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The Themes Of The American Dream

Decent Essays

Google, eBay, PayPal, Kohl’s, Nordstrom, and Forever 21. All these major American companies have something in common: they are a part of the 40% of Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. that were founded by immigrants and refugees (Thiel). While all of these immigrants and refugees were very successful after arriving in a country with very little, a lot more people that come to the United States, never make it above the poverty line. This is not only seen in real life, but also in fictional texts as well. The characters in The Jungle immigrated from Lithuania, and despite the countless hours they worked in horrible conditions, they never had enough money to keep everyone sustained, and eventually fell off the deep end. Lennie in Of Mice and Men lost track of his goal to own a farm, and gave in to his selfish wants, losing track of his work ethic in the midst. There are also references in the texts Food Inc., “6 Immigrant Stories That Will Make You Believe In The American Dream Again”, A Dream Deferred, and A Raisin in the Sun that prove the belief that the American Dream is possible, if one has a goal or belief to work towards, a strong work ethic, and don’t stray from his or her path.
First off, having a goal, belief, or value encourages one to work hard in order to achieve or stay in line with their belief, goal, or value. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair is a novel set in 1906 Chicago, where the family of Jurgis and Ona Rudkus have left their homes in Lithuania to find a better

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