The American Dream
Becca MacLean
Extended Essay
English A Rubric
Ms. Jacobsen
April 1, 2013
Abstract
The principle of the American Dream is highlighted within the priceless American
documents of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, setting America apart from
all others. The American Dream has been placed on a pedestal, worshipped for providing
opportunity for any man willing to work for it. The idea of the flexibility of one’s class and
social standing provided much hope for those living in America in the 20th Century and those
willing to immigrate to America for these very reasons. However, corruption of the American
Dream was prominent throughout the 1900s, especially in the 1920s and the 1950s as America
faced radical societal changes.
Through analysis of two works of literature from these time periods, I identified two
different sorts of corruption in the American Dream. I focused on the condescension towards the
noveau-riche as well as the mass consumption in the 1920s as exemplified by The Great Gatsby
and studied the same sightless materialism as well as the inability of women to achieve the
dream in the 1950s as demonstrated by Death of a Salesman. I analyzed both works of literature,
researched various literary criticisms in the context of the American Dream, and found relevant
cultural aspects of the 1920s and 1950s. I came to the conclusion that negative light was shed on
the ideals of the American Dream through the newfound sightless materialism, withheld class
condescension, and exclusion of women to the benefits of the dream.
Word Count:241
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Table of Contents
Abstract……………………………………………………………...3
Table of Contents…………………………………………………....4
Introduction………………………………………………………....5
The American Dream……………………………………………….5
The American Dream in the 1920s…………………………………7
Corruption of the American Dream in Jay Gatsby……………….8
The Manifestation of the American Dream in Daisy Buchanan…9
Materialism in The Great Gatsby…………………………………...10
Condescension Towards the Noveau Riche………………………..11
1920s Gangster Society……………………………………………...11
The American Dream in the 1940s and 1950s……………………..12
The Hopelessness of Willy Loman………………………………….13
Women and the American Dream………………………………….14
Conclusion……………………………………………………………16
Works Cited………………………………………………………….17
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Introduction
Death of a Salesman and The Great Gatsby shed light on the disillusionment of the
American Dream that was typical to the everyman in both the 1920’s and the 1950’s. These time
periods shared a false sense of prosperity that was supported by the ideals of the American
Dream. Underneath the façade of wealth hid the reality of a struggling America, one of quiet
desperation. Such works of literature reveal how unattainable the American Dream was at the
time. The characters in these pieces of literature believed that every man could achieve the
American Dream and therefore gain a respected place in society. The disenchantment with this
idea becomes clear when the characters strive for the singular goal and fall short, too late
realizing that society had little respect for those who worked their way to greatness during the
1900’s. Death of a Salesman and The Great Gatsby bring to light a social criticism that suggests
that perhaps the principles upon which America is founded do not apply to certain men and that
hard work and high dreams or expectations do not necessarily dictate societal success.
The American Dream
The two parts to the American Dream as seen in the encyclopedia are defined as “an
American social ideal that stresses egalitarianism and especially material prosperity” and “the
ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every
American.” (Merriam-Webster.) The basis of the American Dream stems from our Declaration
of Independence and Constitution. The Constitution promises to “secure the Blessings of Liberty
to ourselves and our Posterity,” referring to the protection of the “certain unalienable
rights…Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” guaranteed by the Declaration of
Independence. (Madison. 1) Our country ensures that all men are created equal and thusly,
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America became the land of opportunity. In theory, no matter who one was or where one came
from, he could make a successful life for himself. Over the years, exemplified in many examples
of American literature, the dream morphed into one of aforementioned material prosperity. It
became increasingly about being more successful and having more possessions and wealth than
one’s neighbor, distracting from the purity of the original dream.
The term “American Dream” was coined in 1931 by James Truslow Adams in The Epic
of America. Adams defines the dream as “that dream of a land in which life should be better and
richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.”
(Adams. 214) Adams speaks of the cultural importance the American dream once held to those
who came to the United States, full of hope. He claims that the “dream was not a product of a
solitary thinker [and that it rather] evolved from the hearts and burdened souls of many millions”
who believed in the promise of America. (428) It is a view shared by Jay Gatsby and Willy
Loman in particular, one that blinds them to the futility of their efforts and dreams. To these
tragic heroes, the Dream holds endless amounts of promise and potential. They are therefore
deluded into believing in its attainability and they pursue it fervently, to no avail. The reality and
corruption of the dream is also exposed in The Epic of America, as Adams discusses how the
American economic system only “increases the gulf between the ordinary man and the super-rich
[and]… permits the resources of society to be gathered into personal fortunes.” (425) He claims
that the system directly opposes the American dream, seeing as there is no way for the common
man to amount to anything financially if the rich continue their selfish behaviors.
