Menagerie and Baz Luhrmann’s film, The Great Gatsby both explore the illusion of the American dream through their criticism of society and the acknowledgement of the repercussions of the pursuit of happiness. The main ideas that dreams are illusions and the past impacts the present is primarily focused in both the film and the play. Furthermore, the utilisation of symbolism and characterisation depicts each individual character’s personal dreams and how they try to avoid reality.

Williams’ The Glass Menagerie and Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby explore their interpretations of the American Dream through their highly symbolic representations of America as a whole. The audience sees both sides to the American dream. Luhrmann uses Gatsby to illustrate a life full of money, material objects and parties whilst Williams illustrates a life of poverty, boredom and loneliness through the narrator’s point of view, Tom Wingfield. Luhrmann portrays the 1920s as an era of decayed social and moral values and uses characters within the film as emblems of various American social trends and to depict the ultimate result of the corruption of the American dream. The protagonist, Nick Carraway, explains how the American dream was originally about ‘discovery, individualism and the pursuit of happiness’ and how ‘it eluded us then, but that’s no matter – tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther’. Primarily, the film focuses on the corruption of the American dream, personified by Jay Gatsby, a dreamer intent of procuring the attentions of his long-time love Daisy Buchanan at any cost. Luhrmann portrays illusion as a predominant theme in the film through the use of a variety of literary devices. One example is the green light that symbolises Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for a life with Daisy. Another symbol is the Valley of Ashes, which represents the ugly consequences of America’s obsession with wealth. Fitzgerald uses these symbols to convey the illusory nature of the American Dream. This mixed up illusion drives Gatsby’s American dream, making him not only the master of illusion but the victim of illusion. Similarly, Williams in The Glass Menagerie comments on and seems to encourage the pursuit of happiness, but they acknowledge the repercussions of the pursuit and question the true definition of happiness. The Glass Menagerie is set in the 1930’s, a time of loneliness and turmoil, a result of the greed in the 1920’s. Characters within Williams’ play avoid facing reality which ultimately portrays an illusionary world. Dreams faced in the play are the source of conflict, primarily when one character’s dream doesn’t face up with another’s. The outcome of this is that the characters have no time to work on their goals. An example of this is that while Amanda wants her children to fulfill the classic American Dream of hard work and success, Tom has dreams of being a writer, and Laura is too shy to even leave the house. ‘Gentleman caller’, Jim O’Conner, seems to be the only one throughout the play that demonstrates the facing of reality. He says, “Being disappointed is one thing and being discouraged is another, I am disappointed but I am not discouraged.” Jim believes in himself, knowing that if he works hard, he will one day achieve great success. The central problem is that characters within The Glass Menagerie and The Great Gatsby are caught up in living in their own illusionary world. While portraying very different dreams amongst the characters, both Williams and Luhrmann utilise their dialogue and literary devices to depict their perspectives on the American dream.

Both The Glass Menagerie and The Great Gatsby have a predominant theme of the past impacting the present which depicts both Williams’ and Luhermann’s elucidation of the American dream. The play and the novel previously use the perspectives of unreliable narrators which subsequently manipulates the plot. Nick Caraway’s narration in The Great Gatsby, similar to the recount by Tom Buchanan in The Glass Menagerie, reminds the audience of the consequences of the past. He argues that ‘you can’t repeat the past’ but Gatsby replies ‘why of course you can’. This is demonstrated in Gatsby’s attempt to erase his past of poverty however, he ironically wants to repeat history with his love affair with Daisy. Nick Carraway additionally narrates towards the conclusion of the film that “we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past”. This quote deciphers the characteristically American dream that Jay Gatsby believed, that anyone can have he or she wishes. He put extensive amounts of time and effort into recreating his image into something higher or more advanced than what he once was, which was done out of Gatsby’s belief that he could go back and ‘rewrite’ the love story between him and Daisy. Williams presents a similar idea of ‘living in the past’ through Amanda Wingfield who still clings to the past, constantly reminding Tom and Laura of her ‘seventeen gentlemen callers’.

