thesis statement on the american dream

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Of Mice and Men

John steinbeck.

Ask LitCharts AI: The answer to your questions

The American Dream of every individual’s right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” has been ingrained within American society since the writing of the Declaration of Independence , when the phrase made its first appearance. George and Lennie ’s dream of working hard and saving enough money to buy their own farm and “live off the fatta the lan” symbolizes the concrete ways in which the American Dream serves as an idealized goal for poor and working-class Americans even in the darkest and hardest of times. Through Of Mice and Men , however, Steinbeck argues that while throughout American history—and especially during the Great Depression—the American Dream has at best been an illusion and at worst a trap, unattainable dreams are still necessary, in a way, to make life in America bearable.

The Great Depression represented the end of an era of the American Dream—the artistic and economic innovation and prosperity of the “Roaring Twenties” came to a short, decisive stop, and American society went into crisis mode. In the midst of this sudden shift, many felt like the rug had been pulled out from under them—this sentiment and perspective is echoed in George and Lennie’s insistence on pursuing their dream of a peaceful, sustainable life of ease and independence even as they are in the depths of an economic crisis which threatens not just their plans, but their very lives. Though little is known of George and Lennie’s background, it is clear that they grew up together in Auburn, a Gold Rush town that boomed in the late 1800s but suffered by the 1920s as gold prices dropped. Families hoping to make their fortune in gold continued to flock to Auburn, and soon Auburn was overrun by people camping by the river, hoping to pan for gold in the water in light of the closed mines in town. George and Lennie, then, appear to be fleeing a town where there’s nothing left for them, chasing their own dream even as they shut out the knowledge that there are countless people like them—many in their very own hometown—pursuing dreams just as broken and hopeless as their own.

George and Lennie encounter hostility and calamity, it seems, nearly everywhere they go. In this way, Steinbeck portrays the gritty reality of trying to make it in America as a poor itinerant worker. Their struggles are almost always as a result of Lennie’s inability to function normally within the bounds of social codes and contracts. His childlike nature draws him to soft, pleasant, cute things—but his immense strength and huge physical frame make him an object of fear. Lennie is unable to understand why people keep rejecting him, or why he keeps killing the mice, puppies , and other soft animals he enjoys holding and stroking. George, rather than helping Lennie to control his strength or his impulses, continues stoking Lennie’s dream of having limitless rabbits to tend and pet whenever he wants. George knows, on some level, that for either him or Lennie to confront the truth about Lennie—that he is a burden, and a dangerous one at that—would tear them apart. As a result, he retreats into a dream of he and Lennie having their own farm: a distinctly American dream of self-made independence, plenty, and harmony. Candy , another laborer on the ranch where George and Lennie find work, is also swept up in the romantic vision of owning a farm, offering up his savings to help secure a plot of land. This dream is unrealistic by any standards, and in light of George and Lennie’s financial insolvency and social struggles, impossible. In order to make their rootless, dangerous, and directionless existence more bearable, however, George and Lennie cling tightly to the dream of America they’ve manufactured together. Lennie and George were raised on promises of prosperity and independence tied to a sensibility rooted in the expansiveness of the American West—but the dreams they were led to believe could be their reality have evaporated as the West has turned from a place of potential and riches to one of dust, emptiness, and squandered potential.

Even though George and Lennie never achieve their dream, it is what keeps them going in the darkest of times. Indeed, even as George prepares to execute Lennie with Carlson’s rifle in the novella’s final pages, George urges Lennie to stare off into the distance as George narrates the familiar details of their shared dream: a “little place” all their own. Steinbeck closes the novella with George shooting Lennie to protect him from a worse death at the hands of the angry ranch laborers who are out for vengeance. This tragic act of violence in the midst of George and Lennie’s “dream” shows that for George, this vision of the America he was promised is ultimately just a fantasy—unattainable yet necessary in order to bear the difficult reality of life.

The American Dream ThemeTracker

The American Dream Quotes in Of Mice and Men

“Well, we ain't got any,” George exploded. “Whatever we ain't got, that's what you want. God a'mighty, if I was alone I could live so easy. I could go get a job an' work, an' no trouble....An' whatta I got,” George went on furiously. “I got you! You can't keep a job and you lose me ever' job I get. Jus' keep me shovin' all over the country all the time. An' that ain't the worst. You get in trouble. You do bad things and I got to get you out.”

“Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don't belong no place. […] With us it ain't like that. We got a future.”

[…] Lennie broke in. “ But not us! An’ why? Because...because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that's why .”

“Well,” said George, “we'll have a big vegetable patch and a rabbit hutch and chickens. And when it rains in the winter, we'll just say the hell with goin' to work, and we'll build up a fire in the stove and set around it an' listen to the rain comin' down on the roof.”

“We could live offa the fatta the lan'.”

“S'pose they was a carnival or a circus come to town, or a ball game, or any damn thing." Old Candy nodded in appreciation of the idea. "We'd just go to her," George said. "We wouldn't ask nobody if we could. Jus' say, 'We'll go to her,' an' we would. Jus' milk the cow and sling some grain to the chickens an' go to her.”

“I seen hundreds of men come by on the road an' on the ranches, with their bindles on their back an' that same damn thing in their heads [. . .] every damn one of 'em's got a little piece of land in his head. An' never a God damn one of 'em ever gets it. Just like heaven. Ever'body wants a little piece of lan'. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land.”

“I think I knowed from the very first. I think I knowed we'd never do her. He usta like to hear about it so much I got to thinking maybe we would.”

“No, Lennie. I ain't mad. I never been mad, an' I ain't now. That's a thing I want ya to know.”

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Best Analysis: The American Dream in The Great Gatsby

Book Guides

The Great Gatsby is a tragic love story on the surface, but it's most commonly understood as a pessimistic critique of the American Dream. In the novel, Jay Gatsby overcomes his poor past to gain an incredible amount of money and a limited amount of social cache in 1920s NYC, only to be rejected by the "old money" crowd. He then gets killed after being tangled up with them.

Through Gatsby's life, as well as that of the Wilsons', Fitzgerald critiques the idea that America is a meritocracy where anyone can rise to the top with enough hard work. We will explore how this theme plays out in the plot, briefly analyze some key quotes about it, as well as do some character analysis and broader analysis of topics surrounding the American Dream in The Great Gatsby .

What is the American Dream? The American Dream in the Great Gatsby plot Key American Dream quotes Analyzing characters via the American Dream Common discussion and essay topics

Quick Note on Our Citations

Our citation format in this guide is (chapter.paragraph). We're using this system since there are many editions of Gatsby, so using page numbers would only work for students with our copy of the book.