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The American Dream in the 1920s
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, brings the corruption of the American
Dream to the forefront with the exposure of upper class society in the 1920s, a supposed Golden
Age for America. Fitzgerald explores the transformation of the American Dream following
World War I as it shifts from “a concept centered on personal fulfillment, accomplishment, and
happiness to one more driven by the more hollow desire for financial achievement and celebrity”
due to the industrialization of America. (Banach. 21) Critics claim that Fitzgerald exposes the
dream as “an illusion fueled by some misguided drive born of the ‘nervous energy’ of a postwar
generation struggling to make sense of their lives.” (19)
Consumer culture in 1920s America had possibly the greatest influence on the
interpretation of the American Dream during the time period as many people began to adopt the
materialistic side of the dream with the industrialization of the country. Fitzgerald demonstrates
complicated feelings towards capitalism and consumerism, as he himself bought into the
frivolous materialism of the dream while still having his reservations about the morality of it.
The postwar economic boom of the 1920s resulted in a focus on defining people by what they
consume as opposed to what they produce. One’s financial and material output became of little
relevance if he did not spend what he earned on huge amounts of unnecessary commodities. This
seemingly contradicts the idea of the American Dream because it places focus not on an
individual’s hard work, but rather on what he can purchase as a result of that hard work. The
work ethics established by early settlers such as the Puritans and highlighted by the American
Dream got tossed to the wayside as people adopted desire for leisure and luxury. The novel
addresses the idea of “conspicuous consumption,” a driving force behind 1920s society. The
concept was originally addressed by Thorstein Veblen in his book, The Theory of the Leisure
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Class, and emphasized the reasons for frivolous consumerism. The main motivations for
consumerism were revealed to be the demonstration of buying power through the act of spending
itself and also the demonstration of social status through displaying the purchased items. People
with money were therefore the people with power, causing a widespread desire for wealth and a
social status that could be beneficial in the future exemplified in The Great Gatsby.
Corruption of the American Dream in Jay Gatsby
The most obvious example of corruption of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby
lies within Jay Gatsby. Gatsby’s sole drive in life is to reclaim Daisy’s love and his only means
of doing so is to achieve maximum wealth and showcase it in a manner that convinces Daisy that
he is good enough to marry. Gatsby is portrayed as the tragic hero of the novel, and he evokes
the reader’s sympathy accordingly. He depicts dual aspects of the American Dream because on
one hand, he is one of the materialistic upper-class citizens that demonstrate the dream’s new
focus on possessions. However, he represents the victim of the American Dream because
although he believed in the power of the dream and worked himself to a position of wealth and
success, he will never be accepted by Daisy or other “old rich” socialites. Gatsby is not the
villain but is instead a fatality. Nick Carraway, the narrator of the novel, claims that he cannot
blame Gatsby for his self-destruction because “it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust
floated in the wake of his dreams” that destroyed him in the end. (Fitzgerald. 2) The reader
sympathizes with him because he buys into the dream so wholeheartedly but it never helps him
achieve his ultimate goal of winning Daisy.
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Gatsby’s ultimate downfall is caused by his tragic flaw of believing that he could change
his past to win Daisy back in the future. He believes that although he was born with nothing, he
could work his way up the social ladder and convince the world that he had always been wealthy,
portraying a skewed perception of the American Dream. His belief that the only way to attain
Daisy’s love is by achieving ultimate wealth expresses the corrupted side effects of the dream,
such as the idea that only people with material items to flaunt and obvious wealth can be
successful in society. He creates a new identity and history that he began to buy into himself.
Gatsby is obsessed with becoming a meaningful figure in society and is terrified that people may
“think [he] was just some nobody.” (67) When he begins to believe in the fabricated stories of
his past, he loses his grip on reality. Gatsby holds tight to the “promise that the rock of the world
was founded securely on a fairy’s wing,” representative of his conviction that success stems
definitively from faith in the American Dream and the loss of reality separate from his dreams.
(99)
The Manifestation of the American Dream in Daisy Buchanan
It is only fitting that Gatsby strives endlessly to obtain Daisy’s love, as Daisy is the
human manifestation of the American Dream itself. She is the unattainable “Golden Girl” of
Gatsby’s dreams. To win her is to succeed and fulfill the ultimate dream but in reality, Gatsby
will never win Daisy’s love and accomplish the goals of the American Dream. In the novel,
Daisy is simply an idea that consumes Gatsby’s every thought as supposed to an actual person
with whom he is in love. “He had been full of the idea so long, dreamed it right through to the
end” that he lost Daisy’s true essence. (92) She exists only in his mind for so long and so when
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she is finally near to him once more, he is disappointed by her. The “colossal vitality of his
illusion” exaggerated Daisy’s very person so mightily that she could not possibly live up to his
expectations because “no amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in
his ghostly heart.” (95-96) This is much like Gatsby’s relationship to the American Dream
because as he achieves ultimate wealth, he seemingly nears his goal. However, as he draws
apparently nearer to fulfilling the American Dream, it does not live up to his expectations. He is
discontented with his social status and newfound wealth because he still feels empty. Gatsby
demonstrates that one cannot sustain oneself simply on dreams because they lack substance and,
once fulfilled, will likely disappoint.
