The American Dream: Is it Real?

I think the "American Dream" question fits in well with the other question asked in class. Do we have a classless society? I say no, we do not. I think the American dream is based on what class you are born into. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible for lower-income America to reach the American Dream most of us think of. When I think of "American Dream" I think of suburbia. I picture a white, upper-middle class husband and wife, two perfect children, an over-sized mass produced home, a luxury car, a Golden Retriever, and a white picket fence. I expect the husband to be the primary bread-winner and the wife to stay at home and care for the children. They would be financially secure and capable of spending money on frivolous things without experiencing hardship. I think this image of the "American Dream" is drilled in our heads at a young age. It started back in the 1940s after the Depression when people wanted a near perfect society. I think it is especially hard for individuals who are not American to reach this so-called "American Dream". 

For instance, Hanneh in "The Lost Beautifulness" wanted so badly to be like her superior Americans. Yet, she did not think of them as her superior until the end of the story. She started out by saying, "I am sick of living like a pig with my nose to the earth, all the time only pinching and scraping for bread and rent. So long my Aby is with America, I want to make myself an American..." (2). She felt like because her son was fighting in an American war, she had to live the American Dream to impress him. Her American dream was not a large house or luxury car, it was a simple white kitchen. When I think of what the color white represents, I think of: pure, fresh, and clean. I am sure when Hanneh came to America she did not expect how difficult it would be to start fresh or even find a decent place to live. Coming from a collectivistic culture into one that focuses on individualism, Hanneh was caught off guard when she was taken advantage of by saving her money and working hard. As her landlord said, "That don't concern me. If you can't pay, somebody else will. I got to look out for myself. In America, everybody looks out for himself" (5).

Hannah soon realized that equality was nonexistent in American society and her American Dream was ripped apart. Her biggest issue was that she placed everything she had into a white kitchen for her son. What she did not realize was that the American Dream was more than materialism. It was also love. The love the she had for her son Aby was more impressive than any nice kitchen she painted for him. He already had what many Americans did not: a family. Hanneh's American Dream caused her to lose hope and when her son arrived home to greet her cheery face, all he saw was a woman sitting outside, devastated.  "…Good God -- his mother! His own mother -- and all of their worldly belongings dumped there in the rain" (9). The fact the author ends with "worldly belongings" makes me think the point of the story is to not only to show class-ism in American culture, but to also point out the importance of non-materialistic things.