To find a quotation we cite via chapter and paragraph in your book, you can either eyeball it (Paragraph 1-50: beginning of chapter; 50-100: middle of chapter; 100-on: end of chapter), or use the search function if you're using an online or eReader version of the text.

What Exactly Is "The American Dream"?

The American Dream is the belief that anyone, regardless of race, class, gender, or nationality, can be successful in America (read: rich) if they just work hard enough. The American Dream thus presents a pretty rosy view of American society that ignores problems like systemic racism and misogyny, xenophobia, tax evasion or state tax avoidance, and income inequality. It also presumes a myth of class equality, when the reality is America has a pretty well-developed class hierarchy.

The 1920s in particular was a pretty tumultuous time due to increased immigration (and the accompanying xenophobia), changing women's roles (spurred by the right to vote, which was won in 1919), and extraordinary income inequality.

The country was also in the midst of an economic boom, which fueled the belief that anyone could "strike it rich" on Wall Street. However, this rapid economic growth was built on a bubble which popped in 1929. The Great Gatsby was published in 1925, well before the crash, but through its wry descriptions of the ultra-wealthy, it seems to somehow predict that the fantastic wealth on display in 1920s New York was just as ephemeral as one of Gatsby's parties.

In any case, the novel, just by being set in the 1920s, is unlikely to present an optimistic view of the American Dream, or at least a version of the dream that's inclusive to all genders, ethnicities, and incomes. With that background in mind, let's jump into the plot!

The American Dream in The Great Gatsby

Chapter 1 places us in a particular year—1922—and gives us some background about WWI.  This is relevant, since the 1920s is presented as a time of hollow decadence among the wealthy, as evidenced especially by the parties in Chapters 2 and 3. And as we mentioned above, the 1920s were a particularly tense time in America.

We also meet George and Myrtle Wilson in Chapter 2 , both working class people who are working to improve their lot in life, George through his work, and Myrtle through her affair with Tom Buchanan.

We learn about Gatsby's goal in Chapter 4 : to win Daisy back. Despite everything he owns, including fantastic amounts of money and an over-the-top mansion, for Gatsby, Daisy is the ultimate status symbol. So in Chapter 5 , when Daisy and Gatsby reunite and begin an affair, it seems like Gatsby could, in fact, achieve his goal.

In Chapter 6 , we learn about Gatsby's less-than-wealthy past, which not only makes him look like the star of a rags-to-riches story, it makes Gatsby himself seem like someone in pursuit of the American Dream, and for him the personification of that dream is Daisy.

However, in Chapters 7 and 8 , everything comes crashing down: Daisy refuses to leave Tom, Myrtle is killed, and George breaks down and kills Gatsby and then himself, leaving all of the "strivers" dead and the old money crowd safe. Furthermore, we learn in those last chapters that Gatsby didn't even achieve all his wealth through hard work, like the American Dream would stipulate—instead, he earned his money through crime. (He did work hard and honestly under Dan Cody, but lost Dan Cody's inheritance to his ex-wife.)

In short, things do not turn out well for our dreamers in the novel! Thus, the novel ends with Nick's sad meditation on the lost promise of the American Dream. You can read a detailed analysis of these last lines in our summary of the novel's ending .

Key American Dream Quotes

In this section we analyze some of the most important quotes that relate to the American Dream in the book.

But I didn't call to him for he gave a sudden intimation that he was content to be alone--he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and far as I was from him I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward--and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock. (1.152)

In our first glimpse of Jay Gatsby, we see him reaching towards something far off, something in sight but definitely out of reach. This famous image of the green light is often understood as part of The Great Gatsby 's meditation on The American Dream—the idea that people are always reaching towards something greater than themselves that is just out of reach . You can read more about this in our post all about the green light .

The fact that this yearning image is our introduction to Gatsby foreshadows his unhappy end and also marks him as a dreamer, rather than people like Tom or Daisy who were born with money and don't need to strive for anything so far off.

Over the great bridge, with the sunlight through the girders making a constant flicker upon the moving cars, with the city rising up across the river in white heaps and sugar lumps all built with a wish out of non-olfactory money. The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world.

A dead man passed us in a hearse heaped with blooms, followed by two carriages with drawn blinds and by more cheerful carriages for friends. The friends looked out at us with the tragic eyes and short upper lips of south-eastern Europe, and I was glad that the sight of Gatsby's splendid car was included in their somber holiday. As we crossed Blackwell's Island a limousine passed us, driven by a white chauffeur, in which sat three modish Negroes, two bucks and a girl. I laughed aloud as the yolks of their eyeballs rolled toward us in haughty rivalry.

"Anything can happen now that we've slid over this bridge," I thought; "anything at all. . . ."

Even Gatsby could happen, without any particular wonder. (4.55-8)

Early in the novel, we get this mostly optimistic illustration of the American Dream—we see people of different races and nationalities racing towards NYC, a city of unfathomable possibility. This moment has all the classic elements of the American Dream—economic possibility, racial and religious diversity, a carefree attitude. At this moment, it does feel like "anything can happen," even a happy ending.

However, this rosy view eventually gets undermined by the tragic events later in the novel. And even at this point, Nick's condescension towards the people in the other cars reinforces America's racial hierarchy that disrupts the idea of the American Dream. There is even a little competition at play, a "haughty rivalry" at play between Gatsby's car and the one bearing the "modish Negroes."

Nick "laughs aloud" at this moment, suggesting he thinks it's amusing that the passengers in this other car see them as equals, or even rivals to be bested. In other words, he seems to firmly believe in the racial hierarchy Tom defends in Chapter 1, even if it doesn't admit it honestly.

His heart beat faster and faster as Daisy's white face came up to his own. He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God. So he waited, listening for a moment longer to the tuning fork that had been struck upon a star. Then he kissed her. At his lips' touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete. (6.134)

This moment explicitly ties Daisy to all of Gatsby's larger dreams for a better life —to his American Dream. This sets the stage for the novel's tragic ending, since Daisy cannot hold up under the weight of the dream Gatsby projects onto her. Instead, she stays with Tom Buchanan, despite her feelings for Gatsby. Thus when Gatsby fails to win over Daisy, he also fails to achieve his version of the American Dream. This is why so many people read the novel as a somber or pessimistic take on the American Dream, rather than an optimistic one.  

