A Discussion of the American Dream as Represented in "American Beauty" and "The Great Gatsby"

The American Dream in American Beauty
The concept of a blanket American Dream to suit all people is exposed as wrong in Mendes's American Beauty. By building a conformist community where the perception as opposed to actual happiness is chased, is a key theme in the film. The director uses characterisation to explore the effect the American Dream has had on the three central characters. Mendes challenges the credibility of such a blanket dream, and the concept of spirituality and beauty being lost in the process of blindly chasing a perceived goal of happiness.
The context of the film and the American dream evolves around the white picket fence, money, and lastly youth. Due to the conformist community where the film is set- established by setting and the row of endless similar looking houses, the characters in the film do not know what they want exactly.…