The American Dream in Literature

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how the "American Dream" is an elusive notion that has brought people to the US for centuries. The paper takes a look at the work of Hector St. John de Crevecoeur. The paper discusses how in Crevecoeur's writings, he depicts his new surroundings in America as simple, serene and a place to get away from war and greed. He paints an almost idyllic literary picture of the American landscape.

From the Paper:

"Crevecoeur has escaped to this area to rid himself of government and control. What he has tried to escape, he is recreating. "He is an American, who, leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the new mode of life he has embraced" (Oxford 44). What Crevecoeur has tried to elude, he creates in the new life he has constructed. For some unknown reason, humans are given beautiful and serene surroundings, and instead of enjoying the simplicity and naturalness, we immediately want to transform it, to use for our own selfish desires. Humans feel this need to claim and control anything including their surroundings. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Allen and Asselineau. St. John de Crevecoeur. New York: Viking Penguin, Inc., 1987
• Carpenter, Frederic I. American Literature and the Dream. New York: Philosophical Library, 1955
• Keegan and McKusick. Literature and Nature. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 2001
• Oxford University Press. Letter From An American Farmer. Oxford New York:OxfordUniversity Press, 1997
• Woodlief, Ann M. Negotiating Nature/Wilderness: Crevecoeur and American Identity in Letters From An American Farmer. Dec. 12, 2005 <www.vcu.edu/engweb/crev.htm>

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