That is a lot of responsibility for Rocky to bear, because the family is pinning all their hopes on him, and he has to deliver. The author makes Rocky sympathetic - he is not a bully even though he wields power, but there is something about him that seems like she disapproves of him somehow, too. She kills him in a nasty way, and she makes him seem cold and unemotional when he quickly takes on the white man's ways in order to get ahead in school. Tayo is incredibly guilty about Rocky's death, it is almost as if he thinks that it should have been him, instead, because Rocky had so much promise, and that is another disturbing thing about Rocky. He inspires guilt and anguish in the family, and they do not attempt to do anything about their own dreams, they seem to have died with Rocky. In "Ceremony," Tayo is on a journey for himself and his people, so he has a purpose, even if he is not searching for the American Dream. In "Gatsby," Gatsby is not searching for himself or anything else except Daisy, and it is clear he cannot ever have her. The difference in the two novels is that Tayo does have hope for the future, hope it will rain again, and hope he will be well. Gatsby has no hope. Without hope, he can never attain the American Dream, because one has to have hope for it to occur. A dream is a form of hope, after all, and that is another strong reason that Gatsby will not attain the American Dream, even if it were attainable for him.

There is a big difference between the two protagonists in these novels. Gatsby seems to have it all, and he wants it all,...

Gatsby wants the dream and all it entails, while Tayo does not, and he does not go after it. Gatsby believes he is worthy of the Dream, while Tayo does not, and he does not actively seek it. For him, rain, and being well are enough, and it is clear he will survive by the end of the book, which is another big difference between these characters. Gatsby is on the road to excess and self-destruction, while Tayo is on the road to recovery and self-awareness. At the end of "Ceremony" there is hope, while at the end of Gatsby there is little more than despair. Ultimately, it is as if Silko might hold out a little bit of hope that the American Dream really can come true, while it is quite clear that Fitzgerald holds out no hope at all.
In conclusion, both these novels present their own spin on the American Dream. They both illustrate the American Dream exists, but that it is most often unattainable, even when it seems to close it can be touched. Believing in the American Dream is not futile, it can be attained, but it can also disappear just as quickly. If a person spends their life in pursuit of the American Dream, they may find it, but chances are, they will never attain their Dream, not because they do not try hard enough, but because their Dream may not be what it seems, or it may have plans of its' own.