The Rise And Fall Of The American Dream

When the American Dream was first defined in 1931, James Truslow Adams said "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." (Amadeo, para 1). Now, it is defined as “the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.” (Dictionary.com). Those definitions may not have changed much, but one might argue that the American Dream has changed as the US has seen depressions, recessions, economic contractions, battles over civil rights, women’s rights, and gender equality since it was founded (Hanson, para 2).

As the phenomenal politician Bernie Sanders once said, “For many, the American dream has become a nightmare.” In the novel The Great Gatsby, written by Scott Fitzgerald, the “American Dream” plays a crucial role in the plot. Gatsby devotes his life to accomplish his American Dream which consists of wealth and Daisy’s love. But is the American Dream actually what it seems to be? Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald utilizes the symbolic value of the Valley of Ashes, East Egg, and the significance of the color yellow to constantly establish that opulence and the American Dream is deceiving as it leads to moral and societal corruption.

We have all heard of this intense rollercoaster ride that we are on called the American Dream. The term was coined by James Truslow Adams in 1931 defining it as “dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement.” Since it’s arrival, the Dream has evolved from a pursuit towards “freedom, mutual respect, and equal opportunity” (Shiller) to later one of greed described by Shiller as being “excessively lustful about homeownership and wealth” beginning in the 1960s. Traditionally, the American Dream included features of a nuclear family, that is one with a breadwinning father, a housewife, and two kids, owning a white picket fence home, thriving without financial worries, and a happy family. There has been a shift in focus for the Dream caused by the Millennial generation and in turn they have included features that place an emphasis on equality in all aspects of their lives from family life to the workplace placing their own twist on the Dream. The American Dream has evolved over time to include equal opportunities, college education, and happy family.

David Kamp's 2009 Vanity Fair article "Rethinking the American Dream" focuses on the general perception of the ‘American Dream’ and how it has evolved throughout our nation’s history. It clearly states that as the average American household's lifestyle has become more and more consumer-oriented, the original spirit that invigorated and united its people from the age of western expansion to the Great Depression has begun to fade. The dream has been dampened as the vision of "success" has become more focused on gaining material/getting rich quick, rather than working hard all throughout one’s life to attain what they want and desire.

Research conducted by Sandra L. Hanson and John Zogby concerning shifting attitudes toward the American Dream states, “lack of thrift, effort, ability, motivation, and self-control are the most popular explanations for poverty among Americans” (Hanson 571). Such explanations demonstrate the growing issues that help to create the darkness of the American Dream. In placing such an emphasis on achieving success, the American Dream belittles those unable to achieve it and allows no room for failure. Though some individuals may work hard their entire lives, they may never find the material success that others such as Ben or Charley do. Even in the case of characters who have worked their entire life, such as Willy, the lack of tangible, material success creates a false idea that they did not do enough or did not work hard enough. Concerning Willy’s career and life, Ben states, “What are you building? Lay your hand on it. Where is it?” (Miller 1271). This statement pushes the misconstrued idea that whatever success one has achieved needs to be tangible and seen, which is not always the case. It can be argued that by the end of his life, Willy had found success. Linda’s proclamation that they were “free and clear” after having finally paid off the mortgage furthers this argument (Miller 1298). Out of debt, and with the comfort of a devoted wife and loving sons, Willy had achieved a life that many can only dream. However, because he and others do not recognize love and happiness as

The American Dream has long been worshipped and held as an ideal in our nation for decades. One day settling down with a family of four and living in the suburbs was once held as the perfect end to an American fairytale dream, but as the housing crisis of 2008 tore through the market and threatened the dreams of countless families. Unfortunately millennials grew up watching the housing crash tear at the hearts of their parents and threaten to divide families from their homes. As a result, millennials see the American Dream differently than previous generations. Instead of dreaming to one day own a home, millenials see the American Dream as the opportunity for freedom to explore the world and decide where they shall land. The American Dream has changed from the destination to the journey.

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.

