American Dream In The Great Gatsby And A Raisin In The Sun

In its most complex form, the American dream is a trap. An ever-evolving, elusive goal that represents achieving wealth and idealistic goals, and is all but unattainable for many. Though the concept of such a dream is quite simple, the interpretation of it can differ significantly among individuals. In The Great Gatsby, a fictional novel by F. Scotts Fitzgerald, and A Raisin in the Sun, a social commentary play by Lorraine Hansberry, Jay Gatsby and Walter Lee Younger both have their own ideal interpretations of the American dream. Yet, each dream is shaped differently by the social state of their time and the method of which they choose to pursue it, which contributes to the outcome of their respective dreams.

Jay Gatsby, being an extremely

The social and economic differences between classes makes it extremely difficult for people of different social classes to marry each other. People who attempted this would be looked down on by those around them, and they would say things such as “rich girls don't marry poor boys” (Luhrmann). In the 1920s, a time that is known as the Roaring Twenties, traditional values and practices are rejected as more people explore their newfound freedoms. An increase in population and higher employment rates cause the economy to boom, resulting in many people becoming wealthier. For Jay Gatsby, his efforts to reach his American dream are not built from the hope to better anyone other than himself, and the foundations of it are only produced from “his Platonic conception of himself” (Fitzgerald vi, 98). His dream does not hold any meaningful grounds, leaving it extremely superficial. While many are ecstatic about their newly-acquired wealth, some can only achieve their American dream at the expense of others. Those who find themselves the inheritor of a fortune seek to separate themselves from

As an African American male in the 1950s, it is as if every force in the universe tries to keep him from prospering. Having to stay in a small apartment on the south side of Chicago for his entire life has left him debilitated and worn out. Early on, Walter voices his qualms about the family’s living conditions, and expresses his yearning for the success of his family. He illustrates just how concerned he is about their situation by stating, “-I got a boy who sleeps in the living room-and all I got to give him is stories about how rich white people live” (Hansberry, Act i, Scene i, 34). His fervent outbursts demonstrate how his desire to achieve his dream is not just fueled by a wish to better his own life, but to also give all he can to his kin. After constantly being beaten down by a world that does not want him and a system that wishes to see him fail, Walter becomes increasingly frustrated and dissatisfied with his life and the possibilities that are all but out of his reach. His unfortunate situation warps any positive outlook that he may have once had into a saddening, dismal case. Even when asked why his perspective of life had deteriorated so much, and why he only ever talks about money, he simply responds that life “was always about money” and that they “just didn’t know it yet” (Hansberry, Act i, Scene ii, 74). The moment that Walter realizes that he does not have to reach