John Steinbeck, in his essay America and Americans, uses many contradictions to explain his views on the American Dream. I have witnessed and experienced many of these contradictions in my life. Through my experiences, I have learned to believe that the American dream is no more than just a dream. One of the first contradictions Steinbeck uses that I have personally experienced is, "We are alert, curious, hopeful, and we take more drugs designed to make us unaware than any other people." This quote almost perfectly describes one of my cousins. She at one time was very bright and intelligent. In fact, she had over a 4.0 grade point average through her fist two years of high school. However, she began taking drugs and progressively followed a downhill track until she was barely even able to think at all. I do not think that a girl almost killing herself and ending up as a vegetable is part of the "American Dream." Another example of a contradiction Steinbeck uses in his essay that I have personally witnessed is, "We spend our lives in motor cars, yet most of us - a great many of us at least - do not know enough about a car to look in the gas tank when the motor fails." I observed this when my grandma's car "broke down" once. She had her car towed to the mechanic, and after about a week of it being examined, the mechanic called my grandma and told her that the only problem with the car was that it was out of gas. If we were living the American dream, would my grandma be so lazy as to have her car stop running and never look at the gas gauge? Would she have spent hundreds of dollars getting her car "fixed" when five dollars would have been suitable for gas? The answer to both questions is no. One final contradiction that Steinbeck uses in his essay that I have personally witnessed is, "In no country are more seeds and plants and equipment purchased, and less vegetables and flowers raised." It seems like every other week my neighbor two houses down brings home bags of seeds for plants, trees, fruits, and vegetables, yet their back yard still looks like all they plant are weeds. They even hire landscapers to come and work on their yard.
` Even though Steinbecks essay could be considered a dated opinion being written in the 19 hundreds. it goes to show his considerably harsh outlook hasn't sadly strayed from our reality all that much from its original publishment. He makes a statement “We are restless, a dissatisfied, a searching people.” Steinbeck may seem brutal and disappointed. but when reading you get a surprising tone of disapproval that doesn't sound hateful. It’s cruel but almost disapproving in a condescending way. He also makes a statement “We are self-reliant and at the same time completely dependent. We are aggressive, and defenseless.”
After reading both, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and “Paradox and Dream” by John Steinbeck, it is extremely clear that both authors believe the American Dream differs from person to person. Though, the main similarity between American’s different versions of the American Dream is that each person wants more than they have. No matter the social status or salary, each person dreams of more; more money, a bigger home, a better job, etc.
“Perhaps the closest we can come is to say that the American dream represents both what Americans believe themselves entitled to and what we believe themselves capable of. In other words, it is the promise inherent in the idea of America itself. (147)”
Not only does Steinbeck tell his story and put it in perspective, he also gives social commentary. One might expect this social commentary to be...
Thomas Hobbes in his Leviathan states that, "in the state of nature mans life is nasty, brutish and short". In depression era America, no greater truth could be said. There were millions unemployed, largely unskilled and living on the margins of society. The lowest of the low were the migrant labourers travelling from place to place trying to scratch a living. They often had to travel illegally by freight car with all its consequent dangers. Their life expectancy was low, crime was rampant and despair was a fellow traveller. This is the setting of John Steinbeck's, 'Of Mice and Men'.
In paragraph twenty-five, he consecutively asked questions that brought the entire passage together. By saying, “Is it possible that this state is so stupid, so vicious and so greedy that it cannot feed and clothe the men and women who help to make it the richest area in the world?” the reader's immediate reaction would be yes! They would ask themselves why would the government want those many people to suffer? Why won’t help reach those seriously ill until it’s too late? This not only brings more questions to the imagination but a sense of emotion towards those who struggle daily. His final question in this article suggests that no issue has been in the process of being solved until enough is enough. “Must the hunger become anger and the anger become fury before anything will be done?” Again, we internally answer in the way Steinbeck had intended giving more of an upper-hand on his argument, the government is responsible for the well-being of the
The experiences that were most influential to Steinbeck were not at school, but instead came from his home and the countryside. He read his mother’s books, which included the titles
Firstly, the American Dream was a vision that varied for everyone, for some it might been having a house in the country, enjoying the fresh air and organic products. On the other hand there was always someone who wanted to live in the middle of the city, and enjoyed it's liveliness. Yet, even though they had different points of view both type of people knew the hardships that they had to face. They knew all too well that they had to be dedicated and they had to put in all of their time. They had nothing to
This is perhaps one of the most famous quotes in American literature. It shows many different themes at once, especially the ambitions of the two characters, Lennie and George. In Of Mice and Men, these two characters are out in the Midwest looking for work during the time of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Lennie is often a prime example of someone wanting something he cannot have. In the times like that are shown in Of Mice and Men, this is not all that uncommon. At the time that this book is written, the author, John Steinbeck, exemplifies the ambitions of the people actually living during this period through his literature. In fact, most of the events going on during the time of the Great Depression are prevalent in his books. In The Pearl, although it is set in a rural area of Mexico, it shows the themes and characteristics of things going on in the world around John Steinbeck. There were many factors that contributed to Steinbeck’s writing, especially the socially and politically charged times that he wrote in, and his childhood that was influenced by his parents and the naturally beautiful Salinas Valley.
Founding father Benjamin Franklin described the American dream as the “pursuit of a better existence… a higher quality of life through hard work, determination, and devotion” (Benjamin Franklin). The American dream is an idea that if you work hard, you can rise from “rags to riches” and live a wealthy and prosperous life with moral values of respect and integrity. Ironically, Franklin’s version of the dream was decaying during the roaring 1920s when society became corrupt and obsessed with greed. In his classic book, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald shows how the American dream of “hard work, determination, and devotion” was deteriorating because society had become greedy and materialistic. In addition, moral values were in decline and that was illustrated by Tom Buchannan and his affair with Myrtle, Jay Gatsby and his illegal bootlegging business, and Daisy Buchannan and her affair with Gatsby.
In “Paradox and Dream”, John Steinbeck creates a negative attitude towards American people and the ideals they have. He uses paradoxes to show how Americans are unappeased and frustrated with many things, they are only focused on their own opinions and are intemperate, and lastly Americans believe in these fables about themselves that are not always true. Those who read “Paradox and Dream” need to realize that sometimes people take things for granted. They also have to notice the actions that they take in order for them to be on top, which is not right.
The American Dream has been the ideal way of life to every citizen. Equal opportunity to achieve success through hard work and persistence allows people to strive for The American Dream. For others, The Dream might have a different meaning to what the think is achievable. In the essay, “Is the American Dream even possible” John Steinbeck makes accusations about the American Dream and the credibility of it. The American Dream in Steinbeck's perspective is that in reality, The Dream is there to believe but not there to its full potential.
...however, feels that to solve the plight of the Okies, land should be set aside for them to start their own small farms, since farming is all they know. He also suggests that local committees set wages and labor needs before the harvests to protect the rights of the workers and prevent them from being extorted (Pgs 58-59). While Steinbeck’s ideas made sense and had good intent, the grim reality still remained that the corporations controlled the agriculture industry and that they were going to save every nickel and dime they could, even if it meant a lower standard of living for the Okie. Today, we have unions that attempt to prevent things like this from happening again, but the plight of illegal immigrants demonstrates that the reality of this country’s need for cheap labor remains.
John Steinbeck’s living experience in California had a great influence on his writing. He grew up in one of the richest agricultural place. Steinbeck’s lifelong interest in the beauty of nature started with his childhood experience with animals and plants which were abundant in Salinas. (Long, 2009) He worked in the fields and ranches with farm labors during his school holiday. Therefore, he is very familiar with the lives of farmers. This kind of working experience helped him to reflect the real phenomena of people’s lives as accurate as possible.
Noble, Donald R. ed. The Steinbeck Question: New Essays in Criticism. Troy, New York, 1993.