Analyzing the American Dream

David Kamp's 2009 Vanity Fair article "Rethinking the American Dream" focuses on the general perception of the ‘American Dream’ and how it has evolved throughout our nation’s history. It clearly states that as the average American household's lifestyle has become more and more consumer-oriented, the original spirit that invigorated and united its people from the age of western expansion to the Great Depression has begun to fade. The dream has been dampened as the vision of "success" has become more focused on gaining material/getting rich quick, rather than working hard all throughout one’s life to attain what they want and desire.

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, each of the characters are trying to pursue their own “American Dream”. Fitzgerald uses the character of Jay Gatsby to show the overworking of the American Dream, leading to its failure. Throughout the novel, Gatsby is trying to achieve the impossible American Dream he wants. He is trying to win back Daisy Buchanan, the girl of his dreams. His quest to marijuana win her back demonstrates that Gatsby has an extraordinary ability to transform his hopes and dreams into reality. He goes through various attempts to win her back, facing many struggles and problems. The fate of the character Gatsby in The Great Gatsby illustrates how people’s outcomes for the American dream may not always be what they dream for.

What is the American Dream? Is it home ownership, gaining fame or wealth, having a great family or is it gaining a peace of mind? Many people have different versions of what the American Dream is, some people believe the dream is lost, and some people are right in the middle and still believe the American Dream is still alive. “The American Dream” by Brandon King debates about what the true state is left in the American Dream now. Throughout the essay, King asks if the American Dream is dead, alive, on hold or just changing due to economic hardship. King believes that the American Dream is still alive even though there are people who believe it's not, and is defined today as the ability to work hard, plan for the forthcoming and have a

That dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.”(quoted in “In Search of the American Dream”) For some, Truslow Adam’s definition of the American Dream leaves out the reality of how one’s socioeconomic status, on average, determines one’s wealth in American society. History shows that people born without certain privileges can’t ascend the figurative ladder to success with ease like their counterparts. Among these privileges were generational wealth and being White. A time when this was most evident was the 1920s: a time of mass spending, lavish lifestyles, and materialistic attitudes. Literary works like “In Search of the American Dream” by Jonas Clark, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and “One Christmas Eve” by Langston Hughes, show how the roaring culture of the 1920s caused an economic boom which widened the gap between the rich and the middle class, making it even more difficult for the majority of Americans to attain a sense of social and financial security. By the 1920s, the American Dream begins to lose its inclusive message and transform into an exclusive one in where one’s socioeconomic status mainly determines if one attains the Dream.

The American Dream was a well thought idea during the creation of the Declaration of Independence; in fact, the original belief of the American Dream was that all Americans could pursue “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (McQuade and Atwan). Furthermore, today the American Dream is an ideal thought to the overall strive for success. According to Kimberly Amadeo, a well-known author, she elaborated in her article What is the American Dream Today “… a focus on more of what really matters, such as creating a meaningful life, contributing to community and society, valuing nature, and spending time with friends and family” (Kimberly Amadeo). Creating the American Dream, controlling decisions, and building a life that can carry out success

In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author uses certain words to enhance the descriptions and setting of the novel. Fitzgerald uses these unique words: flounced, in chapter two, and boisterously and rancor, in chapter seven. Illustrations from the Jazz Age show women having fun dancing, with curly bobbed hair, and strands of pearls flying everywhere. The words flounced and boisterously match these images, because of the movement and sense of fun that existed during the Jazz Age. The word rancor reflects the feelings of rebellious actions that became common with women in the 1920s. When Fitzgerald created this novel, his vocabulary choices reflected a specific time period in America, known as the Jazz Age, and he was able to turn these words, flounced, boisterously and rancor, into symbols of the theme of the novel, the American Dream.

