A Raisin In The Sun vs. The Great Gatsby

In the stories, “A Raisin in the Sun” and “The Great Gatsby,” the American Dream is displayed in different ways.  The American Dream has many different views and it is all based on how a person lives or sees the world.  One person could be very hopeful about the United States and want to be here for the great success of a family.  Another person could feel that the United States is too violent or not good enough for their standards and not want to come here at all.  The Great Gatsby took a very economic stand on the American Dream.

In “The Great Gatsby,” the characters were very money hungry.  All they cared about were the very materialistic things and being the richest person.  Like the West Egg and East Egg were the differences between the very rich side and the moderately wealthy side, divided by a river.  Gatsby felt that he had to succeed in life because he wanted to do better than his parents.  When he was a young man, his inheritance of money was taken from him by a money hungry female.  With that being said, he wanted to feel what being wealthy felt like and chased money his whole life.

Even when he was trying to be with Daisy, he was chasing her money and wealth more than he was chasing her as a woman.  He liked the fact that she could support herself and he liked her social standard and class based on her money.  Tom and Daisy were less concerned about the money but more concerned about keeping their relationship look picture perfect.  They just wanted to please others so they could have some type of happiness.

In “A Raisin In The Sun,” the family was still focused on money moreover focused on getting by.  Ms. Lena Younger, the mother of the family, was more focused on her children being happy.  She felt that they were too focused on wealth and being and/or getting rich and not enough on actually enjoying life.  She didn’t want Walter Lee Younger, her son, to invest in the liquor store because she was not sure about the deal being full-proof.  Mama wanted Beneatha Younger aka Bennie, her daughter and Walter Lee’s sister, to continue in college and become a doctor like she wanted to be.

Ruth Younger, Walter Lee’s wife, had become pregnant and she just wanted to be able to support her new child.  Her arguments with Walter and the poverty of the household concerned her and stressed her out.  Travis, Walter and Ruth’s son, was less focused on the money like the rest of his family.  He was working a job to help his parents but was not money hungry.  The family struggled but when the $10,00 check came, their greedy ways separated them and caused even more chaos.

The two stories are the complete opposite in which the views on the American Dream are portrayed but they both include money.  “A Raisin In The Sun” was more poverty based and “The Great Gatsby” was more wealth based.  Yet both, incorporated a want for money in two or more characters.  The American Dream is changed based on a person’s social class, lifestyle, and dreams.

Word Count: 542 words