How are different versions of the American Dream portrayed in Of Mice and Men and The Great Gatsby?

1689 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The concept of the american dream wider reading

The novel ‘Of Mice and Men’ was written by John Steinbeck, this novel was written in 1937 in America. The novel ‘The Great Gatsby’ was written by F.Scott Fitzgerald this novel was written in 1925 in America. Both of these novels revolve around the belief of the American Dream that people had during the period of America, that these novels were written in. In the novel ‘Of Mice and Men’, the two central characters Lennie and George are itinerant workers who share an extraordinary friendship. They travel from town to town trying to accomplish their dream of having their own land by working hard, during the harsh depression time of 1930’s America. This was known as ‘The Great Depression’. Whereas, the other novel ‘The Great Gatsby’, the central character Gatsby’s and his desire is to pretend being from the upper class, in order to win the affection of his first love. Nonetheless, in both ‘Of Mice and Men’ and ‘The Great Gatsby, the American Dream is depicted as an unachievable dream as both novels ended with the death of their main characters. In ‘Of Mice and Men’ Lennie dies in the pursuit of his American Dream with George to own a ranch. In ‘The Great Gatsby’ Gatsby dies in the pursuit of his American Dream which was to win the affection of his first love. The American Dream is a difficult concept to describe because the dream is usually different for different people. Nevertheless, if we define the term ‘American Dream’ it is the uphold ideal that everyone has the right to ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ as stated in the Declaration of Independence 1776. The American Dream is also known to be an improved social and financial status by hard working. The vision of the American Dream for Of Mice and Men for George an... ... middle of paper ... ... is hiding her true emotions and not satisfied with her life. Daisy’s dream is to continue living her nice wealthy lifestyle. This is because when Gatsby lets her drive his car, she killed Mrytle. However, she can’t acknowledge the fact that she killed Mrytle because she wants to carry on living her wealthy, nice life. Therefore, she abandons Gatsby and lets him take the blame and returns to her husband. Then she doesn’t have the decency to attend Gatsby’s funeral leaves. This shows that Daisy would do anything to carry on living her nice wealthy lifestyle. The characters George and Lennie from ‘Of Mice and Men’ and Gatsby from ‘The Great Gatsby’ have similar dreams, as their dreams are both crushed and they have many obstacles that prevent them from achieving their dream and one of the central characters die at the end in the pursuit of their dream in both novels.

Show More
Related

  • Similarities Between Of Mice And Men And The Great Gatsby

    186 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Great Gatsby has various parallels to Of Mice And Men. The central characters in both books are dreamers. They desire to achieve a certain goal. During these times people longed for what is recognized as the American dream. Gatsby wanted to be rich and live with the love of his life. Lennie and George wished for a ranch where they could live the way they fancied.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between The American Dream Today And The Great Gatsby

    123 Words  | 1 Pages

    The American dream today is very different from Gatsby's. The dream today is to have our necessities and to have fun. Many people would like to have a house to call your own, a job you like that pays the bills, and a healthy family. Gatsby's dream was to be wealthy and to find love, which was Daisy. He wanted to be an important person that people remembered. Gatsby thought that his wealth would buy Daisy's love, He tried to buy happiness and become something he wasn't. Even with all of his money he was not ever truly happy until he got Daisy. Gatsby lived his whole life with money and class but in the end he ended up dying because of

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby Tunnel Vision Essay

    1499 Words  | 3 Pages

    The American Dream is only achievable based on your motivation to succeed, your process in which you achieve your dream can be more important than your actual dream. Sometimes it's the journey that makes or breaks you and not the destination.  The Great Gatsby, written by Fitzgerald, is based off the idea of the American Dream, and whether it's achievable to all Americans. Many seem to have their own opinions and thoughts on the idea of the American Dream. The idea of the American Dream is sought after by just about anyone. This topic is often mentioned during times of sorrow and death ,as well as through many platforms such as poems, speeches, novels, and essays. Gatsby

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

    895 Words  | 2 Pages

    The American dream clouded both Willy and Gatsby’s mind. It changed their personality and changed the way they saw things. They were too set on what their heart wanted. You have to earn it, you can’t just expect to achieve it. Gatsby’s and Willy’s American dream made them clueless. “He presents it in Gatsby as a romantic baptism of desire for a reality that stubbornly remains out of his sight” (Bewley). They both ended without the lives they dreamt of, and without lives at all. The authors of these books are trying to show the American dream is not what its made out to be. It ruined their lives instead of them actually achieving

    Read More

  • The American Dream in The Madonnas of Echo Park by Brando Skyhorse

    1185 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the United States there is an idea many pursue called the American dream, which differs from person to person. The American dream according to americanradioworks.publicradio.org is “a revolutionary notion: each person has the right to pursue happiness, and the freedom to strive for a better life through hard work and fair ambition”. Yet it has been said there is no real definition of American dream, instead it merely proves that it has an unconscious influence in American mentality (Ştiuliuc 1). The American dream is different for each person because everyone yearns for things that will they hope will in return make them happy. Whatever that may be, each person goes through different struggles to obtain what they want. According to Frederic Carpenter, the American dream “has never been defined exactly, and probably never can be. It is both too various and too vague” (3). The Madonnas of Echo Park by Brando Skyhorse depicts the different interpretations on what the American dream actually is through the opinions and actions of Hector Esperanza, Efren Mendoza and Mrs. Calhoun.

