The American dream, we would all like to one day live a life of easy success and wealth. Everyone in the United States is in search of a better life: religious freedom, equality, education, and wealth. Some people risk all they ever had in to attain the American dream. The United States is known by all to be the land of opportunity, but dreams cant always come true. In the play, Fences, the main character Troy Maxson represents a man who successfully lives various parts of the American Dream. Troy is able to make enough money to support his family and provide a house for them to live under. However, Troy also struggles with the difficulties of successfully fulfilling all aspects of the American dream. Troy has a family that lives together at …show more content…
He loses his faith in society, and becomes a tragic hero, a person who used to do good deeds in the light of others but allows for his flaws or inner struggles to overcome him. Instead of striving to succeed, Troy views his life as a job or responsibility, and only makes an effort to achieve stability, not success. He says to Rose, “I get up Monday morning…Make my way. Find my strength to carry me through to the next Friday. That’s all I got, Rose. That’s all I got to give. I can’t give nothing else”. Troy is in fact living the American dream of having his own house, a family, and a job. However, part of the American dream is a drive to succeed and determination, and Troy has lost his. Troy became very emotionally invested in baseball, and when he was never able to make it to the major’s leagues due to the color of his skin, he was permanently scarred. He did not wish this agony on Cory, his second son, and tried to protect Cory from the treatment he received by forbidding sports in his life, however it had the opposite of the intended intent. When Troy ruins Cory’s chance of gaining a football scholarship, he did it because he believed whites wouldn’t let his son play, but the world had changed and Troy stubbornly refused to believe it. Troy’s wife Rose tries to explain that, “They got lots of colored boys playing ball now. Baseball and football.” Even Bono, Troy best friend tries to convey the same thing to him, “Times have changed, Troy, you just come along too early.” Troy’s flaws prevent him from acknowledging that times have changed. Instead of believing what everyone around him is saying, he follows his own misguided path of delusion, ruining his sons dream to play football and go to college. Because of his actions, he builds not just a fence, but also an impenetrable wall around himself, never opening up to his family. Only at his funeral do his family attain knowledge of
For centuries, the American Dream has motivated citizens of the United States to go above and beyond in their efforts through life, yet not everyone is hoping to reach the same outcome. The stereotypical prosperous dream was for the average individual to have a successful job with a supportive and wealthy family. However, for some, their idealized version of the American Dream is different. Although the American Dream came in variations, a commonality within all of them was the pursuit of happiness. In the epilogue of The Epic of America, James Truslow Adams argues his idea that the American Dream cannot be defined by one type of accomplishment or triumph. He claims that the American Dream cannot be defined by one type of achievement or particular success, reiterating the fact that the dream is not about tangible goods creating a sense of artificial happiness, but every individual seeking to fulfill their utmost potential. Adams saw that the American Dream was eroding into a need for material possessions, causing him to combat the shift and attempt to preserve the original idea. This theory is echoed in Jeannette Walls’ memoir, The Glass Castle. Despite being hindered by
...allowing his son to enjoy what he cherishes, Troy forced his son in to working at A&P market. The enhanced life that Cory could have had is gone. In both cases, it shows how people pursuing the American need to accept the bad fortune as much as we do the good fortune, or else your quality of life will go downward.
The american dream is not easy to obtain with many barriers standing in the way of people trying to achieve their american dream. In the novel The Raisin in the Sun and in the short stories In American Society and America and I . It is more difficult to achieve the american dream as an outsider due to social, economic and cultural barriers than those who live on the inside.
...many realities that exist within America's society and that most do not fit the typical American dream. Even those people that achieve some measure of success, as Ralph did, are often plagued by personal problems that outweigh any measure of wealth or reputation. The lie of the American dream is that it promises to fix humanity's problems with material gain – it promises happiness from things that are not capable of giving it. And so, followers are all left unfulfilled by the great American dream, left with a reality that is much different than what was so easily guaranteed. The reality that everyone experiences, whether it is the suburban soccer mom or the tired immigrant, is that the dream is mostly unachievable. The reality we think exists is only a myth – a true mythological reality.
This makes Troy the antagonist in the story because he is not only hitting up against everyone in the play, but he is also hitting up against himself and ultimately making his life more complicated. The discrimination that Troy faced while playing baseball and the torment he endures as a child shaped him into one of the most dynamic characters in literary history. The central conflict is the relationship between Troy and Cory. The two of them have conflicting views about Cory’s future and, as the play goes on, this rocky relationship crumbles because Troy will not let Cory play collegiate football. The relationship becomes even more destructive when Troy admits to his relationship with Alberta and he admits Gabriel to a mental institution by accident.
Americans use words such as wealth, fame, and success to describe the American Dream. They associate these words with the end goal. This idea is wrong as the American Dream is strictly about happiness. To clarify, the American Dream is the freedom of establishing a sense of belonging in the world leading to a life of happiness. The life of the protagonists in The Bean Trees, I Know Why The Caged Birds Sing , and Into the Wild supports the definition of the American Dream.