...as the moon rose higher the inessential houses began to melt away until gradually I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors' eyes--a fresh, green breast of the new world. Its vanished trees, the trees that had made way for Gatsby's house, had once pandered in whispers to the last and greatest of all human dreams; for a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder.

And as I sat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby's wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy's dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it. He did not know that it was already behind him, somewhere back in that vast obscurity beyond the city, where the dark fields of the republic rolled on under the night." (9.151-152)

The closing pages of the novel reflect at length on the American Dream, in an attitude that seems simultaneously mournful, appreciative, and pessimistic. It also ties back to our first glimpse of Gatsby, reaching out over the water towards the Buchanan's green light. Nick notes that Gatsby's dream was "already behind him" then (or in other words, it was impossible to attain). But still, he finds something to admire in how Gatsby still hoped for a better life, and constantly reached out toward that brighter future.

For a full consideration of these last lines and what they could mean, see our analysis of the novel's ending .

Analyzing Characters Through the American Dream

An analysis of the characters in terms of the American Dream usually leads to a pretty cynical take on the American Dream.

Most character analysis centered on the American Dream will necessarily focus on Gatsby, George, or Myrtle (the true strivers in the novel), though as we'll discuss below, the Buchanans can also provide some interesting layers of discussion. For character analysis that incorporates the American Dream, carefully consider your chosen character's motivations and desires, and how the novel does (or doesn't!) provide glimpses of the dream's fulfillment for them.

Gatsby himself is obviously the best candidate for writing about the American Dream—he comes from humble roots (he's the son of poor farmers from North Dakota) and rises to be notoriously wealthy, only for everything to slip away from him in the end. Many people also incorporate Daisy into their analyses as the physical representation of Gatsby's dream.

However, definitely consider the fact that in the traditional American Dream, people achieve their goals through honest hard work, but in Gatsby's case, he very quickly acquires a large amount of money through crime . Gatsby does attempt the hard work approach, through his years of service to Dan Cody, but that doesn't work out since Cody's ex-wife ends up with the entire inheritance. So instead he turns to crime, and only then does he manage to achieve his desired wealth.

So while Gatsby's story arc resembles a traditional rags-to-riches tale, the fact that he gained his money immorally complicates the idea that he is a perfect avatar for the American Dream . Furthermore, his success obviously doesn't last—he still pines for Daisy and loses everything in his attempt to get her back. In other words, Gatsby's huge dreams, all precariously wedded to Daisy  ("He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God" (6.134)) are as flimsy and flight as Daisy herself.

George and Myrtle Wilson

This couple also represents people aiming at the dream— George owns his own shop and is doing his best to get business, though is increasingly worn down by the harsh demands of his life, while Myrtle chases after wealth and status through an affair with Tom.

Both are disempowered due to the lack of money at their own disposal —Myrtle certainly has access to some of the "finer things" through Tom but has to deal with his abuse, while George is unable to leave his current life and move West since he doesn't have the funds available. He even has to make himself servile to Tom in an attempt to get Tom to sell his car, a fact that could even cause him to overlook the evidence of his wife's affair. So neither character is on the upward trajectory that the American Dream promises, at least during the novel.

In the end, everything goes horribly wrong for both George and Myrtle, suggesting that in this world, it's dangerous to strive for more than you're given.

George and Myrtle's deadly fates, along with Gatsby's, help illustrate the novel's pessimistic attitude toward the American Dream. After all, how unfair is it that the couple working to improve their position in society (George and Myrtle) both end up dead, while Tom, who dragged Myrtle into an increasingly dangerous situation, and Daisy, who killed her, don't face any consequences? And on top of that they are fabulously wealthy? The American Dream certainly is not alive and well for the poor Wilsons.

Tom and Daisy as Antagonists to the American Dream

We've talked quite a bit already about Gatsby, George, and Myrtle—the three characters who come from humble roots and try to climb the ranks in 1920s New York. But what about the other major characters, especially the ones born with money? What is their relationship to the American Dream?

Specifically, Tom and Daisy have old money, and thus they don't need the American Dream, since they were born with America already at their feet.

Perhaps because of this, they seem to directly antagonize the dream—Daisy by refusing Gatsby, and Tom by helping to drag the Wilsons into tragedy .

This is especially interesting because unlike Gatsby, Myrtle, and George, who actively hope and dream of a better life, Daisy and Tom are described as bored and "careless," and end up instigating a large amount of tragedy through their own recklessness.

In other words, income inequality and the vastly different starts in life the characters have strongly affected their outcomes. The way they choose to live their lives, their morality (or lack thereof), and how much they dream doesn't seem to matter. This, of course, is tragic and antithetical to the idea of the American Dream, which claims that class should be irrelevant and anyone can rise to the top.

Daisy as a Personification of the American Dream

As we discuss in our post on money and materialism in The Great Gatsby , Daisy's voice is explicitly tied to money by Gatsby:

"Her voice is full of money," he said suddenly.

That was it. I'd never understood before. It was full of money--that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals' song of it. . . . High in a white palace the king's daughter, the golden girl. . . . (7.105-6)

If Daisy's voice promises money, and the American Dream is explicitly linked to wealth, it's not hard to argue that Daisy herself—along with the green light at the end of her dock —stands in for the American Dream. In fact, as Nick goes on to describe Daisy as "High in a white palace the king's daughter, the golden girl," he also seems to literally describe Daisy as a prize, much like the princess at the end of a fairy tale (or even Princess Peach at the end of a Mario game!).

But Daisy, of course, is only human—flawed, flighty, and ultimately unable to embody the huge fantasy Gatsby projects onto her. So this, in turn, means that the American Dream itself is just a fantasy, a concept too flimsy to actually hold weight, especially in the fast-paced, dog-eat-dog world of 1920s America.

Furthermore, you should definitely consider the tension between the fact that Daisy represents Gatsby's ultimate goal, but at the same time (as we discussed above), her actual life is the opposite of the American Dream : she is born with money and privilege, likely dies with it all intact, and there are no consequences to how she chooses to live her life in between.

Can Female Characters Achieve the American Dream?

Finally, it's interesting to compare and contrast some of the female characters using the lens of the American Dream.

Let's start with Daisy, who is unhappy in her marriage and, despite a brief attempt to leave it, remains with Tom, unwilling to give up the status and security their marriage provides. At first, it may seem like Daisy doesn't dream at all, so of course she ends up unhappy. But consider the fact that Daisy was already born into the highest level of American society. The expectation placed on her, as a wealthy woman, was never to pursue something greater, but simply to maintain her status. She did that by marrying Tom, and it's understandable why she wouldn't risk the uncertainty and loss of status that would come through divorce and marriage to a bootlegger. Again, Daisy seems to typify the "anti-American" dream, in that she was born into a kind of aristocracy and simply has to maintain her position, not fight for something better.