Money and success are what the American Dream is all about and what people seek to find when coming to the United States. So what does it mean to be part of the upper class or the so-called one percent”. According to the 2018 Global Wealth Report from Credit Suisse Research Institute, one needs a net worth of $871,320 U.S. Credit.” Suisse defines net worth, or “wealth,” as “the value of financial assets and real assets (principally housing) owned by households, minus their debts.” More than 19 million Americans are in the one percent worldwide, Credit Suisse reports, far more than from any other country, while “China is now clearly established in second place in the world wealth hierarchy,” with 4.2 million citizens among the world’s top 1 percent(Shawncarterm). America has the highest amount of people in the so-called one percent, so does this correlate with the American Dream and why people come to America to get rich and be a successful person overall? Does the American Dream really exist or is it an illusion and also does it matter how one achieves the American Dream? Is The Great Gatsby is more about the corruption of the American Dream rather than really showing it

At the beginning of the novel, readers are introduced to a character named Gatsby a wealthy mysterious man that is well known in West Egg, but no one knows where he got all his wealth from and are told he made his way up from rags to riches by hard work. However, ultimately there will be the downfall of the American Dream By luxurious things, big parties every weekend, and corruption can all play a part in it.

The ruthless pursuit of wealth leads to the corruption of human nature and moral values. In the Novel, Fitzgerald shows corruption through his different distinct characters and the illusion of the American Dream. The superficial achievement of the American Dream, no fulfillment to anybody, joy, and peace. Instead, creates a lot more problems for the characters in the novel. What happens to Gatsby, Nick, and Daisy all represent the failure of the American Dream. Each character has a different dream as Jay Gatsby to attain happiness through Daisy and power. Nick Carraway’s dream and goal, want to become a stockbroker on the Eastern Seaboard, a highly successful career in the early 1920s, and Nick has a large number of friends already pursuing it. However, in college, he seemed to have a desire to be a writer. Then to find someone in life to show him that the American Dream isn’t an illusion. While Daisy’s dream is to reach a higher standard of living and become even richer by betraying her love and loyalty for Gatsby. The possession of money and power, no doubt, can provide material and pride satisfaction in life; but it cannot fulfill the real needs of the human heart, which is true love and genuine happiness. In order to fulfill their American Dreams, the characters in the novel have actually given up the moral values and beliefs that were once precious to them, and the result is that they reap only emptiness in their hearts and soul.

The fundamental nature of the American Dream depicted in the novel is the desire for something, and the steady assurance to arrive at one’s optimistic objective. For Jay Gatsby, his fantasy is to win back the affection for Daisy, the ideal lady of his fantasy. He forfeits his uprightness so as to get rich by including in unlawful business. Gatsby feels that he can reproduce the past, which is simply the relationship and Daisy, with cash. He feels that he can intrigue Daisy with his riches so she will adore him. Gatsby’s techniques of winning back Daisy’s heart are to flaunt his riches and societal position, for example, associating himself with ‘Oxford’; living in a sumptuous ‘house’, tossing luxurious gatherings, wearing pleasant costly attire; he even has ‘men in England who get him garments and sends him a choice’. Gatsby accepts that with his cash and material achievement he could purchase anything in life including genuine romance and bliss. Due to his fixation to acquire Daisy’s affection, he sells out his genuineness and ethical quality. ‘It was a terrible mistake, but in her heart, she never loved anyone except me'(Fitzgerald 137). Here we can see that Gatsby knew deep down that Daisy did love him for who he is and not just for his wealth. With no other reason throughout everyday life, Gatsby winds up participating in illegal activities. Thusly, it is exceptionally amusing that occasionally throughout everyday life, great hopeful objective, some way or another, is accomplished by shameless and illicit methods. This is the purpose behind the disappointment of the American Dream, and the deplorability of Gatsby.

