Can a person truly reach his full potential as long as he dedicates himself to working hard and pursuing happiness? The American Dream – a term first defined in The Epic of America by James Truslow Adams– promises such, but does it follow through? The answer is no, simply because some groups of people are not allotted the same opportunities as others. Jay Gatsby – protagonist of the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – and Troy Maxson – protagonist of the play Fences by August Wilson – wish to achieve their dreams and advance in life; however, they are unable to do so because of society’s unjust exclusion of those who are not born both white and rich. From the time Jay Gatsby was known as James Gatz, he had always dreamt of one
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In American literature, baseball is often used as a symbol of advancement and equality: the objective of the game is to advance to the next base until the player reaches home, and each player is allowed the same amount of strikes. Baseball sounds a lot like the American Dream, which promises the achievement of one’s maximum capability in exchange for hard work and pursuing one’s dreams (Adams). Baseball gives it’s players an equal chance at winning, and the American Dream supposedly does the same thing; in Fences, Wilson has Troy use a baseball related metaphor to articulate that not everyone can reach the American Dream. Troy says that he was born with two strikes (Wilson 960). These strikes against him are because of his race; he has a limited opportunity to advance due to the fact that society is unaccepting of his skin color. This conflict that Troy faces prevents him from becoming a Major League baseball player because an African American man such as himself is not welcomed amongst the all white teams, despite his great skill. Troy must hit “the curve ball on the inside corner” (Wilson 960), meaning that he has only one opportunity to make something of himself and that single opportunity is hard to get. Such a ball is difficult to hit so he must bunt or else he will not get anything. He has to settle for marrying Rose and being a garbage man for the remainder of his life, for that is the farthest he can advance given the circumstances. Troy’s skin tone does not allow him to advance any further in a society that plainly favors white Americans; he is excluded from ever being able to reach his full potential and possibly achieve all of his
In American literature, baseball is often used as a symbol of advancement and equality: the objective of the game is to advance to the next base until the player reaches home, and each player is allowed the same amount of strikes. Baseball sounds a lot like the American Dream, which promises the achievement of one’s maximum capability in exchange for hard work and pursuing one’s dreams (Adams). Baseball gives it’s players an equal chance at winning, and the American Dream supposedly does the same thing; in Fences, Wilson has Troy use a baseball related metaphor to articulate that not everyone can reach the American Dream. Troy says that he was born with two strikes (Wilson 960). These strikes against him are because of his race; he has a limited opportunity to advance due to the fact that society is unaccepting of his skin color. This conflict that Troy faces prevents him from becoming a Major League baseball player because an African American man such as himself is not welcomed amongst the all white teams, despite his great skill. Troy must hit “the curve ball on the inside corner” (Wilson 960), meaning that he has only one opportunity to make something of himself and that single opportunity is hard to get. Such a ball is difficult to hit so he must bunt or else he will not get anything. He has to settle for marrying Rose and being a garbage man for the remainder of his life, for that is the farthest he can advance given the circumstances. Troy’s skin tone does not allow him to advance any further in a society that plainly favors white Americans; he is excluded from ever being able to reach his full potential and possibly achieve all of his