In contrast, Myrtle, aside from Gatsby, seems to be the most ambitiously in pursuit of getting more than she was given in life. She parlays her affair with Tom into an apartment, nice clothes, and parties, and seems to revel in her newfound status. But of course, she is knocked down the hardest, killed for her involvement with the Buchanans, and specifically for wrongfully assuming she had value to them. Considering that Gatsby did have a chance to leave New York and distance himself from the unfolding tragedy, but Myrtle was the first to be killed, you could argue the novel presents an even bleaker view of the American Dream where women are concerned.

Even Jordan Baker , who seems to be living out a kind of dream by playing golf and being relatively independent, is tied to her family's money and insulated from consequences by it , making her a pretty poor representation of the dream. And of course, since her end game also seems to be marriage, she doesn't push the boundaries of women's roles as far as she might wish.

So while the women all push the boundaries of society's expectations of them in certain ways, they either fall in line or are killed, which definitely undermines the rosy of idea that anyone, regardless of gender, can make it in America. The American Dream as shown in Gatsby becomes even more pessimistic through the lens of the female characters.  

Common Essay Questions/Discussion Topics

Now let's work through some of the more frequently brought up subjects for discussion.

#1: Was Gatsby's dream worth it? Was all the work, time, and patience worth it for him?

Like me, you might immediately think "of course it wasn't worth it! Gatsby lost everything, not to mention the Wilsons got caught up in the tragedy and ended up dead!" So if you want to make the more obvious "the dream wasn't worth it" argument, you could point to the unraveling that happens at the end of the novel (including the deaths of Myrtle, Gatsby and George) and how all Gatsby's achievements are for nothing, as evidenced by the sparse attendance of his funeral.

However, you could definitely take the less obvious route and argue that Gatsby's dream was worth it, despite the tragic end . First of all, consider Jay's unique characterization in the story: "He was a son of God--a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that--and he must be about His Father's Business, the service of a vast, vulgar and meretricious beauty" (6.7). In other words, Gatsby has a larger-than-life persona and he never would have been content to remain in North Dakota to be poor farmers like his parents.

Even if he ends up living a shorter life, he certainly lived a full one full of adventure. His dreams of wealth and status took him all over the world on Dan Cody's yacht, to Louisville where he met and fell in love with Daisy, to the battlefields of WWI, to the halls of Oxford University, and then to the fast-paced world of Manhattan in the early 1920s, when he earned a fortune as a bootlegger. In fact, it seems Jay lived several lives in the space of just half a normal lifespan. In short, to argue that Gatsby's dream was worth it, you should point to his larger-than-life conception of himself and the fact that he could have only sought happiness through striving for something greater than himself, even if that ended up being deadly in the end.

#2: In the Langston Hughes poem "A Dream Deferred," Hughes asks questions about what happens to postponed dreams. How does Fitzgerald examine this issue of deferred dreams? What do you think are the effects of postponing our dreams? How can you apply this lesson to your own life?

If you're thinking about "deferred dreams" in The Great Gatsby , the big one is obviously Gatsby's deferred dream for Daisy—nearly five years pass between his initial infatuation and his attempt in the novel to win her back, an attempt that obviously backfires. You can examine various aspects of Gatsby's dream—the flashbacks to his first memories of Daisy in Chapter 8 , the moment when they reunite in Chapter 5 , or the disastrous consequences of the confrontation of Chapter 7 —to illustrate Gatsby's deferred dream.

You could also look at George Wilson's postponed dream of going West, or Myrtle's dream of marrying a wealthy man of "breeding"—George never gets the funds to go West, and is instead mired in the Valley of Ashes, while Myrtle's attempt to achieve her dream after 12 years of marriage through an affair ends in tragedy. Apparently, dreams deferred are dreams doomed to fail.

As Nick Carraway says, "you can't repeat the past"—the novel seems to imply there is a small window for certain dreams, and when the window closes, they can no longer be attained. This is pretty pessimistic, and for the prompt's personal reflection aspect, I wouldn't say you should necessarily "apply this lesson to your own life" straightforwardly. But it is worth noting that certain opportunities are fleeting, and perhaps it's wiser to seek out newer and/or more attainable ones, rather than pining over a lost chance.

Any prompt like this one which has a section of more personal reflection gives you freedom to tie in your own experiences and point of view, so be thoughtful and think of good examples from your own life!

#3: Explain how the novel does or does not demonstrate the death of the American Dream. Is the main theme of Gatsby indeed "the withering American Dream"? What does the novel offer about American identity?

In this prompt, another one that zeroes in on the dead or dying American Dream, you could discuss how the destruction of three lives (Gatsby, George, Myrtle) and the cynical portrayal of the old money crowd illustrates a dead, or dying American Dream . After all, if the characters who dream end up dead, and the ones who were born into life with money and privilege get to keep it without consequence, is there any room at all for the idea that less-privileged people can work their way up?

In terms of what the novel says about American identity, there are a few threads you could pick up—one is Nick's comment in Chapter 9 about the novel really being a story about (mid)westerners trying (and failing) to go East : "I see now that this has been a story of the West, after all--Tom and Gatsby, Daisy and Jordan and I, were all Westerners, and perhaps we possessed some deficiency in common which made us subtly unadaptable to Eastern life" (9.125). This observation suggests an American identity that is determined by birthplace, and that within the American identity there are smaller, inescapable points of identification.

Furthermore, for those in the novel not born into money, the American identity seems to be about striving to end up with more wealth and status. But in terms of the portrayal of the old money set, particularly Daisy, Tom, and Jordan, the novel presents a segment of American society that is essentially aristocratic—you have to be born into it. In that regard, too, the novel presents a fractured American identity, with different lives possible based on how much money you are born with.

In short, I think the novel disrupts the idea of a unified American identity or American dream, by instead presenting a tragic, fractured, and rigid American society, one that is divided based on both geographic location and social class.

#4: Most would consider dreams to be positive motivators to achieve success, but the characters in the novel often take their dreams of ideal lives too far. Explain how characters' American Dreams cause them to have pain when they could have been content with more modest ambitions.

