Throughout history, society and its standards produce the desire people have to live a better life. Often times the objective to achieve the “American Dream” is unattainable and warps the thoughts of those who could not reap its benefits. Middle-class women find themselves rejecting who they are and creating a facade of beauty that only benefits their short time mental stability. This obsession with their beauty severely affects children they have an influence on in their daily lives. Unstable relationships and poor parenting affect young Pecola during her entire life. Her desire for blue eyes and acceptance trouble her especially in the presence of light skinned Maureen who was blessed with the grace and beauty of the ideal “American Dream …show more content…
“Adults, older girls, shops, magazines, newspapers, window signs - all the world had agreed that a blue eyed, yellow-haired, pink-skinned doll was what every girl child treasured. ‘Here,’ they said, ‘this is beautiful, and if you are on this day ‘worthy’ you may have it” (Morrison 20). One day, a new student, named Maureen Peal, arrives at the school Pecola attended. She fit the bill for society’s beauty standards: pampered, light-skinned and a green eyed black girl. “A high-yellow dream child with long brown hair braided into two lynch ropes that hung down her back. She was rich, at least by our standards, as rich as the richest of white girls, swaddled in comfort and care. The quality of her clothes threatened to derange Frieda and me” (Morrison 62). She intimidates Pecola and her school friends with her beauty and possessions. They envy her because she has what they desire. “If she was cute - and if anything could be believed, she was - then we were not. And what did that mean? We were lesser. Nicer, brighter, but still lesser. Dolls we could destroy, but we could not destroy the honey voices of parents and aunts, the obedience in the eyes of our peers, the slippery light in the eyes of our teachers when they encountered the Maureen Peals of the world” (Morrison 74). Maureen’s character emphasizes the desire for an “easier” life just because of her physical appearance. Both black and white people treat Maureen with equal respect. It is as if following society's guidelines give her a fast pass throughout her
The book goes through Jeannette’s life exposing the mistakes she, her siblings, and her parents made to become the family they were. As her life grows older, Jeannette finds herself in more responsible positions in the world, with editing school newspapers, to writing columns in a small New York newspaper outlet. Her troubles have raised the issue of stereotyping, a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. Due to her status in her childhood, it was not hard for her to fit in with the other members of the poor community. “Dinitia explained that I was with her and that I was good people. The women looked at one another and shrugged.” (Walls 191) The quote talks about how members of the black community in Welch accepted Jeannette to go swimming with them in the morning hours before the white people went in the afternoon. The people who knew Dinita, Jeannette’s friend, knew that Dinita was trustworthy, and let Jeannette pass. This relates to the thesis because it shows how she was accepted amongst the people who were
The American dream is an example of a national spirit that represents different ideologies. The set of ideas may be of democracy, equality matters, liberty, rights, and opportunities. The American dream believes in freedom for prosperity and success for its citizens. The idea suggests that upward social mobility for individuals can be achieved only through hard work. In a story done by George Saunders, the American dream is exemplified in several instances. The author, George, tells the story of contemporary America through a diary. The main character in the story is a father to three daughters. The family’s struggles are examples of how individuals will go extra miles just to provide for their families and also
The American Dream is “a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position” (Adams, 1931). It is the guarantee that with hard work and passion anyone can achieve upward mobility regardless of their origin. Many Americans believe in this promise, hoping that one day their first circumstance will not dictate the outcome of the rest of their lives. However the American Dream can be elusive without any real he American Dream eludes The novel Ragged Dick; or, Street Life in New York with the
Despite knowing that they are "nicer, brighter," they cannot ignore "the honey voices of parents and aunts and the obedience in the eyes of [their] peers, the slippery light in the eyes of [their] teachers" when Maureen is around or the topic of conversation (74). The way Maureen dresses and behaves in front of adults is not the only way she affects Claudia and Frieda. With racist comments such as, "What do I care about her old black daddy...[and] you ugly! Black and ugly black e mos. I am cute," she infuriates the girls, for in their eyes Maureen is black too. Racist attitudes like Maureen's affect the poorer, darker blacks and can eventually lead them to think racist thoughts of their own.
