The Great Gatsby And Raisin In The Sun

For years, controversy has risen against large, multi-billion dollar industries, like Sony and Apple, where they have been accused today of making millions off of slave labor in third world countries (Wakefield). This is all because of people pursuit of the American Dream, but these companies make money at the expense of others. People, or society in general, convince each other that the American Dream is real; the rags to riches stories can happen to anyone. Although that is the case, through many years, the American Dream seems farther and farther than ever before, even, when at first, it was already difficult to reach. Through literary works like The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, …show more content…
In The Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry, people such as Mr. Karl Lindner represents the animosity of the white community. In the play, Mr. Lindner tries his best, as a representative of Clybourne Park, to prevent the Younger family from moving to Clybourne Park. The only reason why they wanted the Younger family to not move is simply because they were black, and by moving, they would “taint” the community: “... I want you to believe me when I tell you that race prejudice simply doesn’t enter into it. It is a matter of the people of Clybourne Park believing, rightly or wrongly, as I say, that for the happiness of all concerned that our Negro families are happier when they live in their own communities.” (Hansberry, 1590) Even Mr. Lindner tried to hide the fact that the Younger family is simply not wanted since they are of a different race, and should stay where they are. The Younger family works relentlessly and strives for a better life, only to be prevented by others from obtaining a better life, even if they have as much right as anyone to strive for a better life. It is immoral to think that simply because someone is of a different race, they should be impeded from what they believe they must do to make their lives better. In this case, the “pristine” white community feels that by having a black family move into …show more content…
A major plot point in The Raisin in the Sun is when Mr. Younger and Bobo teamed up with Willy Harris in hopes of opening up a liquor store to gain wealth. In doing so, they gave their money to Willy so that he could open up the liquor store, but they end up finding out that all that was simply an elaborate ruse to have Mr. Younger and Bobo give a large portion of their savings. By lying to them, Willy Harris takes the money for himself with the ulterior motive of personal gains. Furthermore, in The Great Gatsby, as mentioned in the last paragraph, Gatsby gained his wealth through bootlegging, which is an illegal means of gaining wealth. To hide this from Daisy and the others, he lies and tells them that he owns a pharmaceutical chain which is how he gained his immense wealth. He lies in order to hide the fact that he gained his money illegally in order to be with Daisy. The two mainly mentioned here, Gatsby and Willy, lie in order to fuel their pursuit of their personal American Dream. In Willy’s case, he gained money through the expense of others’ hard work and livelihood. Willy uses Walter Younger and takes the money from him that “is made out of my father’s flesh” (Hansberry, 1596). In Gatsby’s case, he lies in order to hide his source of income and to preserve his respected position as a wealthy gentleman to look exceptional for Daisy. Even Tom finds out that he is just “some