Gatsby is an obvious choice here—his pursuit of money and status, particularly through Daisy, leads him to ruin. There were many points when perhaps Gatsby ;could have been happy with what he achieved (especially after his apparently successful endeavors in the war, if he had remained at Oxford, or even after amassing a great amount of wealth as a bootlegger) but instead he kept striving upward, which ultimately lead to his downfall. You can flesh this argument out with the quotations in Chapters 6 and 8 about Gatsby's past, along with his tragic death.

Myrtle would be another good choice for this type of prompt. In a sense, she seems to be living her ideal life in her affair with Tom—she has a fancy NYC apartment, hosts parties, and gets to act sophisticated—but these pleasures end up gravely hurting George, and of course her association with Tom Buchanan gets her killed.

Nick, too, if he had been happy with his family's respectable fortune and his girlfriend out west, might have avoided the pain of knowing Gatsby and the general sense of despair he was left with.

You might be wondering about George—after all, isn't he someone also dreaming of a better life? However, there aren't many instances of George taking his dreams of an ideal life "too far." In fact, he struggles just to make one car sale so that he can finally move out West with Myrtle. Also, given that his current situation in the Valley of Ashes is quite bleak, it's hard to say that striving upward gave him pain.

#5: The Great Gatsby is, among other things, a sobering and even ominous commentary on the dark side of the American dream. Discuss this theme, incorporating the conflicts of East Egg vs. West Egg and old money vs. new money. What does the American dream mean to Gatsby? What did the American Dream mean to Fitzgerald? How does morality fit into achieving the American dream?

This prompt allows you to consider pretty broadly the novel's attitude toward the American Dream, with emphasis on "sobering and even ominous" commentary. Note that Fitzgerald seems to be specifically mocking the stereotypical rags to riches story here—;especially since he draws the Dan Cody narrative almost note for note from the work of someone like Horatio Alger, whose books were almost universally about rich men schooling young, entrepreneurial boys in the ways of the world. In other words, you should discuss how the Great Gatsby seems to turn the idea of the American Dream as described in the quote on its head: Gatsby does achieve a rags-to-riches rise, but it doesn't last.

All of Gatsby's hard work for Dan Cody, after all, didn't pay off since he lost the inheritance. So instead, Gatsby turned to crime after the war to quickly gain a ton of money. Especially since Gatsby finally achieves his great wealth through dubious means, the novel further undermines the classic image of someone working hard and honestly to go from rags to riches.

If you're addressing this prompt or a similar one, make sure to focus on the darker aspects of the American Dream, including the dark conclusion to the novel and Daisy and Tom's protection from any real consequences . (This would also allow you to considering morality, and how morally bankrupt the characters are.)

#6: What is the current state of the American Dream?

This is a more outward-looking prompt, that allows you to consider current events today to either be generally optimistic (the American dream is alive and well) or pessimistic (it's as dead as it is in The Great Gatsby).

You have dozens of potential current events to use as evidence for either argument, but consider especially immigration and immigration reform, mass incarceration, income inequality, education, and health care in America as good potential examples to use as you argue about the current state of the American Dream. Your writing will be especially powerful if you can point to some specific current events to support your argument.

What's Next?

In this post, we discussed how important money is to the novel's version of the American Dream. You can read even more about money and materialism in The Great Gatsby right here .

Want to indulge in a little materialism of your own? Take a look through these 15 must-have items for any Great Gatsby fan .

Get complete guides to Jay Gatsby , George Wilson and Myrtle Wilson to get even more background on the "dreamers" in the novel.

Like we discussed above, the green light is often seen as a stand-in for the idea of the American Dream. Read more about this crucial symbol here .

Need help getting to grips with other literary works? Take a spin through our analyses of The Crucible , The Cask of Amontillado , and " Do not go gentle into this good night " to see analysis in action. You might also find our explanations of point of view , rhetorical devices , imagery , and literary elements and devices helpful.

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American Dream Essay: Guidelines for an A+ Paper

• Icon Calendar 9 July 2024
• Icon Page 4108 words
• Icon Clock 19 min read

The American Dream is a recurring controversial topic in modern society. Individuals have developed different arguments to deconstruct what an American Dream essay is in a particular context of day-to-day life. In an academic setting, learners who engage in this discourse hold a particular weight of a proper expression of their arguments. Further on, a structured essay and its format are analyzed with a focus on an introduction, main body, and conclusion of a five-paragraph template. Moreover, a unique process of topic selection, outline development, and structured writing is exemplified using an essay titled “The Promise of the American Dream.” Other recommendations on narrow-scoped topics in order to explore a concept are provided as a starting point that students can use when writing their papers.

General Aspects

In contemporary discourse, there is much controversy over a simple meaning of the American Dream. Basically, people hold different positions on multiple aspects of such a concept in their essays and research papers. During schooling years, it is important to acquire writing skills and benefit significantly from reflecting on a particular influence of students’ recently acquired knowledge on their position regarding controversial topics. Upon completing a reflection essay process, a particular expression of one’s newly defined position is a next step in order to obtain writing skills. As such, a common format of an American Dream essay is presented to introduce readers to basic principles behind a concept. Moreover, a typical structure of a five-paragraph essay is explored with a valid support of an outline and a template. Finally, students may include different ideas in their compositions and need to avoid common mistakes.

What Is an American Dream Essay and Its Purpose

According to its definition, an American Dream essay explores unique ideals and aspirations that define a particular concept of the American Dream, which is rooted in a belief that anyone, regardless of background, can achieve success and recognition through hard work, determination, and initiative. The main purpose of writing an American Dream Essay is to critically examine a unique concept of the American Dream from various perspectives, considering its meaning, historical origins, evolution, and current relevance (Rogers, 2024). Such a composition involves analyzing social, economic, and political factors, and they shape people’s ability to achieve their goals and possible opportunities and barriers that some of them may face. In writing, an American Dream essay aims to offer a deeper understanding of what the American Dream means to different individuals and communities and encourages readers to learn about its impact on their lives and society in general (Cogni, 2019). In terms of pages and words, the length of an American Dream essay depends on academic levels and specific writing requirements, while general guidelines are:

High School

• Length: 2-4 pages
• Word Count: 500-1,000 words

College (Undergraduate)

• Length: 4-6 pages
• Word Count: 1,000-1,500 words

University (Advanced Undergraduate)

• Length: 6-10 pages
• Word Count: 1,500-2,500 words

Master’s

• Length: 14-24 pages
• Word Count: 3,500-6,000 words
• Length: 24-52 pages (as part of a dissertation or another research paper)
• Word Count: 6,000-13,000 words

Note: Some sections of an American Dream essay can be added, deleted, or combined with each other, while a particular number of body paragraphs depends on writing instructions. In turn, to start an American Dream essay, authors begin with a compelling introduction that defines a particular concept of the American Dream, presents its significance, and introduces their thesis statements, setting up a stage for a thoughtful exploration of a given topic.

