The Unattainable American Dream

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at how the concept of the American dream as a fairy tale life with plenty of money is, in fact, a myth. Many families strive and work all their lives to fulfill their American dream, but when reality sets in, they end up failing, and their American dream turns into a nightmare: the American reality. In particular, it looks at how Arthur Miller symbolizes the American dream and how, most of the time, it ends up being just a dream and nonexistent, as illustrated in the tragic play, "All My Sons".

From the Paper:

"We associate this time of the American dream with the years following WWII, which we see in the 1950's world created through the movies (i.e. Pleasantville): successful children, perfect families, and a happy stay-at-home mother (Kismaric 53). In the end, everyone knows that the children are not always successful, there are family fights, and not every mother can be at home and happy. Many families strive and work all their lives to fulfill their American dream, but when reality sets in, they end up failing and their American dream turns into a nightmare: the American reality. It may even be propaganda put on by the government to improve society after the war (Kismaric 55), so that the people can relax and live comfortably knowing that while their country is fighting for their freedom, they can live a "perfect" life."

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• Analytical Essay # 16543 : "A Broken Dream"
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• Book Review # 120405 : "Corporate Revelations in "Bait and Switch"

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