The American Dream in The Great Gatsby

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Recommended: The transformation of the American Dream

American literature is much different from literature most authors write today. American

literature has meaning and a sturdy purpose. Three words with important meaning in society appear in

American literature. The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or

restraint is the legal definition of freedom. Freedom allows people to express anything or do anything

they want to if it doesn't offend people and as long it isn't violating any rights of others. Without

freedom a lot of things would be stolen away from us. The state of being equal, especially in status,

rights, and opportunities is the legal definition for equality. Equality provides a safety barrier for people

because is assures them that no matter who they are they're going to have equal rights and opportunities

as the person standing next to them. A set of circumstances that makes it possible to do something is

the legal definition of opportunity. Opportunity is a chance someone can have to do something.

Without opportunities how can anything be accomplished? These three things all go hand in hand.

Without one it's hard to have the other two. This is why these three things put together is known as the

American dream. American literature teaches people of today's times how the American dream has

evolved and how it has affected the world around it.

Freedom is seen in American literature in the form of freedom being available and people

having it or in the form of freedom being taken away and freedom being unavailable. “That's all right-

that's all right- if you'll hold my box a minute, I'll go and get you a frog.”(Twain, 467). This quote is

from Mark Twain's The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. This...

... middle of paper ...

... her. Opportunities have a large impact on the way someone's

life can end up and how it can affect everything for them. This opportunity for Gatsby could make

everything for him. When it comes to how this pillar has changed over time, there have been more

opportunities for different types of people due to equality, but the term of opportunity has not changed.

The American dream made up of freedom, equality, and opportunity has greatly impacted

literature and history and how the world works. Literature teaches us that over time these three things

have changed and has made the world a different place. As the American dream changes, so will

everything else. American literature teaches people of today's times how the American dream has

evolved and how it has affected the world around it.

Works Cited

American Literature Text book, The Great Gatsby

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