The Representation of the American Dream in John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath and John Ford's Film Adaptation

Obradović, Zvonimir

master's thesis

The Representation of the American Dream in John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath and John Ford's Film Adaptation

Osijek: Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2020. urn:nbn:hr:142:392607

Obradović, Zvonimir

Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Department of English Language and Literature

Cite this document

APA 6th Edition

Obradović, Z. (2020). The Representation of the American Dream in John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath and John Ford's Film Adaptation (Master's thesis). Osijek: Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Retrieved from https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:142:392607

MLA 8th Edition

Obradović, Zvonimir. "The Representation of the American Dream in John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath and John Ford's Film Adaptation." Master's thesis, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2020. https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:142:392607

Chicago 17th Edition

Harvard

Obradović, Z. (2020). 'The Representation of the American Dream in John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath and John Ford's Film Adaptation', Master's thesis, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, accessed 08 January 2025, https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:142:392607

Vancouver

Obradović Z. The Representation of the American Dream in John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath and John Ford's Film Adaptation [Master's thesis]. Osijek: Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences; 2020 [cited 2025 January 08] Available at: https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:142:392607

IEEE

Z. Obradović, "The Representation of the American Dream in John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath and John Ford's Film Adaptation", Master's thesis, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Osijek, 2020. Available at: https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:142:392607

Cite this item: https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:142:392607

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Metadata

Title	The Representation of the American Dream in John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath and John Ford's Film Adaptation
Title (croatian)	Prikaz američkog sna u Plodovima gnjeva Johna Steinbecka i filmskoj adaptaciji Johna Forda
Author	Zvonimir Obradović
Mentor	Jadranka Zlomislić (mentor)
Committee member	Ljubica Matek (predsjednik povjerenstva)
Committee member	Jadranka Zlomislić (član povjerenstva)
Committee member	Biljana Oklopčić (član povjerenstva)
Granter	Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (Department of English Language and Literature) Osijek
Defense date and country	2020-09-11, Croatia
Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline	HUMANISTIC SCIENCES Philology Anglistics
Abstract	The goal of this paper is to show the similarities and the differences in the portrayal of the American Dream in John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath and John Ford’s film adaptation. The American Dream is the national creed that highlights ideas like freedom, individualism, and equality of opportunity as supreme. James Truslow Adams gives expression to this long-lasting idea that stems from the Puritans and is further influenced by the Founding Fathers, multitudes of entrepreneurs, and momentous events like the Gold Rush. By analysing the two media’s depictions of the American Dream it is shown how their dissimilarities result in two contrasting schools of thought. This paper suggests that the reasons for the migrants’ predicament can be attributed to the Dream’s emphasis on monetary success and private ownership. Furthermore, the family’s otherness shows the discrepancy of the Dream’s ideals and its harsh reality; their otherness stems from their lowly economic status, and it excludes them from the promises of the Dream. Consequently, a link is established between the two media and the Un-American idea of communism to give the deconstruction of the Dream. Finally, the different outcomes of the novel and the adaptation are highlighted, as their endings provide two distinct solutions to the problems indicated: the author necessitates a spiritual change to bring about an outer change, in contrast to the survival and the importance of moving forward as suggested in the adaptation.
Keywords
Language	english
URN:NBN	urn:nbn:hr:142:392607
Study programme	Title: English Language and Literature (double major); specializations in: Teacher Training, Translation and Interpreting Studies, Philology Course: Teacher Training Study programme type: university Study level: graduate Academic / professional title: magistar/magistra edukacije engleskog jezika i književnosti (magistar/magistra edukacije engleskog jezika i književnosti)
Study programme	Title: Philosophy (double major); specializations in: Teacher Training Course: Teacher Training Study programme type: university Study level: graduate Academic / professional title: magistar/magistra edukacije filozofije (magistar/magistra edukacije filozofije)
Type of resource	Text
File origin	Born digital
Access conditions	Open access
Terms of use
Repository	FFOS-repository
Created on	2021-03-09 18:05:01