Materialism in The Great Gatsby
The superficiality demonstrated throughout the novel illustrates the materialism of the
American Dream at the time. Daisy and Tom Buchanan best exemplify the demeanors of the
shallow, money-oriented socialites. Daisy treats her own child as a possession rather than a
human being. She calls her daughter an “absolute little dream” and tells the child that she brings
her out on occasions when her “mother want[s] to show [her] off.” (117) Daisy’s preoccupation
with wealth and material goods renders her incapable of love for her daughter, Tom, and Gatsby.
Daisy also buys into the American Dream and believes that “that’s the best thing a girl can be in
this world, a beautiful little fool.” (17) She thinks that beauty and wealth are the only means of
success in the world. Daisy lacks substance entirely. Furthermore, Tom’s boastful display of his
home, wife, mistress, and other possessions highlights the ostentation in the twisted views of the
American Dream of the 1920s. He announces to Nick that he’s “got a nice place” in order to
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validate his self-worth. (7) Tom feels entitled to whatever he desires because he is in a position
of wealth, power, and admiration in society.
Condescension Towards the Nouveau Riche
Further corruption of the American Dream is evident in differences between West Egg
and East Egg society. West Egg, described as “the less fashionable of the two,” is comprised of a
rising class in the 1920s called the “nouveau riche.” (5) Despite the growth of industry and the
birth of new businesses, new wealth was looked upon with disdain. There were no changes in
societal statuses as exemplified in Gatsby’s party where the “East Egg [is] condescending to
West Egg.” (44) This directly opposes the ideas in the American Dream that suggest that any
man can make his way up the social ladder through hard work and flourish in the public. Gatsby,
despite his persistent efforts and hard work, will never be accepted in society as equal to the old
money, adding to the tragedy of the futility of his efforts.
1920s Gangster Society
A more straightforward corruption of the American Dream exists in the emerging
prevalence of gangsters and bootleggers of the 1920s. Gangsters were outlaws who made money
in illegal manners and they tended to dress ostentatiously to exude an illusion of wealth. By
dressing extravagantly and adorning themselves with material items, the gangsters “mocked the
symbols of success” present in society. (Beshears. 203) Gatsby is known to have shady dealings
with Wolfsheim, a well-known con artist, and earns disrespect from Tom. Tom refers to the
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nouveau riche and Gatsby, in particular, with disdain when he reveals the common opinion that
“a lot of these newly rich people are just big bootleggers.” (107) The irony of Tom’s contempt
towards Gatsby’s profession is that, although Gatsby may earn his money through a questionable
manner, he works for what he has. Tom, on the other hand, does not work himself and is simply
referred to as a polo player, highlighting his charmed life and how little he has to do to maintain
his excessively luxurious lifestyle.
The American Dream in the 1940s and 1950s
Unlike the condescension towards the noveau-riche, Arthur Miller’s pivotal tragedy,
Death of a Salesman, embodied a different corruption in the sightless materialism that enraptured
so many post-World-War-II Americans. Miller delves into a fiercely capitalistic society that
places the American Dream on a pedestal. He deeply examines one’s self-worth as self-defined
and as defined by society. He sheds light on the futility of the American Dream and brings into
reality the idea that one should live in order to discover who he is as opposed to living to prove
oneself to the world.
American culture of the late 1940’s and early 1950’s greatly influenced the portrayal of
the American Dream, as well as its possible interpretations. Post-war America experienced an
extreme economic boost from being the primary supplier of wartime goods, providing 50% of
the global income and 33% of the world’s exports. (Tyson) America had become a superpower
and had tremendous influence in Europe and Asia, making it the most powerful country in the
world. On the outside, people seemed to have it all. They had attained the American Dream.
Simply put, all Americans were thought to have the house on the corner with the little white
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picket fence, two children, a dog, and a car. It was apparently a peacetime Golden Age, but that
was simply a façade. Underneath it all, America was entangled in a “cold war” with the Soviet
Union. Americans lived in fear of attacks by atomic bombs from the communist USSR.
Citizens were turned against one another as the “Red Scare” ensued. Communist-related
terror spread across the country, creating an entirely homogenous society. People became afraid
to express their true sentiments if they did not correlate directly with those of the norm of the
times, in fear of being accused of communist ideals. Americans conformed to the idea that the
only way to live was to make an economically prosperous life for oneself in the safety of a
suburban neighborhood, embracing materialism. Suddenly, the individual did not matter. It was
important to maintain America’s economy and global status by pursuing the American Dream.
