The American Dream

    The American Dream is a lifelong objective that many Americans aim for. This Dream is not the same for every person in the United States, and throughout the course of American history, it has changed gradually. From the beginning of time, the dream was to own land and to live off of it, but now it has branched out into so much more.  According to Google Dictionary the American Dream is “the ideal that every U.S. citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.” This is not always the case because though Americans work for what they have and to be where they are, the American Dream is not always attainable. Some believe that the American Dream is just a dream and sometimes it is, but it can also be a reality. To attain the reality of the “dream” there are obstacles that differ for everyone. Of these challenges are wealth, gender, inequality, race, and social class. The American Dream can remain a dream or become a lifestyle depending on the hard work one is willing to put in.

Many people have come to America for adventure, opportunity, freedom, and the chance to experience the particular qualities of the American landscape. The American Dream is the idea that every United States citizen, including immigrants and residents, should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative. America somewhat provides access to the American dream, it is more so the citizen who provides access to the dream for themselves. Even though they encountered many trials and tribulations, with persistence, people such as Langston Hughes in “I Too Sing America and Anzia Yezierska in “America and I” they were able to achieve their individual American Dream.

By looking at Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck one can see the American Dream as a major theme which is important because through the characters of Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife Steinbeck reveals that the dream is often a myth.

The topic of The American Dream has been brought up on many occasions. The arising issue that still ascends is whether or not The American Dream is alive or dead in the United States. The American Dream has come to the generalization of the personal perspective of any individual. The history of The American Dream has always gone back to the common man thinking of their future generations to come and how he will implant a positive outcome throughout it. Many now believe that the ideal plan of The American Dream cannot even be met anymore. Values and beliefs are now being questioned towards the aspect of upward mobility, the cost of education, jobs, and even affordable housing. Referring to an executive editor and vice president of Time Reporting, he states, “combined with a formidable American work ethic, made the pursuit of happiness more than a full-time proposition” (Meacham, Keeping The Dream Alive). This statement is targeted towards the actual definition of what The American Dream actually meant in various societies in the past. Happiness and a full-time of gratitude were critical aspects towards being met because it was the initial reason for this ideal. Some of the key causes and components that affect the way The American Dream is supposed upon today is the basic principles of economics, education, and a downward spiral. These reasons lead to The American Dream being considered in a diverse way with much complexity. The American Dream was different from the past and

"The American Dream is that any man or woman, despite of his or her background, can change their circumstances and rise as high as they are willing to work” (Fabrizio Moreira). For many years, men and women struggled to achieve the idealistic life of living on independent terms. Many characters in Of Mice and Men work in order to pursue and achieve the American Dream that consisted of having their own house and income. Characters in the book may use that dream to help the overcome their life struggles and personal problems. Of Mice and Men tells the story of two friends, George and Lennie, who find themselves on a ranch in pursuit of their dreams. Unfortunately for them, circumstances beyond their control cost Lennie and George their dream and much more. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, Steinbeck portrays how dreams create a false sense of hope in order to cover up the realities of life through George, Curley’s wife, and Candy.

The "American Dream" is marked as unattainable in John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men. This is mostly shown in the case of George, Lennie, Candy, Crooks, and Curley's wife. These characters all have admitted to thinking about the "American dream" concept, and the freedom to pursue happiness and their dreams.

Following the Reconstruction Era, from 1877 to 1920, the United States of America was undergoing industrial, political and social change. The United States industrialized, with sweeping technological developments bringing the country into the “modern era”. During this time, the country faced many challenges due to its “Open Door Policy” that led to the largest influx of immigration the country had ever seen. Also, African-Americans struggled to attain the freedoms brought about by the passage of new laws and amendments and Native Americans faced relocation to reservations. Ultimately during this Gilded Age, the poor grew poorer and faced a life of hardship and drudgery while the rich grew richer and seemingly lived an easier life. As a result, the “American Dream” was unattainable for most. At the heart of the American Dream is the idea that all citizens are born with equal rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and that all citizens can feel secure in knowing the government, of the people, will work together to protect these rights and secure justice. None of these values were upheld for the citizens of the United States from 1877-1920. African-American citizens were deprived of their human and democratic rights. Furthermore, justice for African Americans was non existent as southern states devised loopholes to keep them serving a life of servitude. Native Americans were deprived of their human rights and security because the government prioritized