Troy claimed, “I don’t want him to be like me! I want him to move as far away from my life as he can get” (1588). Even though Cory tried to explain to his adamant father that sports were becoming accepting of blacks, Troy maintained nothing had changed, even in the face of evidence. Rose tried to convince Troy on Cory’s behalf, “Times have changed from when you was young, Troy. People change. The world’s changing around you and you can’t even see it” (1589). Cory tried to remind his father there were many black baseball players such as Hank Aaron in the major leagues, however Troy maintained, “Hank Aaron ain’t nobody” (1586). Cory listed several others, but Troy could not comprehend times really had changed for the better. Eventually Troy kicked Cory out of the house for disrespecting him, and Cory gratefully left knowing while he wouldn’t play football anymore, he would still be better than his father. Troy’s pride in his worldly knowledge got in the way of Cory realizing his dreams; this caused Cory to lose all respect and love for his
Wilson uses many symbols in the play to depict oppression. The primary symbol used is racism. Troy files a complaint to the Commissioner’s office against the Sanitation Department in reference to white men are the only men driving trucks. This complaint gets Troy promoted and he also becomes the first African American to drive a sanitation truck. Racism and segregation also play a major factor in Troy’s dream to be a professional baseball player in the Major Leagues. Since he is African American, he could only play in Negro League baseball. This defeat in his life now affects Troy’s son, Cory. Cory has an opportunity for a college education by be...
... was skeptical about Troy?s ways and behavior. However, as I continued reading the story about his hardship, I quickly realized that there is not just one way to be right. While his ways were somewhat antiquated, they were nonetheless effective. I can even identify with Troy?s character as he reminds me of my dad and how protective he was of my sister and I. I would like to believe that we are now better off because of the way he handled us. While I often questioned my dad?s motives, I now understand why he did the certain things he did. Troy?s family will eventually realize that he only wishes the best for them. I think this story emphasizes the fact that no one is perfect. No one needs to be perfect. We all need to realize that; after all, none of us are perfect.
Americans live in constant pursuit of what they want more than anything, the American Dream. The perception of the American Dream varies from person to person, depending on what they hope to accomplish. In The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men the American Dream manifests in various extravagant and corrupt forms. The lives of these characters revolve around achieving their version of the American Dream.
"Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen", these were wise words coming from the inspiration Michael Jordan. This would be a quote that would have helped Troy or anyone in the play.This would have prevented various problems due to mistakes made and in stopping their dreams. In the play fences written by August Wilson, we have seen that the main theme is to believe in your dream. However, it showed that there is always in the way to succeed it such as: Troy wanting to play professional baseball and going to jail, Cory wanted to keep on playing football and his dad did not let him, and Rose wants to live for herself and how her devotion to Troy stopped her.
In conclusion, the American dream targeted the individual working hard in the pursuit to become successful and wealthy, with high-quality job and prosperity. In the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the American dream symbolizes being free from any kind of restrictions and the ability to have the pleasure in the wide-open Western edge. However, The Great Gatsby criticizes the American dream due to moral and social value decay of the society.
The situation begins when Cory needs to go into the house, but Troy is sitting in his way on the steps that lead up to the porch. When Cory refuses to say “excuse me” to get around Troy, an argument ensues. Cory makes sure to tell Troy that Troy does not count for anything in their household anymore, because of the decisions he has made lately. After the reader begins to run through each of the decisions, it is easy to see that all of the decisions Troy made were made with a poverty mentality and that reason alone is why Cory, who has a middle class mindset, cannot agree with or fully understand his father. Cory reprimands Troy in Act II scene iv for messing up his chance to play college football, “You ain’t never gave me nothing! You ain’t never done nothing but hold me back. Afraid I was gonna be better than you. All you ever did was try and make me scared of you” (Wilson, 1987, p. 1875). Cory is still hurt by Troy’s efforts to ruin his one chance at a college education, which he discerns to have stemmed from jealousy. Cory still does not understand his father’s motives for cheating on his mother, so he also proceeds to bring up Rose. “I don’t know how she stand you… after what you did to her,” Cory says in Act II scene iv (Wilson, 1987, p. 1875). Cory’s middle class mentality again clouds his
In today’s society the term “American Dream” is perceived as being successful and usually that’s associated with being rich or financially sound. People follow this idea their entire life and usually never stop to think if they are happy on this road to success. Most will live through thick and thin with this idealization of the “American Dream” usually leading to unhappiness, depression and even suicide. The individual is confused by society’s portrayal of the individuals who have supposedly reached the nirvana of the “American Dream”. In the play “Death of a Salesman” Willy thinks that if a person has the right personality and he is well liked it’s easy to achieve success rather than hard work and innovation. This is seen when Willy is only concerned how Biff’s class mates reacted to his joke of the teachers lisp. Willy’s dream of success for his son Biff who was very well liked in High School never actually became anything. Biff turned into a drifter and a ranch worker. In the play “Seize the Day” Tommy who is financially unstable also pursues the idea of getting to the “American Dream” and becoming wealthy. He foolishly invests his last seven hundred dollars and eventually loses it leaving him broke and out of work. In both plays following the American Dream is followed in different characters and in both the characters are far away from it leaving them broke and forgotten by almost everyone.