American Dream Comparison

American Dream

The American Dream is an ideology expressed by many different people in many different ways. The term American Dream became popular in the 1920s during the time period involving World War I and Prohibition. American citizens were experiencing a lot and living through a lot of mayhem at this time and the American Dream served as an ideology for American citizens. The American Dream can be described many different ways and it’s because of this versatility the American Dream meant a lot of different things to a lot of different people.

In “The Great Gatsby” shows the American Dream in multiple ways. In my opinion, “The Great Gatsby” splits the American Dream into two sections. These two sections can only be described as the “Haves” and the “Have-Nots”. The story centered on a supporting character named Daisy. Daisy represented the American Dream to every main character in the story. For Tom, Daisy was apart of his dream of perfection. He obtained all the money and fame he desired from being an accomplished polo player. Being born into wealth he no longer felt the need to pursue materialistic items and instead turned to women for a sense of enticement. Tom’s perfect dream consisted of him having both a wife and a mistress making Daisy an integral part of his vantage point of the American Dream.

Gatsby, the man who the entire novel is named after also finds himself mesmerized by Daisy. He too, bases his idea of the American Dream around the thought of one day acquiring Daisy for himself. This inner ambition of wanting to take what he fills is rightfully his propels Gatsby to enter a life of crime. Myrtle who is rarely mentioned outside the semblance of Tom has also given her dream to that of Daisy. To Myrtle her American Dream has wrongly been bestowed upon Daisy whom she plans to rip it away from.

In the book “Raisin in the Sun” the American Dream is one again placed upon the shoulders of a woman. In this book, however, it wasn’t placed upon her because of her beauty, but because of her strength. Lena otherwise referred to as Mama is a woman in the book “Raisin in the Sun” who embodied the American Dream. She had worked all her life in order to give to her children what she never had. She wanted for them to have opportunities to be successful in the world, but above all, all Lena wanted from her children was their happiness. When Lena comes home with the insurance money from Walter’s death, she takes a new form of the American Dream, hope. With the money that she now owns everyone envisions what he or she could do with it. Walter envisions a liquor corporation that springs up from the liquor store he hopes to create. Beneatha sees it as an opportunity to finis medical school. Ruth sees it as a chance to move into a nice home in a nice neighborhood, and finally Lena sees the money as an opportunity to makes those around her happy.

The American Dream is a complex compilation of ideals and motives that helped to shape the self-esteem and outlook of American citizens. The American Dream serves as a dream that has and continues to provide a working force for American industries. The American Dream provides hope for American citizens in lower social classes and reinforces the ambitions of the rich. The American Dream in these two stories, while providing different outcomes, stem from the same place.  

Word Count: 592