Throughout the United States, many people, unique as they may be, have one goal and want that is the same. For lots of those individuals, that goal is just to get around the immense amount of challenges that one day brings upon them. For many, they will do whatever it takes to provide financially for themselves and or their family, in an attempt to build supportable and desirable lives. This concept is known as the American Dream. In Barbara Ehrenreich’s, Nickled and Dimed and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, the American Dream is an everlasting concept that is perceived differently by both of the book’s main characters. Although these two pieces of writing were written in different eras, the characters actions about the American Dream

The American Dream: Is it fact or fiction? In the United States’ Declaration of Independence, the founding fathers set forth the idea of an American Dream by providing the American people with the recognizable phrase “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” (USHistory.org). The green light at the end of Daisy Buchanan’s dock symbolizes Jay Gatsby’s “pursuit of Happiness” in the novel, The Great Gatsby, set in the 1920s on Long Island, New York (Fitzgerald, F. Scott). The American Dream is defined as “the belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society where upward mobility is possible for everyone. The American Dream is achieved through

The American Dream is the idea of the United States having an endless opportunity for anyone, regardless of their past, race, beliefs, and their economic life now. In the novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck, each character was driven to something that they enjoyed or wanted; something they had to work hard for and strive to have it. In the book, many of these objectives were connected to achieve The American Dream. Lennie and George's American Dream is to pursue their ideal life by owning their own ranch, Candy’s dream is to help Lennie and George buy their ranch and become apart of their little group, and Curley’s wife was dedicated to become an actress and live the “big life” in Hollywood. In conclusion, Lennie and George

Although the American Dream is still achievable, people’s pathway to success is blocked by the equality of opportunity. For example, people have difficulty finding full-time jobs because there are companies who creating more part-time jobs than the full-time jobs. In Rank’s book, Chasing the American Dream, Edgar Williams describes his past working experience in Sam’s Club (which is also owned and operated by Walmart), “What they’re trying to do is kill all full-time work like Walmart did and make it part-time so they don’t have to pay benefits. So that’s their goal” (qtd in Rank et al. 71). This shows that the rate of long-term of unemployment is rising in the country. Although people have the skills and qualifications to work in the position,

The "American Dream" is an idea that has always been different throughouttime. It changes in diverse forms and in the end involves success. The "American Dream" was a phrase used by the American people and peoplewanting to become American. It was always the idea that you can become a success. This is true in a partial way, but the true "American Dream" is that with somework and determination anyone can build themselves up in the economic classsystem.

The Great Gatsby, a novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a story of misguided love between a man and a woman. Fitzgerald takes his reader through the turbulence and trials of Jay Gatsby’s life and of his pining for the girl he met five years prior. The main theme of the novel, however, is not solely about the love shared between Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. The main purpose is to show the decline and decay of the American Dream in the 1920’s. The American Dream is the goal or idea which suggests that all people can succeed through hard work, and that all have the potential to live happy, successful lives. While on the surface, Gatsby

The American ________. One could fit several words into that blank: The American Dream, The American Spirit, The American Revolution, and The American System. What are the definitions of these phrases? What does it really mean to be an American anything? If one wants to learn more about a culture the best place to start is by looking at their literature. Literature is the self-expression and exploration of the people who write it. Therefore, if one wants to discover what it means to be an American, they need to look at the American Literature.

America was built on free enterprise and so many people in our world today chase what is known as, “the American Dream” knows. When thinking of the American dream we picture financial abundance, living in nice areas, family and friends beside us, and where life is bold and full of endless opportunity. But what today is chasing the American dream really like? It is not easy and that is for certain. Today it is not about what you know but about who you know that is important. In early years, people were taught how to run the land they farmed and then were sold that land to own for their selves. As mentioned before, this country was built on free enterprise, which in the public eye is the ultimate American dream. Owning a business of your own

Of Mice and Men suspenseful novel set in on a ranch in 1937 Soledad, California. John Steinbeck describes a world where the American dream for many is just a dream, A way to keep your mind off the struggle. Steinbeck paints a haunting portrait of the harsh reality of the human struggles trying to overcome adversity. The Great Depression a time when America was exposed for what it is persuading people to pursuit a dream on futility and agony. George and Lennie experienced dream crushing, inequality and adversity showing the way you plan things is not always how it goes.