American Dream In The Great Gatsby And Of Mice And Men

The American Dream is a subjective ideal with different interpretations. Commonly, the main idea is the American dream is a set of goals consisting of liberty, wealth, equality, and freedom to symbolize the pursuit of opportunity and prosperity, regardless of race, ethnicity, or class. The American Dream has been illustrated in many ways, but two beloved novels, The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men, tend to be mentioned as they are iconic examples of the dream. Though these novels are related to one another as they share similar concepts, the question still beckons; how is the American dream portrayed in these stories? In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, these authors both depict the difficulty

The Great Gatsby shows materialism and selfishness because of the period it occurs. This novel takes place in the early 1920s, better known as the Roaring Twenties. The Roaring Twenties was a time of fashion, music, and luxury as this was a time of consumerism and large-scale economic growth; this led to an increase in the rich as there was barely a middle class. Sadly this economic growth is the reason for most rich people's materialistic thought processes, greed, and selfishness. These selfish ideals are very apparent in the characters of The Great Gatsby, with people like Daisy Buchanan, Tom Buchanan, and Gatsby himself. The 20s shifted the American dream from a dream of equality to one of material gain. Gatsby shows this selfishness of dreaming for what he does not have by making Daisy his American dream. Even though he has wealth and local fame, he still wants Daisy to a point where it turns into an obsession. Daisy is even worse as she is a shallow and selfish character. The effects of these negative ways of thinking are even more apparent in her since her American Dream was for selfish gain as Gatsby himself even stated, “Her voice is full of money,” as she only did things to better herself (Fitzgerald Chapter 7). As the story progresses,

The American Dream is a recurring theme in Of Mice and Men, as the characters George and Lennie dream of owning their own farm and being self-sufficient. The novel is focused on hard work and socioeconomics because of the time period this novel took place. It was based in the late 1930s after the Great Depression hit when the stock market crashed and America was on an economic downfall. People then had to work harder to make ends meet. One quote that highlights the importance of hard work in achieving the American Dream is when George tells Lennie, "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 and—" (Steinbeck Chapter 1). This quote shows that George understands that their dream of owning a farm will require hard work and saving money, but he still believes it is achievable. While this novel does show light on how people can achieve their dreams through hard work, as shown when they're reading a magazine and see that an ex-worker named William Tenner got his letter into the paper, it doesn't shy away from revealing the hardships that come with their place in society. The socioeconomics of their situation plays a crucial role in shaping their dream. They are stuck in a cycle of poverty and constant working