Steps on How to Write an American Dream Essay

To write an American Dream essay, people thoroughly research a particular topic, develop a clear thesis, support their arguments with historical context, valid examples, and credible evidence, address various perspectives, and conclude by summarizing key points and reflecting on an actual relevance of success today.

• Choose a Particular Focus: Decide on a specific aspect of a quest for success to write about, such as its definition, historical evolution, or relevance today.
• Conduct Research: Gather information from credible sources, like books, academic articles, and reputable websites to support your essay and its writing.
• Develop a Thesis Statement: Provide a clear, well-structured, and concise thesis statement and cover your main argument or perspective on a pursuit of opportunity.
• Create a Brief Outline: Organize your main points and supporting evidence into a structured outline to guide your writing.
• Write an Introduction: Introduce a particular concept of the American Dream, provide some background information, and present your thesis statement.
• Compose Body Paragraphs: Write detailed paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect of a vision of success, supported by evidence and analysis.
• Include Personal Examples: If applicable, incorporate personal examples or experiences to illustrate your points and make your essay more personal.
• Address Counterarguments: Consider and address opposing viewpoints to strengthen your argument and provide a balanced perspective.
• Write a Conclusion: Summarize key points discussed, restate a thesis in light of the evidence presented, and offer final reflections.
• Edit and Revise: Review your American Dream essay for clarity, coherence, and grammatical accuracy, making necessary writing revisions to improve an overall quality.

Characteristics

The American Dream is a widely known concept, but there are some characteristics that can be identified as correct, comprehensive, and precise. For example, the American Dream is a complex national ethos that represents a unique belief that anyone, regardless of their roots or circumstances, can achieve success and recognition through hard work, determination, and initiative, reflecting ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity (Strain, 2020). Basically, freedom and opportunity are the most critical aspects of an essay on the American Dream to write about. In this case, freedom is essential to achieving goals because it provides an individual with a unique space to live freely without any oppression from their peers or the government (Wolak & Peterson, 2020). Moreover, equal access to opportunity allows each individual to pursue happiness and prosperity regardless of social class, gender, race, and other social or cultural factors that stratify society. Therefore, this concept may be defined as a set of beliefs, and they explain specific experiences of lives many people are expected to have in an ideal situation where their freedoms are protected, while no opportunity barriers exist (Mortimer et al., 2019). In turn, some examples of sentence starters for beginning a good American Dream essay include:

• The American Dream, often considered a symbol of hope and opportunity, represents a specific belief that anyone, regardless of background, can achieve success through hard work.
• From its historical roots in the early days of a nation to its modern interpretations, a quest for success supports positive aspirations and ideals of a diverse and dynamic population.
• In a country built on essential principles of freedom and equality, a unique pursuit of opportunity has served as a powerful motivator for countless individuals seeking a better life for themselves and their families.
• For many immigrants, a pursuit of happiness is a light that draws them to the United States (US), promising a chance to build a prosperous future through dedication and initiative.
• At its essence, a success quest embodies a unique idea that, with hard work and ambition, anyone can find a successful path above their circumstances and achieve their fullest potential.
• While a unique vision of opportunity has been a guiding force for many individuals, its interpretation varies widely, reflecting diverse experiences and aspirations of people across a nation.
• A whole evolution of a dream of prosperity over time mirrors social, economic, and political changes that have shaped the United States, revealing both progress and persistent challenges.
• In today’s world, a real relevance of a national aspiration and an ability to achieve such a goal are subjects of intense debate, prompting a reevaluation of its meaning and implications.
• Exploring historical origins of the American Dream provides more insight into how this powerful concept has influenced a nation’s identity and inspired many generations of US citizens.
• Despite facing numerous obstacles and setbacks, an ongoing attraction to a pursuit of happiness continues to inspire individuals to strive for success and contribute to a broader narrative of people’s experiences.

Unique Experiences

People are born into families that provide them with a unique starting point for their pursuit of desired goals. For example, a particular financial capability, level of education, and cultural beliefs of an individual’s parents define a foundation on which a person begins to achieve desired goals (Hoyt et al., 2021). As a result, all people may be pursuing the same ideas when writing essays. In turn, it is not a level playing field because some individuals may find themselves in better circumstances than others. Furthermore, it is differentiated at a personal level because individuals with relatively similar starting points may have distinct outcomes (Mortimer et al., 2019). Based on this perspective, it is highly unlikely that any two individuals can attest to going through identical experiences when writing an essay. In turn, an example of a good hook for an American Dream essay might be: “Imagine a place where limitless opportunities await anyone willing to dream big and work hard — this is a real essence of the American Dream.”

Belief Systems

Besides particular circumstances of starting points, an individual’s belief system plays a significant role in their strategy of achieving desired goals. For instance, happiness and prosperity are broad terms that have contrasting meanings for individuals because there is no standardized scale for measuring happiness or prosperity (Strain, 2020). Moreover, one person may consider owning a car and house to be a sign of prosperity to write about. In contrast, another person may believe that providing his or her children with a college education is prosperity. Hence, these beliefs are imposed on desires and goals, which results in variations in a concept’s meaning for each individual to be covered in an essay. In turn, desires and goals are affected to a large extent by an individual’s beliefs regarding the things that make them happy or prosperous (Wolak & Peterson, 2020). Finally, an example of a good thesis statement for an American Dream essay might be: “The American Dream, while historically rooted in ideals of freedom and opportunity, reflects contemporary aspirations and challenges, making it a complex concept that continues to shape a nation’s identity.”

Topic Selection

Challenges of Topic Selection

The American Dream is a concept that people can examine from a variety of perspectives, which makes a particular selection of an essay topic for an American Dream paper quite challenging. During a possible selection of an essay topic, it is essential to remember that no point of view is superior or more correct than another (Cogni, 2019). In this case, a particular weight of a single claim proposed in an American Dream argumentative essay is dependent on a writer’s ability to explain a position logically and convincingly. Moreover, in a presentation of a specific argument in any essay, it is important to adequately consider competing counterarguments that may arise in audience’s minds when writing essays (Rogers, 2024). In turn, a common failure to evaluate counterarguments critically may undercut an authority of an author, especially when writing for an academic audience.

