The American Dream In The Great Gatsby And Fences By August Wilson

The American Dream has inspired many people to improve their lives, by striving for money and power. It is considered a constructive idea, contributing the greatness of the United States as a nation. However, The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald, Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, and Fences by August Wilson paint a darker picture of this dream. Jay Gatsby died never quite achieving his image of the American Dream, Willy gave up on the American Dream and Cory hasn’t lost his hope for a bright future, and still lives to hopefully achieve the American Dream. America has a society which strives for success in every situation. Gatsby, Willy, and Troy, misunderstand the dream and turn it into a destructive force that destroys their lives, and for Willy and …show more content…
Gatsby needs to recognize the reality of divisions in society. Willy Loman misunderstands the American dream by thinking that the only path to success is through business. Willy needs to realize that he could be successful pursuing his talent instead of being a salesman. Tory needs to realize that the American Dream is different for everyone and his son Cory is living in a different time, so therefore his path to the dream is different. These characters prove that a person must decide for themselves what path they to follow and not let other people push them in directions that aren’t right. I believe that everyone should find their own dream and something they are passionate about. No one should depend on other people to change others into something they aren’t. The “perfect life” is not always achievable, but if dreams didn’t exist nothing would ever proceed. Humans always hope for more and push away anything that tries to hold them back. If a person lets others decide what is best, the dreams that are forced upon one will become a destructive force, instead of something