Aspiring to be free, to be successful, to be a picture perfect family, and to be happy; these are the traits of the American dream. Although, in one 's mind a specific picture forms when reading about the American dream this does not mean everyone is seeing the same landscape. A prevalent theme in The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, and Flight by Sherman Alexie is the potency and prevalence of diversity on the American dream. In each of these compelling works, connoisseurs get a taste of life from different demographics’ viewpoints and a measure of what it means to be yearning for the diverse definition of American ideals.
What insights into the American Dream are offered through the novella Of Mice and Men and the film American Beauty? In your essay you must consider the influences of context and the importance of techniques in shaping meaning.
Much like her own persona, Pauline lives in storefront apartment that is physically unattractive and relatively dull on the inside. It is the lowest of the lows, which is similar to how Pauline views herself. Taking care of the Fishers home gave Pauline the opportunity to live out fantasies about beauty. Dreaming of Jean Harlow allowed her a false reality in which she could pretend she was an icon for beauty. In the same sense, she could live out this dream by tending to the needs of the Fishers and pretending that their home was her own. The cleanliness, respect, and grandeur that accompanied the home allowed Pauline to fantasize and live out an identity she had long dreamed of becoming. Geraldine’s obsession with cleanliness and presentation controlled all aspects of her life. These values condemned her to a life of emotionless racial self-denial and were on constant display through her house. Pauline and Geraldine were both victims of the social pressures of that time, each of them constantly struggling in their own way to become something they couldn’t. Whether they knew it or not, their surroundings visually represented the conflicts they were dealing with and demonstrated their internal battle with the standard of
The story of America is an exciting one, filled with swift evolution and an amazing energy unprecedented in world history. In America's short existence, it has progressed from a small collection of European rebels to the economically dominant nation that it is today. Mixed up in the provocative reputation of America is the celebrated ideal of the American Dream, the fantasy of complete independence and self-reliance mixed with the opportunity to attain wealth through one's labors. On the surface, this reverie seems almost enchanted, offering people the unprecedented prospect of achieving success regardless of one's race, religion, or family history. The American Dream is exactly what it appears to
The affiliation between beauty and whiteness limits the concept of beauty only to the person’s exterior. The characters are constantly subjected to images and symbols of whiteness through movies, books, candy, magazines, baby dolls and advertisements. Another example of the images and symbols in the novel is when the black protagonist, Pecola, feasts on a ‘Mary Jane’ candy.
Another person that was a victim to the corruption of the American dream is Myrtle Wilson. Myrtle’s way of thinking is the complete opposite of her husband’s idea and the way to approach the illusion of the
Having a family. Owning a home and car. Working an average job to support the family. This reflect the ideas of the stereotypical American dream. This perfect dream everyone craves to achieve. The power many people have to acquire a gift as precious as perfection has shown the flaws in which man possesses. The determination of theses people glorifies the selfishness in which man resorts to. The pedestal that holds perfection as the golden trophy, while although unobtainable, is uttered in a way that causes society to turn on itself for its own triumph. Selfish acts taken to achieve this pristine image have shown the effort in which mankind uses to reach their objective. Society is determined attain perfection, but is to blindsided and
At most times, the American Dream resembles an ideological puzzle more than a fully realizable image. Within the confines of her fantastical, theatrical world Lorraine Hansberry attempts to fit a few of these pieces together and, in the process, ends up showing exactly how everything doesn't just snap-together all nicely. The problems in her play, A Raisin In The Sun, deal primarily with the basic nature of humans and their respected struggle's to "make it" in America.
Each character in the novel has their own interpretation of the ‘American Dream – the pursuit of happiness’ as they all lack happiness due to the
Maureen is the envy of Claudia, Pecola, and Frieda. Maureen represents the beauty and wealth of commodity culture's influences. Her appeal is based on the fact that her looks are synonymous with white beauty. She is not a threat to whites because she mirrors their own image, however the characters in the novel resent her for not carrying the stigma of African American features.
In the text The Doll's House By Katherine Mansfield presented to me the cruelty of distinguishing classes in society Shown through symbolic language. I through the eyes of both Lil and Else Kelvy going to view their wealthy classmates Kezia Burnell and her 2 siblings dolls house but because of social classes are not welcome to.