The everyman was supposed to thrive in suburbia, even if he had to work his way up from
nothing (The American Pageant).
The Hopelessness of Willy Loman
Miller uses Willy Loman, an aging salesman, to demonstrate the ability of the American
Dream to disillusion members of society. He is a man with an unattainable dream, selling his
soul in middle-class America. Loman’s two sons are embodiments of his various qualities: Biff
represents the vulnerably tragic side of Willy, doomed to fail, while Happy represents Willy’s
blind ambition that drives him towards an impossible dream.
Miller paints a vivid image of the hopelessness of the American Dream by depicting a
small, delicate home surrounded by unified apartments of concrete. Willy expresses his distaste
for the “bricks and windows, windows and bricks” that have boxed him in. (Miller. 17) He is
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trapped in the role that society wants of him and emphasizes the ability of the American Dream
to force compliance. The home is shrouded by the air of “a dream rising out of reality.”
(Miller.11) Willy has exhausted himself for years, selling his products as well as himself in order
to achieve the life he believed his sons deserved. His weariness is evident as he returns home to
his wife after continuously getting lost while driving to work. Willy drifts in and out of
consciousness as he drives, representative of his misleading dreams and foreshadowing of the
inevitable crash of his life.
Willy Loman’s tragic flaw is his persistent desire to emerge from the “jungle” in which
he is trapped. It is symbolic of his failure to succeed and Willy will go to all lengths in order to
escape the jungle for the sake of his reputation and his sons. As he becomes increasingly
obsessed with his dream, he begins hallucinating and sees his deceased brother, Ben, a successful
businessman who signifies everything Willy wants from life. Ben advises his brother that he
must never fight fair because “[he’ll] never get out of the jungle that way.” (Miller.49) Willy had
missed an opportunity to join Ben in Alaska and possibly strike it rich. He never forgave himself
for letting the chance pass him by. Ben haunts Willy throughout the play, warning him that “the
jungle is dark but full of diamonds.” (Miller.134) He enforces Willy’s faith in the American
Dream with promises of material success, as long as Willy manages to escape the jungle with the
fruits of his years of labor.
Women and the American Dream
Arthur Miller embarked on a mission to shed light on the “tragedy of the common man”
and many literary critics believe that the tragedy of the common man is gender specific as
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opposed to general in most aspects of the play (Stanton 120). The women in Willy’s life served
as comfort and provide their love but do not satisfy Willy’s desire to be well-liked. Linda has no
grasp of the business world and instead shows stereotypical disdain for the cut-throat
competition.
Furthermore, women in the play are sexually objectified by Willy, Biff, and Happy,
demonstrating the unlikelihood of a woman being respected in her place of work. Willy mistreats
Charley’s secretary, Jenny, by making sexual innuendos while she works, revealing his lack of
respect for what she does. Willy’s mistress also represents his want for material goods to boost
his status and shows that while Linda works hard to be the perfect wife, she will never achieve
Willy’s standards. Happy takes after his father by objectifying women as creatures that he can
“get any time [he] want[s].” (24) He uses his sexual prowess as a way to better his social
standings because he cannot achieve success by means of his work. He looks to replace his
financial failure with women as possessions. Happy and Biff hold women up to standards that
are representative of the desirable housewife of the American Dream, a mythological creature
whose job it is to cook, clean, raise children, make a happy home, and remain eternally poised
and beautiful. They refuse to acknowledge women such as Ms. Forsythe as worthy of their
affection and marriage because they are not the perfect, chaste housewives they imagine they
deserve.
Women are portrayed as inferior and at this time were left to menial jobs such as
secretaries. Despite their efforts and hard work, they were regarded as substandard and would not
be able to work their way up to the level of success that a man could. Linda is referred to as more
educated and gifted than Willy but is still seen as inferior because of her position as a housewife.
She represents the ideal wife of a post-World War II home who is obedient, loving, and
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supportive yet she is not enough to live up to Willy’s dreams. She is flawless but because she is a
woman, she will not be accredited for her hard work and she will never be recognized for her
own success.
Conclusion
Death of a Salesman and The Great Gatsby bring to the forefront the disillusionment of
the American Dream known to the common throughout the 1920’s and the 1950’s. Such novels
tear down the glorified American Dream by tarnishing the shine of the false sense of prosperity
promoted by the ideals of the dream. These works of literature exposed the inaccessibility of the
dream and the struggle of many Americans to reach such impossible standards. The characters in
these pieces had the tragic flaw of believing that any man could work his way up to success. A
negative light is shed on this idea as the characters begin to realize the impossibility of their
dreams and see that 20th century society will not accept those who worked their way to greatness.
Death of a Salesman and The Great Gatsby bring to light a social criticism that suggests that
perhaps the principles upon which America is founded do not apply to certain men and that a
solid work ethic and high dreams do not dictate the desired societal success.
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