Gish Jen’s novel Typical American A mother drives her three kids to soccer practice in a Ford minivan while her husband stays at the office, rushing to finish a report. Meanwhile, a young woman prays her son makes his way home from the local grocery without getting held up at knife point by the local gang. Nearby, an immigrant finishes another 14-hour shift at the auto parts factory, trying to provide for his wife and child, struggling to make way in a new land. Later, a city girl hails a cab to meet her girlfriends at their favorite club to celebrate her new promotion over cosmopolitans. These people – the suburban soccer mom, the tired immigrant, the worried mother from the hood, and the successful city girl – each represent the different realities or fantasies that exist in the American society. They are all living or working towards what they believe to be the coveted American dream. Some of these people are similar to the Chinese immigrant, Ralph, in Gish Jen’s novel Typical American. However, all are confused as to what the American dream really is and whether or not the dream is real. Ralph embarks for America not knowing “where or what America is,” but almost immediately upon his arrival in the United States he is confronted with the realities of being a Chinese immigrant (Jen 3). Spotting the coastline at the end of his voyage across the Pacific, Ralph is entranced with the Golden Gate Bridge; “That splendor! That radiance...an image of freedom, and hope” (Jen 7). Furthermore, upon his arrival in New York City, Ralph notes that “the idea of city still gleamed then…a place that promised to be recalled as an era…He was awed…the mundane details of life impressed him too…only he saw these things” (Jen 8). Ralph'... ... middle of paper ... ...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. Works Cited Jen, Gish. Typical American. New York: Penguin Group, 1992.
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
The American dream is defined as “the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative”, yet many people in this day of age believe that this is no longer a plausible aspiration. Neverless, this demeanor is at the heart of the classic American tales of the highest and lowest points of the American spirit, making one question whether or not this fundamental dream is still worth pursuit. Though it is a path containing hardships and challenges, actively seeking to achieve what you desire is one of the most prominent life lessons throughout American literature, as evidenced through the Crucible, A Raisin in the Sun, and The Great Gatsby.
Ralph grew up in Shanghai, China, where he had a distant and non-loving relationship with his father. Ralph took the opportunity to come to America in hopes of achieving his degree and eventually PhD. While this is a relatively simple goal for most people in America, it became more than a bourdon for Ralph; often getting sidetracked to pursue bigger and better things.
The American Dream seems almost non-existent to those who haven’t already achieved it. Every character in the novel has moments of feeling happy and endures a moment where they believe that they are about to achieve their dreams. Naturally everyone dreams of being a better person, having better things and in 1920’s America, the scheme of getting rich is quick. However, each character had their dreams crushed in the novel mainly because of social and economic situations and their dream of happiness becomes a ‘dead dream’ leading them back to their ‘shallow lives’ or no life at all.
If the American Dream means economic upward mobility, happiness, stability, and general success in a rags-to-riches type of story, Jay Gatsby in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby should have been the perfect example of it. Most discourse surrounding Fitzgerald's ultimate comment regarding the American Dream deals with whether the author intended the readers to take a away an overall hopeful versus an ironic view when it comes to people actually believing in the American Dream. However, one perspective is that Fitzgerald did not intend the reader have a one-sided stance on the question, but rather the reader is meant to see the duality of how believing in the American dream is hopeful and valid, even though the reality of achieving it is futile because the disillusionment between what someone expected
...re of the American Dream in that wealth takes over his life. He loses sight of everything that is important to him and ends up living a meaningless existence. Today, Americans get so wrapped up in the immediate glory of things that they don't take time to see what is really happening and what or who they deeply, honestly care about.
The American Dream, in my eyes, would be described as unrealistic. It's a notation put in people’s minds that an individual can achieve anything he or she sets his or her mind to do. Now the outlook is being perceived as pessimistic, then again, I believe “The American Dream” is overestimated. When I was a young child, I aspired to be a princess who lived in a castle with a handsome prince and live happily ever after; I aspired to be a princess until I was thirteen. Still, it was instantaneously disappointing when reality dawned upon me, I could never be a princess. Although it left me completely devastated, I soon realized, there’s a huge difference between dreams and reality.
Wealth, material possessions, and power are the core principles of The American Dream. Pursuit of a better life led countless numbers of foreign immigrants to America desiring their chance at the vast opportunity. Reaching the American Dream is not always reaching true happiness. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby achieves the American Dream, but his unrealistic faiths in money and life’s possibilities twist his dreams and life into useless life based on lies.
The American Dream is an idealistic and abstract concept, yet the goal of many. It is rooted in the idea that through hard work, fortitude, and perseverance, one can obtain wealth, success, and happiness. Both Willy Loman from Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and Jay Gatsby from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby embody the tireless pursuit for the auspicious, yet elusive, American Dream. They discover, however, that their efforts to achieve this dream bring no gratification, no real peace or joy. Instead, it only creates tragedy for themselves and other characters.
In the short story, “Winter Dreams” F. Scott Fitzgerald suggests that the American Dream cannot be obtained by everyone, because everyone’s idea of the American Dream is slightly a little different, if not by a lot. Each dream is subject to change and should never be perceived as permanent either. Dexter works hard for all his nice money and nice clothes, but he never really gets his American Dream.
The American dream has long been the butter to the bread of American Literature. According to Peter Weddle, “While it is quintessentially American aspiration, each of us has a unique vision of just what it is. For some, the dream is a chance to build a successful business. For others, it’s a home of their own. And for still others, it’s the opportunity to shop until they drop.” So many works, both past and present, refer to this mystical idea. However, one problem lies in the midst of these meaningful novels. How valid is the so called American dream? Is is a form of reality or is it simply a figment of the imagination? Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, Death of a Salesman; These novels have a large factor in common;
The indisputable desire to succeed flows within the veins of many, but is achievable by few. The “American Dream” is a fictitious belief that hard work will lead to freedom, prosperity, happiness, and wealth. American novelist, F. Scott Fitzgerald, offers commentary on the American Dream, and its demise, in The Great Gatsby. In this novel, the American Dream is portrayed as nothing more than an unreachable illusion and advises society against living a deceitful life. Fitzgerald exposes the destruction and corruption of the American Dream through a plethora of symbolism and barren characters.
Anand Giridharadas’ book, The True American, combines both sociology and history into a story that describes the constant struggles people have to endure daily. By bringing together the lives of many different people, Giridharadas describes what living in the United States is really like for the different cultures. He indirectly uses the story as an example of the false assumptions regarding certain groups of people and shows how things aren’t always as they seem. The True American argues that instead of living in a unified society, a great divide between immigrants and the American poor exists, which is caused by contradicting beliefs regarding the importance of family, as well as the prospect of education.
The American Dream is an integral part of the American Mythos. Politicians have debated for centuries its status. Is it alive? Dead? They cannot tell because since the birth of America in 1776 it has been a futile. New York in the 1920’s is the greatest example of this false sense of optimism. Everyone was successful. Everyone had money. This phony sense of wealth and success was the product of large swaths of people buying stock on credit. They used fake money to buy more intangible capital. It was all artificial and bound to come crashing down. There was no chance for real social mobility. One had success for a fleeting second and then it was gone. Myrtle Wilson grasps for this false sense of hope. She is stuck in a broken marriage, dire
...s today may not always take their opportunities to their fullest potential and sometimes forget how blessed they are, but those who do, make something of themselves. Through some of the greatest American Literature, the American Dream has been discussed and ultimately it is left up to the reader to decide. Everyone living here has a different opinion on what the American dream is and most won't fulfill it to its potential, but this place that we get to call home has allowed for many great things to happen, and this land is not done yet supplying inspiration and happiness.