Similarities Between The Great Gatsby Paradox And Dream

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and “Paradox and Dream” by John Steinbeck are perfect examples to prove that the American dream is unattainable. This is shown in many different ways throughout both. The Great Gatsby shows it in more of a made up way. “Paradox and Dream” shows it in a more realistic way. No matter how the unattainability is portrayed, it is all meant to have the same meaning. The American dream is unattainable because people focus on becoming wealthy rather than earning an honest living, people are reliant on technology, and social status is defined by the amount of money a person has accumulated.
In life, people have many different opportunities to earn a living. Some ways may be illegal. An example is a quote from The Great Gatsby, “‘Oh. I’ve been several things,’ he corrected himself. ‘I was in the drug business and then I was in the oil business. But I’m not in either one now’" (Fitzgerald 90). The quote says that Gatsby got his money through illegal means. At least Gatsby is being honest about the fact that he did something wrong. He is admitting it, therefore he know that it was illegal. Now, the readers know how he really earned his living.
In this day and age, everyone relies on technology. An example is a quote from “Paradox and Dream”, "We fancy

A great example of this can be found in “Paradox and Dream”. The quote is “One of the generalities most often noted about Americans is that we are restless, a dissatisfied, a searching people” (Steinbeck 1). This proves that Americans are hardworking. It also shows that Americans never give up. The quote supports the American dream. Another example is from The Great Gatsby. It is that Gatsby worked so hard to win Daisy. He did this by throwing huge parties to gain her attention. Once he got her attention, he stopped throwing the parties because he got exactly what he