Wide context

Complete PICLE corpus of essays by Polish advanced EFL students (330,000)

Martin Eden as well as Jay Gatsby wanted to improve their living conditions and become "self-made men" according to the values glorified by the American Dream. Gatsby's self-improvement very much reminded that of B. Franklin described in "Autobiography". Martin Eden's determination and self-confidence also led him to success. On the other hand though, their success and fortune were not exactly what they actually dreamed of; they both needed money to "afford" the women they were truly in love with. Therefore, the fundamental question appears: what is the American Dream? Is it a pursuit of happiness, whatever it means for an individual or a mere pursuit of success such as raising up in the world? Or maybe it is both?