Americans are people who are citizens of the United States of America. As Americans, they have the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, the right to vote, the right to bear arms, the right to a fair trial and the freedom to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. America is a country made by immigrants and almost all of them come with what they call their own American Dream. Throughout the United States, people believed in the American Dream, which is the idea that every citizen has equal opportunity to be successful and prosper through hard work. In the 1800’s and the early 1900’s, not everyone had the opportunity to pursue their American Dream because minorities were subjected to racism and discrimination from white people for being inferior and insignificant. Women also did not have the same rights as men and were denied their American Dream. Sherman Alexie’s “Indian Education”, Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech and Langston Hughes’ poem, “I, Too” each show examples of discrimination and segregation and because of this, they each have their own views of the American Dream.

First, employing character empathy, Steinbeck shows how characters use dreams to keep each other's spirits high. In order to please and calm Lennie, George often relates a world in which himself and Lennie have fulfilled their dream of owning their own land (Steinbeck 13-14). According to this example, the American Dream was essential in keeping workers optimistic during tough times. Then, relating to his other theme of friendship, the author shows that the American Dream can form strong bonds between people. By creating a dream together, Candy, Lennie, and George form a pact that goes much deeper than anything that the other men can even understand (Steinbeck 59-61). This proposes that the American Dream is able to bind loyalty between people, resulting most likely in a more comfortable and happy life. Next, the American Dream's meaning is shown through the dialogue shared among the characters. Crooks angrily expresses to Lennie, "They come, an' they quit an' go on; an' every damn one of 'em's got a little piece of lan' in his head" (Steinbeck 74). This quote indicates that, to some characters, the American Dream was only that: a dream. In conclusion, Steinbeck demonstrates the effect of the Great Depression on the American Dream using character empathy, character relationships, and dialogue.

The American dream plays a role that makes each character more hard working and persevered as they try to achieve this goal. The American dream is an idea that every man who is in the United States tries to achieve at some point in his or her life. The dream however differs with each and every person, but they all face a similar road trying to fulfill this almost impossible dream. This road includes hard work, determination and perseverance, and even then it is almost an impossible task to accomplish their dreams. In the novella Of Mice and Men the two main characters, Lennie and George share an American dream, of having their own farm and ranch, and Lennie’s very own dream is to "'have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. And when it rains in the winter, we'll just say the hell with goin' to work, and we'll build up a fire in the stove and set around it an' listen to the rain comin' down on the roof...'" They have worked hard for this dream and was almost there as one more month of work at a ranch, and they could have the necessary funds to finally

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

In Of Mice and Men one large theme that is conveyed throughout is the American dream, which is a phrase people use to describe the perfect life in America. However, even though many people go to achieve it, rarely is it accomplished. Since the novel was placed around the time of great depression, the phrase was used to give everyone hope. Steinbeck seems to know how rare the dream actually is and portrays this through characters in the text. The classic book shows and brings up many political and capitalistic views.

Do you ever wonder at what specific age or phase in an immigrants' life do they start to develop their American Dream compared to a natural born American? Do both dreamers have the same exact dream for themselves? Dreamers often must go through devastating and life-threatening situations to get through the small and big obstacles to achieve The Dream. Eventually, over some period, immigrants and U.S citizens are able to overcome these obstacles and achieve their American Dream. With so many immigrants emigrating to the United States it is safe to say that not everyone holds the same exact American Dream. When an immigrant starts to develop the American Dream, it is often way different than what a natural born citizen's dream may be,

The spirit of the American Dream is something that many people aspire to have and achieve. However, it takes a large amount of work and time in order to obtain the dream. In John Steinbeck’s book, Of Mice and Men, many of the main and supporting characters, especially Candy, Lennie, and George, want to be living in this dream. Dreams are the main goal that the men work for, but they are extremely hard to accomplish and almost all of them shatter before they come true.

When you think of The United States of America what comes to mind? Do you think of the first men on the moon in 1969, or maybe the first cell phone in 1973? When you think of the United States you think of greatness. But hey, every dynasty has there ups and downs, we sure as hell have had our downs, just a little example the Jim Crow laws that started in 1890 and didn’t end until 1965. Some people will say when they think of the United States they think of a new start. Starting with nothing and making something of yourself. They call this the American Dream. The national ethos of the United States is the American Dream. A place where we have democracy (even though we don’t live in a democracy, we live in a republic), a place where we have