The Eight Promises Of The American Dream In The Glass Castle

Jeannette is very insecure about her past life of poverty, and although she has now dug herself out of the rut of destitution, her parents’ continued homelessness is always a reminder of

Though Jeannette gave her all to support her family, she did the same for herself without anyone’s support. She understood what it was meant to be poverty at a very young age and realised that she could not have what others did. While Jeannette didn’t have money, she was smart and resourceful to achieve whatever she could for herself. When Jeannette was young, she had already decided that if she wanted to do something for herself, she was going to have to do it herself. An example of this was when she herself to have buckteeth, and promptly said, “I decided to make my own braces,” and she did (Wall 200). In spite of Jeannette being underprivilaged and with less money, she found ways time and time again to succeed.

The American dream for the Walls family was to be able to freely explore, adventure to the fullest, and to achieve your goals no matter how you get there. Jeannette Walls tells the story of her home life involving an alcoholic father, supportive siblings, and the thought that you can achieve what you want in the world despite the challenges. In the Glass Castle, Jeanette Walls displays that everyone has their own american dream that comes with cost and struggle to produce a beautiful outcome.

encountered by members of every level of society; however, most of all affected by this idealism

Jeannette used this scholarly excellence to begin making a better life for herself as a teenager. She explained “I made money babysitting and doing other kids’ homework...I charge a dollar per assignment...I also tutored kids for two dollars an hour” (224). Jeannette learned at a young age that in order to get out of the problems of living with her parents she would have to work her way out. Even before she got out of high school, she used her intellect to start the dig out of the deep hole of her parents’ money management issues. The tentative beginnings of her lucrative work built up to her being able to move to New York with her sister Lori who was already there and get a job to further support herself. Her success even allowed her to have leeway to try to pull her mother out of the financial ditch as well. Upon her astonishment that her mom brings forth that she’s worried about her, Jeannette reassures “‘I’m doing very well. I’m very, very comfortable’” (269). She has acquired comfort and now can function as a regular member of society like she has wanted

The American Dream is indefinable. There is no one set of words or characteristics that the entire population assigns directly to its definition. With the American population consisting of people of various races, ethnicities, ages, classes, and genders, it seems trivial to even attempt to attribute a single definition to the concept of the American Dream. It is this inability however, to be confined within one single meaning, that allows for the American Dream to govern the desires and goals of the large and diverse American population. And, regardless of all of the heterogeneity within society, the American Dream is generally a goal of all American peoples. In examining this idea, I began to think about the specific meanings attributed to the American Dream for different types of individuals. I broadly outlined the American Dream for myself, to represent the belief in hard work as a pathway to success and raising oneself in society. Consequently, this higher position in society allows for the possession of increased amounts of power. My definition however, neglects to take into account the certain other societal constructs that could possibly have a decisive role in how to both define and achieve the American Dream for the wide variety of people who pursue it.

First of all, Jeannette is a hard worker, unlike her parents. For example, she got a job at thirteen years old, and after working hard on her school’s newspaper junior year, she went to New York her senior year at a public high school that offers internships instead of classes.

American Dream: Noun, the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American. That is the definition of the American dream according to Dictionary.com, but the American Dream is more than a definition, but a way of life for many. Millions of immigrants come to our country in search of this “American Dream” including my grandparents but more and more are disappointed. So does the American Dream exist? Has it ever existed or has it all been an illusion?

The Glass Castle is divided into sections for the main settings: the desert, Welch, West Virginia, and New York City. Part II: the Desert, shows the family’s more nomadic lifestyle. They constantly moved around in their car, occasionally sleeping outside on the ground in the desert, hence the name. For a time they settle down in the mining town of Battle Mountain, which kind of resembles a sort of older almost ghost town. Part III: Welch, is similar to Battle Mountain. The Walls family lives in a very rundown town with a sort of hillbilly vibe. Their house has no running water, insulation, or heating. Part IV: New York City has a totally different feeling from the rest of the story. Here, Jeannette and Lori have an apartment that is

From the early stages of American literature the dream of success has always been around, even at the very beginning. It has gone on the journey of merely surviving in small amounts of the literature from the native people to thriving in a growing society and being in everything. The dream to myself is becoming wealthy and being successful in everything I do. Today I believe that the dream has become different for everyone, every person has a different dream, a different way they want their life to go.

Throughout life everybody has heard the line “Follow your dreams!” This simple sentence has inspired many. This idea of creating a dream and chasing it has inspired the American Dream. The American Dream is different for everybody. It could be getting married, creating a business, or being a hero. It turns out the American Dream is not for everybody. There is always something standing in the way of the American Dream. Race, social status, and the individual are standing in the way between the person and the American Dream.

The American dream is, “an American social ideal that stresses egalitarianism and especially material prosperity; also; the prosperity of life that is the realization of this ideal” (Britanni Academic). The American dream is a standard outline for every individual with different views that completes their material wealth, equality, and comfort. Example, my American dream is to be successful, travel the world, and to live in a peaceful world with no violence. My parents who immigrated from Mexico and their American dream was such as stated by Vincent N. Parillo, “they dreamed of freedom and opportunity” (131). As stated before we both have a dream with views in different ways, although the dream is effected from our surroundings. My parents

A man by the name of James Truslow Adams coined the idealistic term “the American Dream” in 1931. By his definition, the American dream, “... is 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… 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” (Library of Congress). He meant that the prosperity of America should be strived for as a whole. The rich should not belittle the poor, the poor should not settle to stick in a state of poverty, and the men and women of every religion, culture and color should be seen as equals; however, in this modern time, despite all of America’s social advances, there is still discrimination. Particularly and popularly, African Americans are subject to this discrimination- specifically, low income black males. These African American men’s ‘American Dreams’ are deferred in this country.

There is freedom in owning a home. A homeowner is free to decorate, remodel, and express themselves in their home. Pets, smoking, and petty vandalism are all are choices that a homeowner can make whereas a rental these choices would be severely restricted. Homeownership is a staple of stability. It represents the principles associated with the “American Dream.” It represents family, hard work, and a contented lifestyle. And in a generation where everyone wants to become famous a little stability may be just what is needed. A home will build a buyer’s equity further providing options for their future and establishing a sound investment. Buying a home is a milestone that can symbolize the final step into adulthood. However, it also represents a final farewell to the final fragments of childhood. But why shouldn’t a generation be allowed to dream? Do we have to reach a point in life where practicality becomes king? Dreamers propel the world forward and stability may end up being the worst thing for the future. Some of the world’s greatest inventions have come about during times of chaos and uncertainty. Ingenuity is fueled by necessity and I think an atmosphere that feeds creativity can’t be a completely terrible.

The American dream. Something thousands come to this country looking for, and millions already in the country who are still looking. For some, this idea that success and happiness are achievable regardless of your starting point in life is unrealistic, whiles others will insist that it is our duty as Americans, to create our own meaning of the American dream so that our happiness and accomplishments are not compared to other persons. This is why we must quality the American dream. It must be clear what it means to be successful and truly accomplish the American dream, but also, how to do this. We can break down and qualify the American Dream using three things. The first, everyday happiness, next, equality, and finally, the endpoint.