The American Dream is a common theme in literature. The American Dream as defined by Webster is: an American social ideal that stresses egalitarianism and especially material prosperity. Egalitarianism is defined in two ways: 1: a belief in human equality especially with respect to social, political, and economic rights and privileges and 2: a social philosophy advocating the removal of inequalities among people. To most, this sounds like the perfect society, however what happens when the obsession takes away the truly important things in a person's life? In Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, physiological, safety, love, esteem, and self-actualization, are all components necessary to function fully in society. With The American Dream, society is obsessed with the physiological needs and therefore has trouble moving to the next level. In literature more often than not, The American Dream does not work out to be quite what is expected.

In Fences and The...