Equally important, writers should select a topic that has a link with their personal experiences. For instance, an argument concerning an essay about the American Dream gains a sense of authenticity when writers discuss an issue that resonates with their beliefs (Cogni, 2019). It is essential because some passion is embedded in an essay. Furthermore, as a starting point for identifying an essay’s topic, writers may identify a “main concept” under review, such as equal opportunity. They can also think through their life experiences and single out events they consider invaluable in a particular position taken concerning a main concept (see an example of a simple brainstorming template). Finally, people should settle on writing a unique topic that is specific and can be argued out entirely within potential constraints of essay’s requirements.

Simple Brainstorming Template

• State a main concept.
• How has it affected you?
• How has it affected other people in your life?
• Do you think the events mentioned above are in line with the American Dream?
• Specify an issue.
• Describe an ideal situation while writing.
• Can this situation be improved?

3-Part Outline

Part 1: Introduction (Approximately 10% of the Word Count)

• It is a first statement in an introductory paragraph.
• A statement should capture an attention of a reader, like, a unique fact about an assigned topic.

Overview of a Topic

• It comprises of two or more sentences.
• Some statements should contain adequate detail for a reader to understand a thesis statement.

Thesis Statement

• It is a single statement that appears at the end of an introductory paragraph.
• This statement provides an answer to an essay prompt in a form of writing a single argument, which summarises a provided evidence or rationale presented in a main body.

Part 2: Main Body (Approximately 80% of the Word Count)

A typical creation of paragraphs in this section is based on a separation of ideas to ensure each paragraph presents one original idea. In turn, writing each paragraph in this section must follow a sandwich rule, which dictates a specific organization of paragraph elements:

• Topic sentence – States a main idea in a single paragraph.
• Evidence – Provides specific information that is crucial to a paragraph’s idea.
• Evaluation of evidence – Explains an actual relevance of the evidence and offers an interpretation of a cited information.
• Transition statement – Summarises a single paragraph and links it to a thesis statement or a next paragraph.

Part 3: Conclusion (Approximately 10% of the Word Count)

Restating a Main Argument

• A first statement in a concluding paragraph should repeat a main argument presented in a thesis statement.
• It should not contain the same words as a thesis statement, but keywords can be reused.
• Provide a detailed overview of essay’s main points logically.
• Demonstrate an actual value of main points in answering an essay’s prompt.

5-Paragraph Template

Introduction

Paragraph 1

• Hook: Besides common differences in American populations, they are similar because they pursue the same dream.
• Overview of a topic: Outline some of the differences in American populations.
• Thesis statement: Creating equal opportunities allows individuals to achieve upward mobility.

Paragraph 2

• Topic sentence: Breaking down social mobility and its quantification.
• Evidence: Definition and measures of social mobility.
• Evaluation of evidence: Write about how upward social mobility is achieved while referring to potentail measures.
• Transition statement: Introduces a real need for self-improvement and social mobility to occur.

Paragraph 3

• Topic sentence: Opportunity is a requirement for social mobility.
• Evidence: The role of education in equipping an individual to utilize opportunities.
• Evaluation of evidence: Write about a direct link between education, access to jobs, and an ability to improve an individual’s quality of life.
• Transition statement: Recognize that there are socially constructed limitations on an accessibility of opportunities.

Paragraph 4

• Topic sentence: Discriminative practices affect an individual’s access to opportunities for social mobility.
• Evidence: Identify some forms of discrimination and explain a particular occurrence of discriminative practices.
• Evaluation of evidence: Write about an actual value of government and organization’s role in managing discriminative practices using policies that uphold equality.
• Transition statement: Stress a centrality of equality in an argument for opportunity access and upward mobility.

Paragraph 5

• Restating a main argument: Emphasize a real importance of equality in securing opportunities for upward mobility and an attainment of a quest for success.
• Summary: Allude to possible measures of social mobility, an interaction between discriminative practices and opportunities, and a particular relief provided by policies on equality.

American Dream Essay Example

Topic: The Promise of the American Dream

Although we are different, we share a single dream. In this case, the American population is composed of people of different genders, races, education levels, religions, and disability statuses. Nonetheless, each American is entitled to a unique opportunity to make themselves better regardless of their underlying differences. Thus, an American Dream thesis statement is that it is founded on a particular promise of equal opportunity for upward social mobility.

Social Mobility

Social mobility is a multidimensional concept. It can be assessed using a variety of measures that attempt to quantify a particular change occurring in an individual’s life. For example, an ability of an individual to move along a specific social hierarchy may be described as social mobility. In turn, there are different measures of social mobility. However, each one is focused on a specific aspect of an average American’s livelihood:

• Health Status – A susceptibility of an individual to diseases.
• Education – An individual’s highest level of education.
• Homeownership – A capability of an individual to acquire permanent housing.

Upward social mobility implies people can improve their position in a social hierarchy by improving their performance on any of the measures of social mobility. Therefore, upward social mobility is a desired outcome of a successful pursuit of desired goals because it suggests some form of self-improvement.

Opportunity

A real opportunity for upward mobility is vital in pursuing desired goals. Basically, access to opportunity is facilitated by some factors, such as access to quality education. In this case, an individual who has attended school and acquired necessary skills has a higher likelihood of securing a well-paid job. If people acquire jobs, it becomes easier to secure health insurance, buy homes, and improve an overall quality of life for their families. Moreover, they can only attain what they want if they are provided access to basic education, which prepares them to maximize any opportunities. However, it is difficult for an average individual to pursue opportunities without the government’s efforts to increase an ease of access to basic needs.

Equality Policies

Many barriers affect an average American’s ability to access positive opportunities, and they manifest in a particular form of discriminative practices in society. In this case, discrimination in society may occur based on a variety of issues, like gender, disability, religion, and race. Basically, personal biases create ideological differences regarding superiority in a social hierarchy. It pushes individuals to deny others access to opportunities and necessary skills to exploit those opportunities. Moreover, state and organizational policies against discrimination are created and enforced to maintain equality among Americans. These laws serve to eliminate potential barriers that exist between hard-working people and the American Dream. Consequently, equality among individuals ensures all individuals can take advantage of opportunities regardless of their gender, disability status, religion, race, and other social differences that tend to create boundaries between social groups.

Equality is crucial in a typical pursuit of the American Dream because it provides each individual with a unique opportunity to move up a social hierarchy. In this case, people can access upward social mobility by using various measures, which quantify an individual’s quality of life. Moreover, opportunities may exist, but individuals need to be assisted in developing themselves to a level where they can utilize the available opportunities. Hence, equality policies are useful in curtailing an actual power of discriminative practices in reinforcing social mobility barriers.

