The Great Gatsby in the American Dream Essay Example

The Great Gatsby in the American Dream Essay Example The Great Gatsby in the American Dream Essay The Great Gatsby in the American Dream Essay The 1920s and 1930s represent two decennaries in our country’s history that were really much connected to one another but highly different in the economic system. The Great Gatsby takes topographic point during the howling 20s. a clip of excessive parties and efforts at happening felicity after World War I. On the other manus. The Grapes of Wrath takes topographic point during the 30s while America is enduring from the Great Depression and people are go forthing their places and lives to happen success and work in California. Although the times were really different economically. both were taken over by people endeavoring for the American Dream of wealth and societal position in an effort of acquiring felicity. success. and a better life. During the 20s. people wanted to get away the panics of the war and during the 30s they were trying to last during the desolation of the Great Depression. Both The Great Gatsby and The Grapes of Wrath do an astonishing occupation of stand foring people’s desires for the American Dream and more specifically the failure instead than success that came as a consequence of their attempts. The American Dream depicted by The Grapes of Wrath is really different from the dream of the 20s and The Great Gatsby. For one. money and wealth is much scarcer and excessive parties are far from people’s heads. In The Grapes of Wrath there is a really distinguishable line between the rich and the hapless and this separation increases as those who are rich go to all lengths to guarantee that they remain in the upper category. Many of the upper category seem to populate in California where there is land and chance. while much of the lower category consists of dust-bowl husbandmans who have been forced to go forth their land and travel to California in hunt of work. The land proprietors in California are afraid that these dust-bowl husbandmans will finally take over their belongings and do it their ain. so they are making everything in their power to guarantee that the hapless husbandmans are non successful. Even still. they hire them for their dirty work and handle them ill as there are many more to take their topographic point. Many of the hapless husbandmans begin turning their dorsums on their households and friends in an effort at wining as persons. This selfish attitude is the same attitude held by the California land proprietors who are unwilling to portion their luck with anyone else due to fear and deficiency of trust. The Grapes of Wrath builds up several different dreams for the American depending on their background. The California land owners’ dreams consist of avidity for wealth and greed to stay in a place of power over the dust bowl husbandmans that are working their land. On the other manus. many of the hapless husbandmans have simple dreams of merely maintaining their self-respect and non leting themselves to give up on their households. In the terminal. it is the Joad family’s ability to maintain their self-respect and keep together as a household that helps them to lift above all of the calamities they encounter. The Grapes of Wrath concludes with a much more hopeful tone than The Great Gatsby and base on ballss on to the reader the importance of work forces fall ining together and making what is right for all of world as opposed to what is most good to the person. Jim Casy’s decease in Chapter 26 is a perfect illustration of how the California land proprietors are threatened by the thought of the hapless husbandmans fall ining together and revolting. His decease is besides an illustration of how a adult male or adult female can do an unselfish determination and hazard what is best for them separately to make what is best for all of world. Tom is really smitten by Casy’s courage and finds the power within himself to follow in Casy’s footfalls and assist unite people to contend the unfairnesss of their current state of affairs. His ain dream becomes an effort to make all he can to break life for the common American adult male. The American Dream was non merely different in the 20s than it was in the 30s. but it has continued to germinate and alter up through today. Despite the differences in these dreams. there is a cardinal end to all of them: the chase of felicity. In both of these books and much of the universe today. people seek and dream of achieving merely arrant felicity. For centuries. tonss of people have been seeking to obtain money. callings. success. and more. Although these dreams are separate from one another. they are all merely a agencies by which people feel they may hopefully obtain their dream of being happy. The inquiry is when will people get down to recognize that it is non these mercenary ends that will supply them with felicity. but instead things like humbleness. love. household. and faith? These are true beginnings of felicity and existent replies to the American Dream.