Good Dream Or Nightmare

American Dream is one of the most important themes of American literature，It runsthrough the history of American literature，and the content rich, changs constantly. ManyAmerican writers had described it, which have formed a unique scenery of American literature，Steinbeck is one of them. Steinbeck has written many works during his lifetime,，he did severalattempts for the novel ’s themes and language，so that it works with a unique charm.Steinbeckhas the profound understanding to American Dream’s connotation, Therefore when he carries onthe performance to the American Dream, specially pays great attention to the spirit and themorals commends.This paper will carry on the thorough analysis to American Dream’s connotation, AroundSteinbeck’s of four important works to discuss the unique merit of the writer’s American Dream,And to further discuss the reason why the writer thought the American Dream’sprit and moral soimportant.This paper is divided into three parts.The first part mainly introduces the connotation of the American Dream. It includes theorigin and development of the American Dream, the process of American Dream’s developmentand change in American literature,and the essence of the American Dream.The connotation ofAmerican dream is rich,and undergo changes.But the importance of sprit and moral isconsistent,become the essence of American Dream.The second part mainly introduces the performance of American dream in Steinbeck’s fourworks .In The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Man, the people all have a good Americandream, through their own efforts , hard work to realize their American dream, this kind of pursuitmainly is material. Although the pursuit of material dream eventually defeat, but the spirit haswon the ascension, the process of pursue the dream is still a "good dream".In East Of Eden, thepeople gave up the pursuit of material interests,pursued the "good dream" of the sprit wholeheartedly, Although the result defeat finally, but the process of pursuit can still be seen as a"good dream ".The Winter Of Our Discontent revealed the tragedy of bandon spirit,only pursuethe material interests, explained the contradiction between material abundant and spirit poor inAmerican society, the process of pursue material dream is a nightmare.The third part analyzes Steinbeck unremitting probed to American dream. it will analyzefrom the social crisis, social responsibility and Transcendentalism, and naturalism and so on, toillustrate the unique value of Steinbeck ’s American dream.When Steinbeck described American dream, commends , pays great attention to the spiritand the morals commends, This was closely related to the social reality, from which we can seethat the author concern about social problems.This paper through analyzes Steinbeck’s Americandream, in order to from another side to analyze the modern society struggle for fame and fortune,spiritual emptiness.