The Tale of the American Dream in Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

American Greed

There was once a time when America’s ideals and motives were pure, but this era was short-lived. America reached its pinnacle of idealism during the Revolutionary War. The dream to escape British rule and continue their lives on soil enriched by liberty was what carried the colonists to victory against injustice and tyranny. However once the war was over and the dust settled, reality set in. The colonists realized that no matter how passionate they were about their ideals, they could not use these principles to survive in a materialistic world. It was then that America refocused its priorities from hope and dreams to greed for money and power. Under new rule of the vices it had chosen, the United States was prepared to take any steps it deemed necessary to secure its way of life.

Hence began a new era in America’s almost nonexistent history. America had turned a new leaf, and not for the better, so soon after its creation. The key was keeping its new citizens in tune with the change of tone, but greed can be an effective motivator for politicians and citizens alike. In the search for power, politicians used every card in the deck in order to keep their citizens playing. For example, when Americans were seeking a way to expand their union while simultaneously searching for some justification, John L. O’Sullivan coined the term “Manifest Destiny” (Cohen et al. 371). These two magical words dominated American diplomacy in the 1800’s and provided the means and motives for expansion, even if it meant provoking a war. Which is exactly what it did. In 1846, James K. Polk asked Congress for a declaration of war against Mexico. His reason for war was that Mexicans had shed “American blood upon the American soil” (Kennedy et...

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...ned immediately after its take off just like so many other settlements. Americans were blessed with their character of resilience, and their determination for success. Although its practices at time may seem questionable, it is only because it has to work within the parameters of a flawed system. Ultimately the United States does stay true to its original principles of equality and liberty whenever possible. This precarious balance of practice and belief and its consequences can be illustrated by a passage John Steinbeck once wrote in his book Cannery Row, “It has always seemed strange to me ... the things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest are the traits of success.”