Comparing Charlie And The Grandfather From Steinbeck's The Leader Of The People

On a beach on the coast of the United States, during the summer of 2016, Charlie and the Grandfather from Steinbeck’s “The leader of the People” come together on the beach while the Grandfather has a couple beers and Charlie has his one drink for the day and discuss how the United States has changed and what they think about the direction the “American Dream” is headed. The sun is starting to set, the sky changing colors as the two men look on and think to themselves was it worth doing what they did to make history how it is now. Thinking to themselves the meaning behind their actions from the past whilst seeking their own “American Dream”. Realizing through their discussion that the American Dream, while different for each new generation,
“You know, I don’t really know, but I should be able to think of something eventually. Maybe when it happens I’ll truly know the answer.” The Grandfather is a man who is living in the past and a man who tries to create a future, at least in his own blood line, from it. He, also, is oblivious to the fact that no one within the household understands the true meaning in his stories or that they even had a meaning other than just being what they are, stories from a man who cannot get out of the past. “Jody looked at his mother, and knew from her expression that she was not listening at all. Carl picked at a callus on his thumb and Billy Buck watched a spider crawling up the wall”. (Steinbeck 2236) The fact that all of this goes unnoticed by the Grandfather shows that while he is telling the stories he is so engulfed in his past that easily recognizable signs that his family is not listening go straight over his head. This comes through in the conversation while the Grandfather is talking he still talks about his past the only difference is that he realizes what he needed to change about what and how he told. This realization comes in the story when he overhears his son complaining about the constant retelling of stories and with knowing that his stories are disliked he realizes that the true meaning of the stories did not come
It was good that he still had something to keep him going because without a drive he would have nothing stopping him from descending to his previous state. This is why Charlie is the one to say that the dream is the think that kept them going instead of the Grandfather. Because Charlie’s goal has not been reached so he still has the drive. This is also why the Grandfather asks Charlie about what he will do after his dream is reached and why Charlie has no answer to the