The Characteristics Of Materialism In The American Dream

With social media playing a huge role in society, us Americans are becoming more materialistic. We are being influenced by people who give us these unrealistic expectations in life and always making us want more in life than what we have. We try living up to these expectations by buying elaborate accessories, when in reality they serve no purpose to us, making us feel empty on the inside.  Like Steinbeck said, “We trample friends, relatives and strangers who get in the way of our achieving it; and once we get it we shower in on psychoanalysts to try to find out why we are unhappy” (Steinbeck). Despite all of this, us Americans still claim to be realistic, yet we pay $800 for a phone just so we can be like everyone else. We buy name brand clothes that are overpriced. We pay $7 for a cup of coffee. The list goes on and on. The American Dream Steinbeck relates to is not something someone can buy, rather is it something you earn. As Steinbeck said, the American Dream is “yearnings toward what we wish were and hope we may be: wise, just, compassionate, and noble. The fact that we have this dream at all is perhaps an indication of its

What is the “American Dream” everyone talks about? The term “American Dream” was first coined by a historian named James Truslow Adams. This term is used to describe the America way of life. It describes how every U.S. citizen should have equal opportunities and the freedom to be able to achieve their passions and dreams while completely disregarding the social class. It is also the importance of economic security and wellbeing which is being able to have the resources and tools to live a comfortable. Also stated in the Declaration of Independence, “all men are created equally” with the right of “life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness” (U.S, 1776). Is the American Dream attainable? I believe that the American Dream is what individuals think about the United States and how in this country they would be able to get a job, and be able to fulfill their dreams. I also think that the dream of ours was once achievable, but not anymore. The American Dream is slowly dying. There are many sociological concepts which help us support the idea why it is vanishing.

The American Dream is the chance for a person of any gender, race, sexual orientation, or or anyone of diversity to have an equal opportunity to change their and become happy and successful in their own eyes. Three books that explain the American Dream are The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver, Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou. Each book includes the main character trying to change his or her life by finding what makes them happy. They all leave their hometowns and have a chance to start over.

In a country that is based around the idea that you can be anyone and do anything, one would think that most Americans all want the typical “American Dream.” Many would agree that when we think American Dream, we think fancy yachts, designer clothing, and big buildings, but is that really what the dream is all about? By definition, the American Dream is defined as, “the idea that every U.S. citizen should have equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work and determination” (“American Dream”). It is the idea that someone that comes from the very bottom can make their way to the top through determination and persistence. But what is considered to be “the top” is hard to

“One of the generalities most often noted about Americans is that we are a restless, a dissatisfied, a searching people,”(Steinbeck America & Americans) John Steinbeck stated this when discussing the topic of the American dream. He believes that numerous Americans are chasing after a dream that is nearly impossible to reach. John Steinbeck expresses his belief on the American dream through a general negative attitude toward the American dream and the failed dreams of his characters.

The American Dream has held a special place in the hearts of patriots since the very founding of America in 1776. It has been a subject of many authors who grapple with its attainability, and is a beacon of hope gazed upon by victims of circumstance. The Dream has been interpreted by great minds in various ways, and has been deemed both an evil deception and a great promise of a better life. However, the American Dream has morphed from this promise of opportunities and second chances--in fact, it has become viewed as a cause for societal competition and the reason for decreasing happiness among the American people. As Americans attempt to “achieve their goals,” and “keep up with the Joneses,” they subject themselves to the materialistic cycle of greed. Success, and the goal of the American Dream, has been redefined. To be put simply, the American Dream is now to be richer than one’s neighbor, despite the fact that happiness--and thus, the Dream--cannot be achieved solely through wealth and material goods.

The American Dream, an idea of what it truly means to be an American in some respects. For many, it is the idea of starting from nothing and making something to look back on in your later years and be proud of what you’ve done. For many in the generations before the millennial generation, the ideal was to graduate college, get married, get a house, and raise a family. For many millennials, this has changed with one key difference. That difference is the importance of having their own house. This was brought about by many factors including the economy, political ideology, and sustainability.

