The idea of the American Dream is shown throughout the novels A Raisin in The Sun by Lorraine Hansberry and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The American Dream is described as working hard, making money, and living a better life than the generation before you. The characters in both of these novels are striving to reach their interpretation of the American Dream at any cost. In the Great Gatsby, Jay transformed himself completely in order to achieve his dreams, even if that meant losing people that he loved along the way. In A Raisin in the Sun, the Youngers make the final decision to move into the white neighborhood, despite Mr. Linder’s offer and the fact that they could get harassed in this white neighborhood. This demonstrates how money is not an equalizer. The common perception is “if I had more money, this or that would be better or different,” but in reality, this is not always the case. Even though Gatsby has all the money in the world, he is never truly satisfied with himself or the world surrounding him. In comparison, even though the Youngers may have just as much money as some of the white families in Clybourn park, they may discriminate against and looked down upon.
Another element of the American Dream is home ownership and both novels discuss this topic. In the Great Gatsby, Jay buys a house purposely directly across the bay from Daisy, and this isn’t just any house that he buys, its the most grandiose mansion on West Egg! He specifically purchased it based on the likelihood of Daisy loving it. He also enjoyed the comfort of the proximity of to his home to Daisy’s. It made him happy that all he had to do was look out on the bay for the dock with the green light on it and he knew that Daisy was near. This green light symbolized everything Gatsby loved and needed- mainly money, but also love, success, and being with his beloved Daisy.
Another element of the American Dream is home ownership and both novels discuss this topic. In the Great Gatsby, Jay buys a house purposely directly across the bay from Daisy, and this isn’t just any house that he buys, its the most grandiose mansion on West Egg! He specifically purchased it based on the likelihood of Daisy loving it. He also enjoyed the comfort of the proximity of to his home to Daisy’s. It made him happy that all he had to do was look out on the bay for the dock with the green light on it and he knew that Daisy was near. This green light symbolized everything Gatsby loved and needed- mainly money, but also love, success, and being with his beloved Daisy.
Within the novel, A Raisin in the Sun, the concept of home ownership is tied into the hopes and dreams for the next generation. Not only does the family purchase a house in a better neighborhood, but Mama’s hope for her children is to be smart and successful. By moving out of their current neighborhood, she gave her children a real opportunity to move beyond segregation both physically and figuratively. Although they probably would have experienced some setbacks due to discrimination at first, overall, they enabled themselves to so do much more with their lives. Walter has more of a chance to start a business and Beneatha can get a better education to become a doctor. Their children can now live out their hopes and dreams to the fullest.
All of the characters strive to achieve their own personal American Dream by making money, acquiring property, and transforming their lives. It is human nature to always want to succeed and do better than those who came before, but at what cost? Some people may succeed, and some people may be frustrated and not achieve their perception of the American Dream. When it comes down to it, we have to make our peace with doing what we love because it makes us happy and accepting our lots in life even if they don’t include billions of dollars.
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