The American Dream, Grapes of Wrath free essay sample

Both The Great Gatsby and The Grapes of Wrath do a great job showing peoples desires for the American Dream and the prevalence of failure rather than success that came from their efforts. The Great Gatsby tells about a time in American history where a good portion of America wants to find happiness in wealth to forget about WW1. Gatsby doesn’t care about everyone that goes to his parties. Gatsby only throws parties so he can meet his love, Daisy. Daisys dependence on men with wealth and status, and Gatsbys attempts at gaining it illustrate Americas belief that money and extravagance are the easiest means of finding success and happiness. This statement from page 149 illustrates Gatsbys belief that his only means of captivating Daisy would be through deception. He might have despised himself, for he had certainly taken her in under false pretenses. I dont mean that he had traded on his phantom millions, but he had deliberately given Daisy a sense of security; he let her believe he was a person from much the same stratum as herself that he was fully able to take care of her. We will write a custom essay sample on The American Dream, Grapes of Wrath or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As a matter of fact, he had no such facilities he had no comfortable family standing behind him, and he was liable at the whim of an impersonal government to blown anywhere about the world (p. 49, paragraph 2). The American dream depicted from The Grapes of wrath is very different from The Great Gatsby. In The Grapes of Wrath, people only wanted to stay alive. The rich people in this book are very selfish because they want to keep their power, and this quote shows that poor people are more generous than rich people â€Å"If youre in trouble or hurt or need—go to poor people. Theyre the only ones thatll help—the only ones. † Ma Joad, p. 394. So the American dream in GoW for poor people is to get out of poverty and have a decent life for their selves and their family. The most important factor in order to achieve the American Dream in GoW is to stick together and fend for each other. â€Å"Then Ill be all around in the dark Ill be everwhere—wherever you look. Wherever theys a fight so hungry people can eat, Ill be there. Wherever theys a cop beatin up a guy, Ill be there Ill be in the way guys yell when theyre mad an—Ill be in the way kids laugh when theyre hungry and they know suppers ready. An when our folk eat the stuff they raise an live in the houses they build—why, Ill be there. † Tom Joad, p. 439.