Everyone enjoys material things, whether they want a brand new car or even a phone; these items do not provide any necessity for survival, yet they make people’s lives much easier, and even more

A Raisin in the Sun is a play written by Lorraine Hansberry in the period following the Second World War. It is divided into three acts and explores the circumstances of the Younger family, a colored family living in the ghettos of southern Chicago. In particular, the play deals with the efforts of Walter Lee, the scion of the family to bring his family out of poverty and into riches by entering into a business venture. The play highlights the psychological and societal barriers to Walter's goal of becoming rich like the white people he sees around him. In effect, Walter's ambitions typify the American dream and the play discusses how the American dream is only a myth against the reality of financial inequality, racial prejudice and constricted social mobility.

In the article “I came, I saw, I shopped” It says “...americans don’t have savings...” This line says a lot about how people tend to purchase wants more than needs. When deciding on whether or not to make a purchase unless you are struggling for money the thought of need or want doesn’t cross your mind. The article also states that collectors are in serious debt because the purchases these collectors make are too big for their pockets. These examples are just the beginning, as materialism has been an issue for thousands of years.

While many people find happiness without many resources, many Americans see objects as a life necessity. According to Anna Quindlen in her OP-ED “Stuff is not Salvation”, Society has started to gear more and more into spending money on something the saw on the TV add rather, than saving for times of trouble. Americans have become so materialistic that a few hours after celebrating Thanksgiving, a holiday about giving thanks for what you have, they go and trample each other at malls over items on sale. Due to this desire of society to own every new gadget, many Americans are creating unnecessary debt for themselves, all of this for useless resources which we don’t even appreciate.

Schram and Tibbetts state in the book, another way to support Merton's idea is to believe that America is materialistic. I think this statement is both very true and relevant. I read an article on Forbes that expanded on why individuals steal stating that, they often feel deprived. The American Dream sells a false idea that an intervals and achieve a great life that is a stress free utopia. However, this is very inaccurate. Life is not simple and there will be obstacles. There are people who commit crimes based upon an unachievable happiness, such as those who work a 9-5 at a mediocre job never to achieve great success. They have clothes, food and a roof of their their head, but is not what they desire.

As time goes on, as the governing politicians change and as society evolves, the American dream is immeasurably becoming a whistle to a dream. Individuals that are working class in America are experiencing hardship in the face of a declining economy. An economy which disallows parents the security to maintain a job in order to sustain a progressive household. Due to the lack of jobs within the economy as well as the rising costs of living. With people dreams and aspirations each individual daily are deferred. Instead of being able to strive and attain their dreams of wealth, business and abundance; they are left with having to choose between chasing their American dream and basic survival. These individuals are forced to settle which aids being careless, and basic needs such as food and shelter become difficult to keep as a priority. Thus interpersonal problems arise which inherently rubs off on their kids. Children who are aware of their parent’s dreams as well as the struggle they ensued to get ahead of the strife. However due to the lack of good education, these children are unable to have realistic dreams of their own, and thus living the American dream becomes a vicious cycle.

Today millions of Americans who compulsively buy are creating a materialistic society. It is unfortunate that most Americans do not realize that when they have to buy something that everybody has, or are eating out continuously they are losing money. Us Americans are shopping for things like name brand items for the sake of our identity and the image we present to others. Name brand items are expensive, but you can almost always get the same quality item for a cheaper price. People are deliberately working to make money to buy these items. On the other hand, downshifters are cutting their work hours to put their values ahead of the amount of money they possess. Downshifters don’t mind what item they buy, they prefer to bargain shop, which allows

As Austrian writer Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach wrote,“To be content with little is difficult; to be content with much, impossible.” History and literature have established that the ideal goal every American has wanted is for his thirst for material possessions to be reached, but even then, the individual isn’t truly happy. Money, and the things it can get you, have long been a part of American culture and the materialist culture of society have been examined in numerous ways from novels to the art of those like Andy Warhol. A life free from the economic woes that plague almost everyone seems like the quintessential existence, but material wealth is not a way to mend issues.