Similarities Between The American Dream And Catcher In The Rye

The United States prides itself as country that offers everyone the American Dream, but to many, the dream is a nightmare. The American Dream is the ideal that every citizen of the US deserves equal opportunity to be successful and happy through hard work and determination. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger has an optimistic view on the American Dream, while To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee offers a more cynical perspective. Although the dream is idealistic, many claim they have become successful through it.

The American Dream claims to give every willing person a chance to be successful and find happiness. The Catcher in the Rye shows this through a teenage boy who is not satisfied with his life. The American Dream gave the main character, Holden, a chance to turn his life into

In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the American Dream is considered cynical because of its many unrealistic aspirations. Racism, poverty and prejudice are prevalent in the town of Maycomb which causes an innocent man to be convicted of a crime a white woman invented. These injustices prevent minorities from achieving the American Dream. “There's something in our world that makes men lose their heads -they couldn't be fair if they tried. In our courts when it's a white man's word against a black man's word, the white always wins, they're ugly, but these are the facts of life”. (252) Tom Robinson, an innocent man was convicted of a crime he did not commit because the court system chose to favor a white man over a black man. The trail shows how the American Dream is not a reality and factors like racism cause Tom Robinson's life to end. The American Dream is not a reality if the only people who can achieve it are privileged white people. Through TKAM people are judged by superficial attributes which makes it impossible for them to achieve happiness and success even if they work