Since America’s formation over 200 years ago, anyone who immigrates or is born in the U.S. has hope to fulfil the American Dream. The rags to riches mentality is infectious and has seeped its way into every aspect American culture from literature to the workforce. Since the beginning America has been the land of opportunity; everyone has equal chances to succeed. A melting pot of cultures, religions, and ethnicities, America embodies equality and fairness, or at least it has claimed to. Since its creation, America has hidden behind the rouse of the American Dream; equal opportunities for everyone. However, for over 200 years it has failed. Through centuries of slavery, poverty, inequality, and war, the American dream has eluded its citizens,

The american dream is dead is my eyes. There's multiple reasons why I have a strong opinion on the fact it is dead. One of them are the fact that Student debt is destroying a generation of non wealthy people. another reason is that people can no longer look forward to a secure retirement. The American dream remains unattainable due to the Student debt and secure retirement both and many more issues faced by people and the lack of opportunity in the country.

\There is a substantial amount of Americans today who have attained the American Dream, such as Oprah Winfrey, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Steve Jobs, but does any American still have a chance at the American Dream? The authentic American Dream is known as owning land and having riches, opportunity and promise Today, Americans do not have a chance at the American Dream due to the lack of effort in the majority of America’s people, where an Americans' home is affecting that person’s chance for opportunity, and the large gap between a prosperous community and a distressed community in America.

The Roaring Twenties is when the Americans, especially wealthy people, are being so wasteful on spending money and are addicted to alcohol and drugs. During that time, many people have hopes for the American Dream. The American Dream is a belief that a better life could be achieved through hard work. Different people have different understandings of American Dream and different ways to pursue their dream. Some key ideas of the American Dream are equality, rights, opportunities and the pursuit of happiness. In the book The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald reveals the American Dream is an unattainable illusion and the materialism led to the corruption of the American Dream in the Roaring Twenties. Gatsby, Daisy and Myrtle all have been fail to achieve their dreams in the book and destroy by the American Dream.

The American Dream as previously stated is an unequal construction, dependent on the economic, political, and social states of its society. Although these factors change how and who gets to achieve the American Dream, the universal hope of accomplishing this Dream has not changed, as individuals are still optimistic about their hard work translating into upward mobility. The chances, though, for their hard work to become the Dream have drastically changed due to economic, political, and social fluctuations. This is evident within second-generation immigrants, as the cohorts prior and after 1985 encountered different prospects. Gans (1992), for instance, perceived that there would be a decline in the new second generation, due to the

The concept of the American Dream has been with us as long as we have been a nation. In Brandon Kings “The American Dream: Dead, Alive, Or On Hold?” he presents us with his version of the American dream. According to Kings, the American dream is defined as “The potential to work for an honest, secure way of life and save for the future” (611). The American dream may differ between every individual and how they perceive it. To some, the American dream is to have a decent job and to be financially prosperous. However, to others, having a job is defined as just living paycheck to paycheck every passing month. The American dream to African Americans in 2015 basically designates opportunity, that is the opportunity to make an impact in life through tough work and dedication. . To me, the American dream means the ability to be financially stable and the liberation for the nightmares of racial strife to culminate. As Langston Hughes, an American poet, asserts in his poem “What happens to a dream deferred”, “Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun or fester like a sore and then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar cover- like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode” Hughes describes what a dream is when it’s delayed. It’s like the American dream becomes a nightmare when there is no hope, to dream, or for example, if there is no way to gain financial stability. Then people will commence to defer their dreams and there would be an

The American Dream is a legend that many individuals want to obtain when they come to the United States. In relation to this legend, not many can reach this dream because of their skin color. For example, it is difficult for middle-easterners to find a job in the United States due to racial profiling them as terrorists. Therefore, the bodies of color are upset with the president of the United States for destroying connection to the middle east. To emphasize further, this is the reason why there has been killings of bodies color from the white supremacy.

The novel, “The Great Gatsby”, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, features the decay of the American dream during the 1920s. It is a critique of human actions and hypocrisy, with the main character being Jay Gatsby, a rich man who pines for his lost love Daisy.