American literature is very different from the literature most authors write today. American literature has solid meaning and purpose. Three words with important meaning in society appear in American literature. The power or right to act, speak or think as one wishes without hindrance or restriction is the legal definition of freedom. Freedom allows people to express anything or do anything they want as long as it does not offend people and as long as it does not violate any rights of others. Without freedom many things would be taken away from us. The condition of equality, especially in terms of status, rights and opportunities, is the legal definition of equality. Equality provides a safety barrier for people because it guarantees them that no matter who they are, they will have the same rights and opportunities as the person next to them. A set of circumstances that make it possible to do something is the legal definition of opportunity. Opportunity is the possibility that someone can have to do something. Without opportunities, how can anything be accomplished? These three things all go hand in hand. Without one it is difficult to have the other two. This is why these three things combined make up the American dream. American literature teaches people of today's times how the American dream evolved and how it influenced the world around it. Freedom is seen in American literature in the form of freedom available and the people who possess it or in the form of freedom being taken away and freedom being felt. not available. “It's okay, it's okay, if you hold my box for a minute, I'll go get you a frog.” (Twain, 467). This quote is from Mark Twain's The Famous Leaping Frog of Calaveras County. This... half a sheet... her. Opportunities have a big impact on how someone's life can end and how that can affect everything for them. This opportunity for Gatsby could make him everything. As for how this pillar has changed over time, there have been more opportunities for different types of people due to equality, but the term opportunity has not changed. The American dream of freedom, equality and opportunity has had a great impact on literature and history and how the world works. Literature teaches us that over time these three things have changed and made the world a different place. As the American Dream changes, so will everything else. American literature teaches people today how the American dream evolved and how it has influenced the world around it. Works Cited American Literature Textbook, The Great Gatsby