Contrast Between Dream And Reality example essay topic

"The Leader of the People" In John Steinbeck's "The Leader of the People", a theme that is portrayed throughout the story is that of the contrast between dream and reality. In the story, Grandfather cannot come to grasp that his dreams of the West and moving across the plains are over and that reality has set in. Another story that contrasts dream and reality is Ambrose Pierce's "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge". In this story, Farquhar cannot tell the difference between dream and reality until the very last second, when he is hanged.

The plot in each of the stories is completely different, but both add to the theme of the contrast between dream and reality. In "The Leader of the People", Grandfather returns to his daughter's farm, where he is disliked by his son-in-law for his story telling. This is where he is dreaming of the past and what a great time he had. However, after hearing his son-in-law badmouth him, he comes to the realization that his dream is over and reality has set in.

In "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", Farquhar is dreaming when he is escaping from the Union soldiers, however his dreams crash down when he is thrown over the bridge and dies. There is a strong contrast in character in "The Leader of the People". Carl is the reality that is trying to bring Grandfather back down to earth to see clearly. Carl is thinking about the future and not dreaming of the past. Grandfather on the other hand still wishes he was with the Indians and was leading the people across the plains, as he tells in his stories. He does not want to give up on that until he hears Carl talk about him behind his back.

This seems to bring him into reality once he realizes that no one cares about his adventures anymore. He portrays this when Jody suggests that he too lead the people. Grandfather simply responds that there is nowhere left to explore and that he should not lead the people. In "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge", Farquhar is a character that does not give up easily.

He wants to escape and when he dreams he does, he believes it. He is hard to bring out of his dreams. The character that brings him into reality are the Union soldiers who hang him. They are they ones that take his hopes and dreams away from him.

The setting in "The Leader of the People" is in the West after the exploration of frontier ing period. It is a settled area and the threat of Indians and starvation is no longer present. They live on a farm with plenty of food and comfort in the place they live in. They trust the land and have lost the excitement of the West. The setting of "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" is that of a southern farm during the Civil War. Farquhar believes he can trust the soldier in gray, though he is misled by his setting.

Steinbeck's tone in the story is critical of those living their lives in the past. Grandfather only speaks of the times he had while crossing the plains, fighting with the Indians, and leading the people. He is also critical of people who believed that being a hero and leader was being able to fight the Indians, but Grandfather comes to the realization that he was a real leader when the people he was with trusted him. Pierce's tone in the story was a very serious one in which he championed the fight shown by the South and there struggle to fight for what they believed in, only to be taken down by the Union. These tones both add to the theme because the attitude taken by the author to the story they are writing tells what they are trying to portray.

Both Steinbeck and Pierce were writing about the contrast between dreams and realities in their modern worlds. Grandfather wishes for when he was on top of the world and Farquhar wishes to be back at home, safe and sound with his family. Both men are brought back into reality by the characters around them. They accept the facts that they will never again be able to back to where they were on top and ruling the world, in their minds.