    Read More

  • Corruption of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby

    834 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald the American dream becomes corrupted by the pursuit of money. The American Dream is basically a dream to accomplish your goals but too much money and power can corrupt this dream. Gatsby was motivated to acquire his dream. “He stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way… and distinguished nothing except a single green light”(20). This quote shows how Gatsby was striving for his goal and trying to accomplish it no matter what the obstacles were. Other characters that had to deal with their dream being corrupted were Myrtle and Daisy. Myrtle’s dream was to live a rich and famous life while Daisy’s dream

    Read More

  • What Are The Similarities Between Of Mice And Men And The Great Gatsby

    687 Words  | 2 Pages

    Lennie and George still try to achieve their version of the 'American Dream', however, they find it a lot harder to make their wealth. The main difference between the film and the book is that George and Lennie are more humble in comparison to all of the characters. Both George and Lennie know how important hard work is and have never experienced or seen wealth in their entire life. The characters in The Great Gatsby were motivated by wealth and luxury so their dream was almost selfish in a way, the two protagonists in Of Mice and Men are motivated to achieve their dream due to more humble reasons, such as being able to take care of their family instead of, winning over a girl, for example, Daisy, with

    Read More

  • Comparing F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby And The American Dream

    1216 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a story about Nick Carraway and his introduction to the American Dream. Nick, the narrator of the novel, born in Minnesota, moved to New York. His “American Dream,” was to become rich from his success in the stock market. In between that time period, he attended Yale for college and fought in World War I. To achieve his dream, Nick moved into a small house next door to the mansion owned by Jay Gatsby just outside of New York City. Jay Gatsby and his mansion were the perfect example of the “Roaring 20s” because of the extravagant parties he threw all the time. Living next door to this man and his parties did nothing but feed his hunger and make him strive even harder to achieve his dream. Once Nick finally meets his neighbor, he attains a grasp on what the American Dream actually is. Gatsby's dream is to win the girl of

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Of Mice And Men And The Great Gatsby

    991 Words  | 2 Pages

    If you ask mostly any American what their ideal future looks like, you will receive mixed and varying results. The three novels in analysis here are, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. All three of the texts are written based upon roughly the same time period, with The Great Gatsby being in the roaring twenties and Of Mice and Men and To Kill a Mockingbird taking place in the great depression era (the 1930’s). In their own way, all of the stories tell a tale of the American Dream in that region and time period. Of all three of the book in question, To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men, and The Great Gatsby, the best literal representation of the American Dream is The Great Gatsby because it very clearly highlights the end goal for many Americans by becoming a wealthy member of society to which some people still may agree is the American Dream today.

    Read More

  • What Are The Similarities Between The Great Gatsby And Lennie's Dream

    801 Words  | 2 Pages

    In both “The Great Gatsby”, and “Of Mice and Men” the main characters have big dreams for themselves that to those around them may seem almost impossible. But to them their dreams seem completely within reason. Be it earning enough money to buy some land even though they can’t keep a job for long. Or marrying the girl of their dreams even though she is already married and has been for the last five years. in the end both dreams failed on an immense scale with four people in total dead. But, say nobody had died who’s dream would have been more likely to succeed. George and Lennie's dream of owning their own piece of land where they got to keep the harvest every year with no one telling them when to work or what to do after they “get the jack

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby Research Paper

    557 Words  | 2 Pages

    In The Great Gatsby the American Dream plays a large role, many are living their

    Read More

  • The American Dream

    673 Words  | 2 Pages

    With America actually being seen as the land of assurance, the American dream is usually associated with the freedom and opportunity of gaining prosperity, recognition, power, triumph, and contentment. On the surface, this dream appears virtually delighted, offering individuals the exceptional hope of accomplishing success despite of one’s race, religion, or family history. The American Dream is accurately what it seems to be the chance of perfect lying nearby the corner. However, the actual nature of this dream prohibit the pleasure of the victory one has earned, as the desire is always demanding one to work a slight harder and gain a slightly more.

    Read More

  • Why Is A Dream Important In The Great Gatsby

    585 Words  | 2 Pages

    Daisy was, after all, married. Gatsby did not really see this as much of an obstacle, however. He planned it all out beginning to end. He even told Tom “She never loved you, you hear!” (130) His love for Daisy and his dream to marry her was his sense of self. He wanted her because he knew that she would make his life more purposeful and complete, giving him the only thing he ever wanted. Gatsby is human and is trying to simply fulfill his human needs. That is the whole point of even the littlest thing that he does. Whatever ecstasy he would get by achieving this impossible dream would make up for all the pain that he endured getting there. However, it is just that, an impossible

    Read More

  • Death Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

    1574 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the novel, The Great Gatsby written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the death of the American Dream is a recurring idea that arises in the characters, events, and symbols. On the surface The Great Gatsby is viewed as a harrowing love tale; a closer look into the text reveals that it is actually a cynical critique of the American Dream. The narrator, Nick Carraway, deals with the higher society and illustrates to the readers how modern (dishonorable) values have converted the American Dream’s untainted ideals into a plot for materialistic power, thus causing the death of the American Dream.

    Read More

  • The Corruption Of The American Dream In The United States

    1364 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” As early as the 1600s, people began to come to North America from around the world, in search of a better life filled with prosperity, freedom, and equality. Although the term was not officially coined until 1931, this famous ideal has held America together, allowing this country to become what it is today. The millions who reside in the United States are clear representations of the development of the American Dream and what it has come to be. The dream’s ambitions were not absurd; the capabilities of the large land mass allowed for a nation to be built, where isolation would protect its inhabitants and natural resources would support its future.

    Read More

More about How are different versions of the American Dream portrayed in Of Mice and Men and The Great Gatsby?

Open Document