<P> As Huang shows, the American Dream is a recurring theme in the fiction of Asian Americans . </P> <P> Many American authors added American Ideals to their work as a theme or other reoccurring idea, to get their point across . There are many ideals that appear in American Literature such as, but not limited to, all people are equal, The United States of America is the Land of Opportunity, independence is valued, The American Dream is attainable, and everyone can succeed with hard work and determination . John Winthrop also wrote about this term called, American Exceptionalism . This ideology refers to the idea that Americans are the chosen ones, and that they are the light . </P> <P> The American Dream has been credited with helping to build a cohesive American experience, but has also been blamed for inflated expectations . Some commentators have noted that despite deep - seated belief in the egalitarian American Dream, the modern American wealth structure still perpetuates racial and class inequalities between generations . One sociologist notes that advantage and disadvantage are not always connected to individual successes or failures, but often to prior position in a social group . </P> <P> Since the 1920s, numerous authors, such as Sinclair Lewis in his 1922 novel Babbitt, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, in his 1925 classic, The Great Gatsby, satirized or ridiculed materialism in the chase for the American dream . For example, Jay Gatsby's death mirrors the American Dream's demise, reflecting the pessimism of modern - day Americans . The American Dream is a main theme in the book by John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men . The two friends George and Lennie dream of their own piece of land with a ranch, so they can "live off the fatta the lan"' and just enjoy a better life . The book later shows that not everyone can achieve the American Dream, thus proving by contradiction it is not possible for all, although it is possible to achieve for a few . A lot of people follow the American Dream to achieve a greater chance of becoming rich . Some posit that the ease of achieving the American Dream changes with technological advances, availability of infrastructure and information, government regulations, state of the economy, and with the evolving cultural values of American demographics . </P>

Where did the american dream originate and how has it changed over the centuries