The Great Gatsby in the American Dream Essay Example for Free

The Great Gatsby in the American Dream Essay The 1920s and 1930s represent two decades in our countrys history that were very much connected to one another but extremely different in the economy. The Great Gatsby takes place during the roaring 20s, a time of extravagant parties and attempts at finding happiness after World War I. On the other hand, The Grapes of Wrath takes place during the 30s while America is suffering from the Great Depression and people are leaving their homes and lives to find success and work in California. Although the times were very different economically, both were taken over by people striving for the American Dream of wealth and social status in an attempt of getting happiness, success, and a better life. During the 20s, people wanted to escape the terrors of the war and during the 30s they were attempting to survive during the devastation of the Great Depression. Both The Great Gatsby and The Grapes of Wrath do an amazing job of representing peoples desires for the American Dream and more specifically the failure rather than success that came as a result of their efforts. The American Dream depicted by The Grapes of Wrath is very different from the dream of the 20s and The Great Gatsby. For one, money and wealth is much scarcer and extravagant parties are far from peoples minds. In The Grapes of Wrath there is a very distinct line between the rich and the poor and this separation increases as those who are rich go to all lengths to ensure that they remain in the upper class. Many of the upper class seem to live in California where there is land and opportunity, while much of the lower class consists of dust-bowl farmers who have been forced to leave their land and travel to California in search of work. The land owners in California are afraid that these dust-bowl farmers will eventually take over their property and make it their own, so they are doing everything in their power to ensure that the poor farmers are not successful. Even still, they hire them for their dirty work and treat them poorly as there are many more to take their place. Many of the poor farmers begin turning their backs on their families and friends in an attempt at succeeding as individuals. This selfish attitude is the same attitude held by the California land owners who are unwilling to share their fortune with anyone else due to fear and lack 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 eagerness for wealth and greed to remain in a position of power over the dust bowl farmers that are working their land. On the other hand, many of the poor farmers have simple dreams of just keeping their dignity and not allowing themselves to give up on their families. In the end, it is the Joad familys ability to keep their dignity and hold together as a family that helps them to rise above all of the tragedies they encounter. The Grapes of Wrath concludes with a much more hopeful tone than The Great Gatsby and passes on to the reader the importance of men joining together and doing what is right for all of mankind as opposed to what is most beneficial to the individual. Jim Casys death in Chapter 26 is a perfect example of how the California land owners are threatened by the idea of the poor farmers joining together and revolting. His death is also an example of how a man or woman can make an unselfish decision and risk what is best for them individually to do what is best for all of mankind. Tom is very struck by Casys bravery and finds the power within himself to follow in Casys footsteps and help unite people to fight the injustices of their current situation. His own dream becomes an attempt to do all he can to better life for the common American man. The American Dream was not only different in the 20s than it was in the 30s, but it has continued to evolve and change up through today. Despite the differences in these dreams, there is a central goal to all of them: the pursuit of happiness. In both of these books and much of the world today, people seek and dream of attaining just utter happiness. For centuries, lots of people have been trying to obtain money, careers, success, and more. Although these dreams are separate from one another, they are all just a means by which people feel they may hopefully obtain their dream of being happy. The question is when will people begin to realize that it is not these materialistic goals that will provide them with happiness, but rather things like humility, love, family, and religion? These are true sources of happiness and real answers to the American Dream.