The American dream is said to be achieved through hard work and perseverance; is apparently an achievable goal for anyone who chooses to exercise their “inalienable right” to the “pursuit of happiness.” This ambiguous phrase, “the pursuit of happiness,” was originally included in Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence and is a clear and overriding concern in The Great Gatsby. In the 1920s, when the novel is set, America was experiencing a new level of prosperity; the economy was booming and the possibility of acquiring wealth became an achievable reality. Consequently, the pursuit of happiness in The Great Gatsby is far from the initial intentions of the founding fathers and instead, in this new context, Fitzgerald demonstrates the confusion of happiness with money and social position. American ideals were replaced by a fixation on accumulating material wealth regardless of the consequences, and success no longer required hard work. Fitzgerald clearly describes this changed pursuit of happiness through the setting and characterization of the novel. Revolutionary Road similarly reflects this altered American quest through the naivety and self-delusion of the characters and their actions. The settings of The Great Gatsby reflect the socio-historical context of the novel and the nature of the different characters' pursuit of happiness. Gatsby's residence defines him as a member of the nouveau riche as his description makes his estate seem tastelessly new, as suggested by the "thin beard of raw ivy" which unattractively exposes efforts to appear aged and characterless as a "factual imitation of some Hôtel". -de-Ville in Normandy' implies that it is a simple copy with no creativity expended in its creation. The interior of Gatsby's house......middle of paper......December 2008.Ford, Richard. "Introduction" in: Yates, R., Revolutionary Road, (2001 edition), Methuen Publishing Ltd, London.Mullan, John. “Sweet Sorrow” in The Guardian, 9 October 2004. O'Nan, Stewart. “The Lost World of Richard Yates,” in: Boston Review, October/November, 1999. Worrell, Rob. “Gatsby and the revolutionary road. The dream children of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Richard Yates. In: emagazine, September 2005, pp. 38-40. Other relevant literature: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Winter DreamsHemingway, The Sun Always RisesRobert E. Sherwood, The Petrified ForestShakespeare, Sonnet 94T.S. Eliot, The Hollow MenPlato, The SymposiumOther material: Abrahms, Feminism, Psychoanalytical, Marxist.Lodge, D. Unreliable narrator, Metafiction.Welles Page, Ellen, “A Flapper's appeal to Parents” in Outlook Magazine, December 6, 1922.