Daisy is a vain woman and she weds Tom for cash and status and walks out on genuine affection and joy, which is spoken to by Gatsby. Her American Dream is to appreciate a rich and agreeable life given to her by, ideally, a man who genuinely cherishes her, and whom she moreover adores. The defilement of her human qualities starts when she chooses not to stand by any longer for Gatsby, her genuine love, yet to accept the open door that Tom Buchanan offers, which are cash and status. Her decisions uncover her vain and shallow nature covered up underneath her lovely and honest look. When Gatsby comes back with riches and status so as to win her adoration back, she has battled inside her heart about whether she ought to pursue her actual emotions or not. In spite of the fact that when Tom enlightens Daisy regarding Gatsby’s ‘bootlegging,’ with the expectation of wrecking her longing to leave him for Gatsby; her will, which is extremely feeble, falters. She is an individual with no powerful urges or conviction or dedication to anyone, including Gatsby; Tom, her better half; and her own infant young lady. In any event, when she realizes that Tom has a special lady outside, yet she at long last chooses to pick him over Gatsby, who is truly committed to her and is offering her genuine romance. She decides to spurn Gatsby for the existence of solace and security, however, loaded with avoid. Her conduct in reacting to the auto collision wherein she murdered Myrtle, Tom’s s special lady, again uncovers her debased nature: ‘Thoughtless individuals? Pounded up things and animals and afterward withdrew go into their cash or their immense lack of regard, or whatever it was? What’s more, let others tidy up the chaos they had made?’. When looking back at the foundation qualities of the American Dream in the Great Gatsby, which are hope, strength, and determination to reach a person’s idealistic goals in life. Daisy is a very good example of the failure and the corruption of the American Dream. The corruption and failure of the American Dream are seen through Nick Carraway, the narrator of the novel. Nick’s dream is to discover somebody who can understand the hopeful American Dream, and he discovers this individual in Jay Gatsby.

Nick is the main character in the novel that stands aside as an eyewitness and comprehends reality with regard to all individuals and all things. He appreciates Gatsby’s assurance and solid will in accomplishing his objectives throughout everyday life except loathes the remainder of the individuals in the general public in which he exists. In his eyes, Tom and Daisy and all the others are a lot of inhumane individuals who become fruitful at the expense of losing valuable human qualities. Gatsby is the only exception among them. In the novel, Nick comments “They’re a rotten crowd… You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together” (Fitzgerald 154). With the physical death of Gatsby, Nick’s hope for the realization of the American Dream is extinguished. He also has a feeling that Gatsby’s faith and hope in his dream are fading away and that Gatsby is beginning to doubt, feeling lost and empty. In the event that that was genuine, he probably felt that he had lost the old warm world, followed through on a significant expense for a really long time with a solitary dream. He is more likely than not gazed toward a new sky through alarming leaves and shuddered as he found what a twisted thing a rose is and how crude the daylight was upon the hardly made grass. Another world, material without being genuine, where poor phantoms, breathing dreams like air?’. Gatsby’s fantasy bites the dust, so does Nick’s. All in all, Fitzgerald utilizes this deplorable story to express his inclination about the American Dream of the American individuals during the 1920s.

The characters in the novel are being used to reflect the gradual demoralization of the people in the society. Every person living in this world needs to have a dream and purpose to life, something to work towards. Without dreams, one’s life has no meaning, as seen in the destiny of Gatsby and the Buchanans. Their lives become empty and lost without a dream or an idea. Gatsby is an important example of the failure of the American Dream, which is, in fact, an illusion after all.

The American dream gives people something to strive for without knowing if it will prevail or break down. This is evident in the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck and the play A raisin in the Sun. The ranchers from the novel and the Younger family from the play are perfect examples of exceeding or failing the American dream.

The idea of an American dream that fails is shown in the novel Of Mice and Men. For example, the main protagonists, George and Lennie, as well as the supporting character, Candy, have a dream about being their own boss and doing what they want. This dream is represented by a quote in the story in chapter 1, pg 16 ‘O.K. Someday – we’re gonna get the jack together and we’re … gonna have a little house and a couple of acres.”Their dream goes to ruins due to Lennie being shot and dying before they can accomplish their dream. One more example is shown by Curley’s wife’s dream to live a better life. This is shown in the quote in chapter 5, pg 86 ‘I tell you I ain’t used to livin’ like this. I coulda made somethin’ of myself.’ She is unable to achieve this dream and is killed by Lennie on accident instead.

The view of an American dream that succeeds is shown in the play A Raisin in the Sun. For instance, A protagonist in the story, named Mama, dreams of getting a house. She achieves this dream and moves to her new house with her family.this is shown in a quote on page 91 that mama says to her grandchild talking about herself”She went out and bought you a house!”. An additional case, is another protagonist called Walter. His dream is to be the man of the family and provide support for them. He achieves this dream by standing up for his family and not taking the money that was collected to stop him and his family from moving into the neighborhood. This is presented in a quote on page 148 “We have decided to move into our house” followed by “We don’t want your money.”

The American dream is an image that can lead people to either succeed or end in failure and is shown perfectly in this novel and play. The novel shows being unable to achieve this American dream while the play shows people succeeding in this American dream. The American dream can make people strive for greatness but these efforts can backfire and end in downfall.