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The Importance Of The American Dream In In Cold Blood

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There are many different dreams to be had: daydreams, dreams of the future, dreams of, well, practically anything imaginable. Perhaps one of the most infamous types of dreams that has been heard of is the American Dream. Defined as “the ideal that every American should have equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative”, the American Dream is one of equality and desire and those who strive to achieve it are ambition-filled, driven individuals. It is hard to define what exactly is required to have achieved the American Dream because, in truth, everyone has a different idea of success and prosperity. Success means something different to every ear that hears the word. This exact truth about the American Dream is prominently seen in the novel In Cold Blood by Truman Capote; a book composed of the many characters, all who possess very different ideas of what the American Dream is. One of those many characters is the Herbert William Clutter, the patriarchal figure and leader of a household consisting of four, whole-hearted kids (of which only the two youngest still lived at home) and a mentally troubled wife. From the outside, the Clutter Clan, composed of Herb, Bonnie, Eveanna, Beverly, Nancy, and Kenyon, is the epitome of the perfect family. One that Herbert Clutter built up himself by raising his kids to be moral Methodists, and by upholding himself to those standards also. Herbert, more commonly known as Herb, plays a

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