Comparing the Books a Raisin in the Sun and the Great...

There are many similarities involving the main characters in the books The Great Gatsby and A Raisin in the Sun. For example, they are similar because their entire lives revolve around money. Also, they define their lives by determining what social class they live in. Another main likeness between the two is that they reside in large cities. Which leads to problems that people in rural communities wouldn’t have. On the other hand, they also have major differences. One is wealthy, the other lives in poverty. Jay Gatsby lives in a paradise-like community in New York, while Walter Younger and his family live in the slums of Chicago. Another difference between them is their race. Jay, being a white, is a well respected individual in his part†¦show more content†¦These examples support the idea that both Jay Gatsby’s and The Younger Family’s minds revolve around money. Social classes play a massive part in society today, just like it has throughout history. Mr. Gatsby, being an entrepreneur and bootlegger, was an upper-class individual with tons of wealth. Because he was so wealthy, he could afford a mansion and an expensive car (unheard of in the 1930’s). Respect came in droves for him because of his social class. He had parties for which some he did not even attend, he took people out to fancy restaurants, and many other things that people of that class do. Walter younger and the rest of his family were poor nonetheless. Because of their life in poverty, they are part of the lower class in the city of Chicago. Although they have a few friends, such as Bobo, they are not of the same â€Å"caliber† of the friends Jay Gatsby has the pleasure of knowing. Because of the Youngers’ poverty, they also have certain conflicts with people of their same social class. For example, Walter was â€Å"in on a great deal† with an busine ssman. Although it sounded like an amazing deal with amazing wealth in store for him, Walter was cheated out of the deal and was left without the ten thousand dollars his father left him. Living in big cities also lets problems arise. As seen in The Great Gatsby, Nick Carraway is subject to many problems people living in rural parts of the country wouldn’t have such as family issues and unnecessary drama. In A Raisin inShow MoreRelatedThe American Dream By Lorraine Hansberry1741 Words   |  7 Pageseven during the beginning of our wonderful country, and it was relatively the same as it is now. More than a century after the Declaration of Independence, the American Dream was still alive and well. In the 1950s, Lorraine Hansberry wrote A Raisin in the Sun. This play is about a financially troubled African-American family and the problems they face as they try to achieve all of their versions of the American Dream. The play itself is centered around the American Dream and how hard it can be to