... like Carrie who wanted to escape the misery of the lives they had ever known, to pursue a more glamorous one that Chicago represented and had to offer. Carrie is portrayed in Dreiser's novel as leaving her town with only four dollars and a paltry of other things. Nothing is told about her background or history. On the train to Chicago, Drouet, a flamboyant and traveling salesman whose success in business is ... to be the story of the West. He pointed out how all the major characters of the novel originate west of the Appalachian mountain. Gatsby gave all he had, even severing his ties t...

• Word Count: 7760
• Approx Pages: 31
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... theme which is the American dream. The American Dream/ Wealth/ Dreams and Goals Many characters have the American dream in this novel such as Nick Carraway, the narrator throughout the novel, who moves to New York to become a bond salesman in hopes of making his own fortune. Nick is also arguably the most innocent among the main cast of characters usually not doing things that are wrong and being a mostly honest man. Another character who pursues the American dream is Myrtle ... , leading to the death of Myrtle and ultimately the murder-suicide which of he is the former. This provides us...

• Word Count: 1093
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate