Everyone looks for a happily ever after, a perfect ending to their lives, but the majority of the time they never come. For years, the American dream has been the goal of thousands of people around the world, yet only a few achieve it. It may be luck or working harder than everyone else, but there has to be a reason as to why only a couple of people reach this ultimate goal. "Spare Parts" by Joshua Davis had many hidden messages that it tries to get across, and by describing the struggles the characters and their families go through, Davis shows that the American dream is nothing more than a dream. All of the students wanted to go to college, and all of them did, but not all finished. Christian was the group's techy, and with his skills " Allan and Fredi urged Christian to apply to MIT... A private university seemed forbiddingly expensive." (Davis,190). Even though Christian was extremely talented, MIT was out of his budget, and he ended up going to a community college. Although a community college was way cheaper than any other university, " Christian's tuition quadrupled... It …show more content…
seemed hopeless. He decided to drop out." (Davis, 192). All of these events that happened to Christian show that the American dream is something many people go on a hunt for, but events in our lives make it hard to even take the first steps towards the final goal. Before Christian had even started to think about college, Oscar's parents were thinking about the future of their family and their kids. Oscar's parents just wanted to give Oscar the best life they could give him. With that goal in mind, they saw no other option other than moving to the United States for better opportunities. Once they were in the process of moving, " The woman handed Oscar and his mother green cards..."(Davis, 41) showing how desperate they were to achieve the American dream. However, a few weeks later, everything started to collapse. " Ramiro would stay in Phoenix, but Oscar and Luz would return to Mexico." ( Davis, 41). Life doesn't always turn out the way you want it. That was something Oscar's family understood very well, and their struggles demonstrate that the dream so many people reach for is actually harder than it seems, some might even say impossible. Not only the families, but the students also repeated what their parents went through. After graduating high school, the students expected better lives, but all they got was the complete opposite. "Lorenzo's added income wasn't enough to save his family's home..." (Davis, 193). After going through all the challenges life put in front of him, Lorenzo still lost the house and along with that, the race for the American dream. Although Lorenzo lost his drive and passion to reach the goal, he wasn't the only one that went through that change of mind. Oscar "had may have proven himself to be one of the most innovative underwater engineers in the country, but now he was just another day laborer." (Davis,185). He wanted to achieve all his goals right out of high school, and with his team winning the competition, it seemed even easier to do so. Despite all his achievements, Oscar still ended up as another laborer. The students followed the examples that their parents gave them, and by doing so, they all ended up giving up on the American dream, and working in stereotypical jobs. Not everyone gets a happily ever after, and that's fine.
The American dream is one of those happily ever after that so many people thrive for, but never get. Life isn't a fairy tale, there are ups and downs, good and bad, nice and evil, but once we put it all together we get these wonderful things called memories which make our lives worth so much more. Not getting that happily ever after doesn't matter as much as enjoying every moment we have on Earth. Everyone has a destiny, something they are meant to do with their lives, and no matter how hard you try, you can't change your destiny. All we can do now is dream. Dream of a better future, of a better tomorrow, and inspire others to go after the ultimate dream, and hope they are the lucky ones that achieve it. There is a reason why it's called an American dream, but maybe, one day it will become an American
reality.
The American Dream is something that anyone no matter their background, social standings, or ethnicity can improve their life through hard work.
The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold? written by Brandon King discusses what the American Dream is, how it has evolved, and how to live it to the fullest. He writes that the American Dream in the past meant to live a wealthy, materialistic life, however the American Dream today is to live in stability. The American Dream also has the potential to be viewed from multiple perspectives as everyone is different and have their own opinion as to how live the American Dream. King also addresses that inequality is the main problem according to many; the government is only making the rich minority wealthier, ignoring funds for the lowers classes. The American Dream will never die as long as planning ahead and proposing policies to sustain economic growth are tirelessly acted upon.
The Definition of the American Dream as the Merriam-Webster dictionary stated is a happy way of living that is thought of by many Americans as something that can be achieved by anyone in the U.S. especially by working hard and becoming successful With good jobs, a nice house, two children, and plenty of money. For a quite good number of americans and even other nationalities the phrase ' The American Dream ' is the motto of fine living for them. It's a motto that have been romanticized to the extreme, where unrealistic expectations are linked to the idea of living in America and what can the land provide for the individual. Also, it's a long ,controvertial and debated subject. The concept of the American Dream began with the settlement of
What is the American Dream? There are a myriad of aspects to it, but one general idea: the ideal life. It is making a lot of money, being respected, and triumphing difficult situations. The American Dream has been pursued by many, but only few make it all the way.
First, what is the American dream? According to David Wallechinsky, “the traditional American Dream is based on the belief that hardworking citizens can improve their lives, pay their monthly bill without worry, give their children a start to an even better life, and still save enough to live comfortably after they retire” (1). “The American Dream” states, “It has always represented the possibility for individuals to succeed and live a life of wealth and comfort, made possible by both the political and economic attitudes in the USA and the individual’s own hard work” (1). Daniella Nicole adds that “in years past, chasing the American Dream meant the sky was the limit. . .” (1). “At the core of the concept is the individual’s responsibility to aim for and achieve the American dream by working hard and taking advantage of the freedom offered to them by the country” (“The American Dream” 1). “A recent nationwide survey from LearnVest found that 43 percent of Americans today feel the dream is attainable for everyone - and about the same percentage feels that it’s within their grasp, personally,” notes Camille Noe Pagan. “For American Dreamers today,” states Nicole, ...
