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Varun Anand

LNG 405

K. Field

6 May 2010

The American Dream

Since America’s inception, competition and success have been entrenched as

cornerstones of society and have been embodied by the glorified concept known as the American

Dream. As one reflects upon the fabled history of the American Dream, its metamorphosis from

the pure ideals of hard work and happiness to the marred deformity of wealth is evident.

However, fortunately for America, hope remained to capture the “city on a hill” envisioned by

our forebears and to uniquely present the American Dream for every aspiring dreamer. The

honorable beginnings of the American Dream began from people across the globe, not solely

America.

The people of America are “individuals of all nations [who] are melted into a new race

of men[---Americans]”(Crevecoeur). Immigrants fled to America in the fervent pursuit for

freedom and elusive success. They sought to earn “the rewards of industry...[through rigorous]

labor”(Crevecoeur). Americans, forged products of global cultures, were unified by the adversity

that accompanied the birth of a nation. Through their quest to form a great melting pot accessible

to all, their “bold and enterprising”(Crevecoeur) qualities emerged without a selfish counterpart.

As more immigrants poured in, the religious and lingual bonds that unified the American peoples

were strengthened. Once America rebelled against the imperial power of Great Britain, the ideals

of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness”(Jefferson) were further ingrained in American

society. Through the unanimous Declaration of Independence, Americans expressed their fury
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over the trampling of their intrinsic rights. Great Britain often deprived the colonists of

opportunities to advance in society; therefore, our forefathers articulated the significance of

equality and universal opportunities (Jefferson). By breaking away from its mother nation,

America itself served as the example of the American Dream to future generations. Americans,

as a unified body, epitomize the ideals of the American Dream: investing risk, hard-work,

perseverance, and courage to hopefully reap from the invaluable benefits and happiness of their

endeavors. The American Dream is only possible through hard-work and persistence. Across the

nation, the principle that “a man is relieved [only] when he has put [all of] his heart into his work

and done his best”(Emerson) spread rampantly and established itself as a pillar of the American

Dream. The concept that harmony and cooperation, along with traditions is the key to preserving

the ideals of America is stressed (Emerson). However, as time passed, seeds of self-interest

planted themselves in the minds of many opportunistic Americans.

Throughout American history, each individual, or groups of people, sacrificed an entity

in order to realize their ambitious dreams. Black-Americans sacrificed their lives and well-being

in order to capture the "equality...in the air [they] breathe" (Hughes). They were victims in the

swirling world of corruption enveloping them. They were "tangled in [the] ancient endless chain

of profit, power, [and] gain" (Hughes). They shattered the selectively permeable barriers of

racism with their combined strength and hope in order "to build a 'homeland of the

free'"(Hughes). In spite of their discriminatory obstacles, Black Americans nationwide redefined

music and gained true happiness through the Jazz Age. However, their White counterparts were

not all as successful in their free quest for happiness. Even though "Richard Cory...had

everything a man could want: power, grace, and style"(Simon and Garfunkel), he could not

achieve his and his forefather's ultimate goal: happiness. He sacrificed his life in order to achieve
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the American Dream, and he failed. While Cory died as a lasting remembrance of the attempt to

achieve the Dream, the narrator exemplifies the qualities of the new and corrupted Dream. He

strives and wishes to possess great wealth and power, all the while oblivious to the ringing need

of joy and fulfillment. His failure to understand the resonating reason behind Cory's suicide

furthers the assertion that the corrupted dream blinds the "dreamer" of the true necessities in life:

happiness and family (Simon and Garfunkel). The transition from the pure American Dream to

its corrupted counterpart is embodied in Mama’s unfortunate realization. Freedom, the crux of

the American Dream, has been supplanted by the idea that “money is life”(Hansberry).

“Individualism and competition [has] displaced community and cooperation”(Jillson). In The

Great Gatsby, Gatsby foolishly invests his energy and life into a quest for love driven by

corrupted means. His ultimate goal is to attain Daisy’s love and to enjoy pure happiness.

