The American Dream is not a paradise but a nightmare
“The American Dream is not a paradise but a nightmare.” By comparing A Streetcar Named Desire and The Great Gatsby to what extent do you agree with this statement?
According to James Truslow Adams, who wrote ‘The Great Epic of America’, the American Dream is “not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain regardless of circumstances of birth or position”1. A Streetcar Named Desire and The Great Gatsby both criticize the vitiated American Dream faced by those in their society; despite the dream changing from one of hedonism in ‘Gatsby’ to a sobered dream in ‘Streetcar’. The American Dream, despite being vastly different in the two novels, is portrayed as being nightmarish; showing that universally the idea of the American Dream is an unobtainable illusion.
The term ‘American Dream’ was popularized by the historian James Truslow Adams, in his book ‘The Great Epic of America’. The book was published in 1931, long before Gatsby was published. The idea of the American Dream was referred to frequently prior to Adams’ book – the earliest recorded example of this was in 1630, when John Winthrop gave his ‘City on a Hill ‘ speech2. Which shows the American Dream to be more of a universal idea, as opposed to a set of principles or a specific dream. This is also an example of ‘American Exceptionalism’ – the theory that American is inherently different to other nations, which is interesting when looking at the American Dream as exclusive of other nations and cultures.
In The Great Gatsby, the protagonists view the American Dream as achievable through the accumulation of wealth - particularly Gatsby, Tom and to a certain extent, Nick. Gatsby sees wealth as a means to acquire Daisy, whom he sees as the validation of achieving his American Dream. According to Norman Pearson, Daisy “seemed to be the representation of what he yearned for: the platonic essence”3. Pearson also summarizes
According to James Truslow Adams, who wrote ‘The Great Epic of America’, the American Dream is “not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain regardless of circumstances of birth or position”1. A Streetcar Named Desire and The Great Gatsby both criticize the vitiated American Dream faced by those in their society; despite the dream changing from one of hedonism in ‘Gatsby’ to a sobered dream in ‘Streetcar’. The American Dream, despite being vastly different in the two novels, is portrayed as being nightmarish; showing that universally the idea of the American Dream is an unobtainable illusion.
The term ‘American Dream’ was popularized by the historian James Truslow Adams, in his book ‘The Great Epic of America’. The book was published in 1931, long before Gatsby was published. The idea of the American Dream was referred to frequently prior to Adams’ book – the earliest recorded example of this was in 1630, when John Winthrop gave his ‘City on a Hill ‘ speech2. Which shows the American Dream to be more of a universal idea, as opposed to a set of principles or a specific dream. This is also an example of ‘American Exceptionalism’ – the theory that American is inherently different to other nations, which is interesting when looking at the American Dream as exclusive of other nations and cultures.
In The Great Gatsby, the protagonists view the American Dream as achievable through the accumulation of wealth - particularly Gatsby, Tom and to a certain extent, Nick. Gatsby sees wealth as a means to acquire Daisy, whom he sees as the validation of achieving his American Dream. According to Norman Pearson, Daisy “seemed to be the representation of what he yearned for: the platonic essence”3. Pearson also summarizes