In the United States there is an idea many pursue called the American dream, which differs from person to person. The American dream according to americanradioworks.publicradio.org is “a revolutionary notion: each person has the right to pursue happiness, and the freedom to strive for a better life through hard work and fair ambition”. Yet it has been said there is no real definition of American dream, instead it merely proves that it has an unconscious influence in American mentality (Ştiuliuc 1). The American dream is different for each person because everyone yearns for things that will they hope will in return make them happy. Whatever that may be, each person goes through different struggles to obtain what they want. According to Frederic Carpenter, the American dream “has never been defined exactly, and probably never can be. It is both too various and too vague” (3). The Madonnas of Echo Park by Brando Skyhorse depicts the different interpretations on what the American dream actually is through the opinions and actions of Hector Esperanza, Efren Mendoza and Mrs. Calhoun.
John Steinbeck once said, “People who are most afraid of their dreams convince themselves they don’t dream at all.” For various individuals, there are different kinds of meanings of the American Dream. To Lennie, from Of Mice and Men, it was tending rabbits and owning a farm with George. To someone in a war-torn country, it is to obtain freedom. Although many believe that the American Dream is unachievable, the truth is it is accomplishable because there are numerous opportunities, all it takes is determination, and to obtain an education.
The American Dream seems almost non-existent to those who haven’t already achieved it. Every character in the novel has moments of feeling happy and endures a moment where they believe that they are about to achieve their dreams. Naturally everyone dreams of being a better person, having better things and in 1920’s America, the scheme of getting rich is quick. However, each character had their dreams crushed in the novel mainly because of social and economic situations and their dream of happiness becomes a ‘dead dream’ leading them back to their ‘shallow lives’ or no life at all.
For many, the American Dream has become a nightmare. The American Dream is the ideal lifestyle every American wants to live. The typical American Dream everyone wants to live up to is to be financially stable, successful, and to have a nice home with a family. Then again, not everyone has the same American Dream they want to achieve because many Americans have realized reality and know the typical American Dream is just a fantasy.. For everyone in order to achieve their American Dream there’s going to be many obstacles they’re going to have to face.
The American Dream, recognized as being the earning of a college degree, the owning of one 's own home, taking vacations and experiencing upward social mobility, is a very important belief that helped create the success that America is today. Many people believe that anyone who works hard and has determination can achieve this American Dream. In this day and age, experiencing the American Dream is believed to no longer be as available to Americans as it once was. The economy and corporate America have had a strong impact on the availability to reach this state of success. Everyone wants to live the American Dream, whether they know it or not. I have never met a person who did not want to become successful. Even I had a strong belief that the
The American Dream is an idea that anyone can live in the United States through hard work and live happy successful lives. There are many obstacles that would stand in the way from achieving the American Dream. Fear, money and education/training, families changing in size, disability, race and gender, are some of the hurdles that many Americans face as they try to achieve the typical American Dream.
The American Dream is about not giving up. It is about working relentlessly through the hours of the day at two or even three jobs to supply your family with a sufficient income. It is about overcoming the language barrier, the achievement gap, and the limitations at any school or work force. To me the American Dream is about seeing the results of your dedicated hard work and paying it forward to those who are working just as hard to thrive. The American Dream cannot be measured based on the abundance of tangible goods; it cannot be taken superficially. Rather it is driven by not letting the lack of sustainable income or resources hold you back from achieving your greatest potential. The American Dream is still thriving today thanks to the entrepreneurs taking a lead in
The American dream is the idea held by many in the United States of America that through hard work, courage and determination one can achieve prosperity.
With America actually being seen as the land of assurance, the American dream is usually associated with the freedom and opportunity of gaining prosperity, recognition, power, triumph, and contentment. On the surface, this dream appears virtually delighted, offering individuals the exceptional hope of accomplishing success despite of one’s race, religion, or family history. The American Dream is accurately what it seems to be the chance of perfect lying nearby the corner. However, the actual nature of this dream prohibit the pleasure of the victory one has earned, as the desire is always demanding one to work a slight harder and gain a slightly more.
What is the American Dream? That’s a question everyone is trying to answer. People find it in their own unique ways; money, success, freedom, or love. However, these aren’t easily obtained, and in most situations people figure this out the hard way. People can be immensely wealthy but still fail in their journey to the American dream. A man may be the most successful in the world but in his eyes he may have not reached his American dream. People fight for their dream every day, as colonists they had to fight for our freedom and to pursue our dream. Some think that to obtain their dream and goal is to fall in love, but they may never be able to find or have “the one” and will never truly be in love. The American dream is an unobtainable ideal that everyone is still searching for today.