However, in his search for the American Dream, Gatsby forfeits his hard-earned money and time

in the blind pursuit of a superficial and deceiving opportunist. He abandons any true ideal of love

when his immature affection overwhelmes him. Unfortunately for Gatsby, his fervent displays of

compassion, such as the extravagant parties, were all for naught as Daisy proves that she was not

worth any sacrifice. Gatsby pays for his crucial error with his life (Fitzgerald). As more

immigrants inundated America with the hope of their dreams, the barriers to the American

Dream were reinforced and America “threatened to deny hope and opportunity to

[many]”(Jillson).

From the dawn of time to the 20th century, women have been portrayed as the inferior

sex. However, those predetermined opinions certainly did not inhibit women to overcome their

limitations and gain equality. Abigail Adams, the wife of revolutionary John Adams, spearheaded

the attempt for equality in the new nation. Their American Dream for equality was crushed by
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the men behind the fortified glass barriers. However, women persisted and maintained the same

level of perseverance envisioned by the original dreamers. They fought to abolish the ingrained

beliefs of domestic women and sought to establish a new opinion of the women race: the equal

colleague (Adams). Black-Americans also faced a similar climb to equality. Throughout

American history, if they were not enslaved, they were exiled to the “Black bathroom,” to the

“Black water fountain,” and to the “darker...kitchen”(Hughes). They were incessantly taught that

they were an inferior race and that “God didn’t seem fit to give the Black man nothing but

dreams”(Hansberry). However, they took it in stride, “laugh[ed]...[ate] well...grew

strong”(Hughes) and responded with vigor, “but He did give us children to make them dreams

seem worthwhile”(Hansberry). Soon, Black-Americans will have achieved their American

Dream---equality. Their growing resentment of the White race translated into passion for their

cause. They used their emerging vindictiveness as an impetus to continue their quest “against the

darkness of tyranny, poverty, and injustice in [America]”(Jillson). Black-Americans “too, [are]

America”(Hughes); therefore, Black-Americans are also vital cogs in the democratic machine of

America, and their battle for fair footing reflects America’s similar situation in the War of 1812.

During the war, America was the victim of disrespect and insults regarding their capability as a

nation. However, similar to Black-Americans, America battled their “superior” in order to

validate their existence as an equal world power. Just as America fought to integrate itself among

the world powers, the Younger family overcame adversity and dispelled their status as an

interloper while they attempted to assimilate themselves in the all-white Clybourne Park. The

Younger family is the epitome of the American Dream because they work extremely hard, as

shown by their collective work in kitchens and in limousines, and by the end of the play, they all

realize that happiness is the true American Dream. Our forefathers, the original American
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Dreamers, intended for the pure American Dream to be open for everyone, regardless of race or

sex. The thousands of immigrants who flooded the nation also shared the ideal that the Land of

Opportunity was not restricted to anyone, but rather free for all. Our forebears hoped that the

ideals of hard work, perseverance, and unity among all would persist amid the various changes

surrounding the American Dream.

The feeling of belonging to America is still present in this modern age. To those people

who search for a country like America, “the path to citizenship is important”(Cooper) because it

represents the final barrier for true assimilation in America. The ideals of patriotism exemplified

“while singing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’”(Cooper) portray the unification envisioned by our

forebears. Regardless of any physical changes this nation may have endured, America “remains a

country defined by the diversity of its people”(Cooper). America can revert back to its humble

beginnings “by being ever truer to our initial values and aspirations---to make ‘life, liberty, and

the pursuit of happiness’---the right and real possession of every American”(Jillson). If

Americans can instill the invaluable truth that happiness paves the way to any success, America

can reconstruct its golden doors and shine to the world as the “city on a hill”(Jillson). Even

though technology has carved the Dream to be more competitive, the ideals of pure happiness

remain intact. The “American Dream is about fulfillment”(Trunk), not monetary income. If

Americans can live their life based on how content they are, rather than how much money they

possess, the original American Dreamers would be beaming with pride.

The ideals of the American Dream established in the 18th century have remained proud

amid the corruption and unique personal experiences of the American Dream. The American

Dream escaped from its blackened existence and proved to the world that through hard work,
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persistence, and the quest for fulfillment, the American Dream maintained the aspirations

visualized by our forefathers.

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