The American Dream Research Paper

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In American literature, many works are usually associated with specific time periods of our country that relate to the constant pursuit of the "American Dream". Whether it is the Roaring Twenties and its sequined era, the Great Depression and its hardships, or post World War II and its wish for powerful revival, the nation has the same intent. So, the study of a couple classics reveals how this theme deals with more than one nation's issues and hopes, but rather with the role and place of our individual in society, as well as the universal meaning behind humanity as a whole. While working to reach the American Dream, characters have to fight in order to keep true to themselves. First, knowing who to trust turns out to be a difficult process. Indeed, in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, the narrator known as Nick Carraway gets involved with an unreliable and dishonest rich youth. From Daisy's manipulative and heartless ways to get what she wants at any moment, to Tom's treatment of women, passing by Jordan's carelessness and lies ; Nick is thrown into a reckless world in which he …show more content…
To start with, selfishness is rejected, and the idea that people should stick together and help one another is praised. Indeed, in The Grapes Of Wrath, the lesson lies in Jim Casy's belief that "Maybe all men got one big soul ever'body's part of" (Steinbeck 24) and that every person is holy, in Ma Joad's actions to keep the family strong, and everyone else's activities at last, as the closing scene symbolizes where Rose of Sharon breastfeeds a dying stranger, proving that it "Use' ta be the fambly was fust. It ain't so now. It's anybody" (Steinbeck 445). As well, Nick's everlasting loyalty to the eponymous character of The Great Gatsby, and Linda's constant altruism towards her family in Death Of A Salesman reinforces the ideal of
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