• Essay Example on Is the American Dream Still Alive
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• Health Care Policies and National Aspiration.
• The Impacts of Globalization on a Promise of Prosperity.
• The Rise of Right-Wing Populism and the Ideal Future of Freedom.

What to Include

Common Mistakes

• Lack of Clear Thesis: Failing to present a clear and concise thesis statement, which must guide an essay’s argument.
• Insufficient Evidence: Not providing enough supporting evidence or examples to back up main points.
• Ignoring Historical Context: Overlooking historical origins and evolution of a path to prosperity, which are crucial in case of understanding its current meaning.
• One-Sided Perspective: Presenting a biased view by not considering multiple interpretations or counterarguments when writing about a quest for success.
• Vague Definitions: Offering an unclear or overly broad definition of the American Dream, leading to a lack of focus in an essay.
• Neglecting Structure: Failing to organize an essay into clear sections, such as introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion, which can confuse readers.
• Overgeneralization: Making sweeping statements about a promise of prosperity without acknowledging different experiences and perspectives to write about.
• Ignoring Current Relevance: Not discussing how a national aspiration applies to contemporary society or its relevance to today’s issues.
• Poor Use of Sources: Relying on unreliable sources or not properly citing references, which undermines an essay’s credibility.
• Grammar and Spelling Errors: Allowing grammatical mistakes and spelling errors to distract from an essay’s content and weaken its overall writing quality.

A typical capacity of a person to participate in a discourse on a controversial essay topic is nurtured through a continuous practice of structured essay writing. Basically, a particular concept of the American Dream may be approached from a different perspective, depending on the individual’s beliefs and personal experiences. Nonetheless, a written presentation of these points of view is achieved through a correct use of structured essays. In turn, a five-paragraph American Dream essay example examined in this article is a useful tool for a valid expression of any argument on such a topic.

Cogni, M. (2019). From sentences to essays: A guide to reflective writing through reflective thinking . Vernon Press.

Hoyt, C. L., Burnette, J. L., Forsyth, R. B., Parry, M., & DeShields, B. H. (2021). Believing in the American Dream sustains negative attitudes toward those in poverty. Social Psychology Quarterly , 84 (3), 203–215. https://doi.org/10.1177/01902725211022319

Mortimer, J. T., Mont’Alvao, A., & Aronson, P. (2019). Decline of “The American Dream”? Outlook toward the future across three generations of Midwest families. Social Forces , 98 (4), 1403–1435. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soz130

Rogers, D. (2024). Writing better essays: A rhetorical guide to writing and revision . Equinox Publishing Ltd.

Strain, M. R. (2020). The American Dream is not dead: (But populism could kill it) . Templeton Press.

Wolak, J., & Peterson, D. A. (2020). The dynamic American dream. American Journal of Political Science , 64 (4), 968–981. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajps.12522

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American Dream , ideal that the United States is a land of opportunity that allows the possibility of upward mobility , freedom , and equality for people of all classes who work hard and have the will to succeed.

The roots of the American Dream lie in the goals and aspirations of the first European settlers and colonizers . Most of these people came to the North American continent to escape tyranny , religious and political persecution, or poverty . In 1776 their reasons for coming were captured by the Founders in the Declaration of Independence : “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” These lines have often been cited by groups seeking equal standing in American society.

While the idea of the American Dream may have originated well before 1776, the phrase itself was coined by American businessman and historian James Truslow Adams in his 1931 book The Epic of America . That work defines the past and future of the American Dream, which, according to Adams, is:

“not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of a social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.”

To Adams, the American Dream is about aspiring to be one’s best self and to rise above the station one was born into. It is not about simply acquiring wealth and material possessions.

Despite Adams’s optimism about the United States as a land of opportunity, his book warns of flaws in the American way of life. It calls out the dangers of unbridled capitalism and mass consumption . The worker, he wrote, gets “into a treadmill in which he earns, not that he may enjoy, but that he may spend, in order that the owners of the factories may grow richer.” Adams’s book also cites dangers to “the intellectual worker” who must adjust his or her work “to the needs of business or mass consumption.” The result of this accommodation, according to Adams, “is to lower the quality of…thought,” as represented in newspapers and journals, “to that of the least common denominator of the minds of the millions of consumers.” In addition, Adams’s book calls out the devotion to accumulation of wealth without regard for the good of society:

“A system that steadily increases the gulf between the ordinary man and the super-rich, that permits the resources of society to be gathered into personal fortunes that afford their owners millions of income a year, with only the chance that here and there a few may be moved to confer some of their surplus upon the public in ways chosen wholly by themselves, is assuredly a wasteful and unjust system. It is, perhaps, as inimical as anything could be to the American dream.”

What Adams foresaw appears to have become a reality in 21st-century America: consumerism and materialism abound, threatening the environment and the political structure. Intellectualism has become tribalized. The gulf between rich and poor continues to increase. In addition, it is becoming more and more difficult to attain the American Dream for many people, including religious and ethnic minorities , women, and the poor. Hard work alone is often not enough for families or their children to get ahead, especially if they are low-wage earners. Black and Hispanic women are least likely to move upward. In fact, roughly one in six Black Americans do not believe in the American Dream at all. Certain areas of the country, in particular the Southeast and the Midwestern Rust Belt , have trended much lower in economic mobility than other areas. According to one study, 92 percent of children born in 1940 earned more money than their parents. However, only 50 percent of children born in the 1980s have done so. Sentiment among Millennials , Generation Z , and Generation X , as captured in a 2020 opinion poll , reflected these trends, indicating that 46 percent, 52 percent, and 53 percent of each group, respectively, felt that the American Dream is attainable. On the basis of these trends, policy groups are working to improve the probability of upward mobility in the United States.

While the American Dream may be increasingly difficult to attain in the United States, the idea has arguably been exported successfully. Around the world, people are fulfilling their own version of the American Dream. Many countries are working toward more-just economic, educational, and legal systems to support equality and upward mobility .

103 American Dream Essay Topics & Examples

If you’re in need of American dream topics for an essay, research paper, or discussion, this article is for you. Our experts have prepared some ideas and writing tips that you will find below.

📃 10 Tips for Writing American Dream Essays

🏆 best american dream essay topics & essay examples, 👍 catchy american dream topics, ❓ american dream research questions.

The American dream is an interesting topic that one can discuss from various perspectives. If you need to write an essay on the American dream, you should understand this concept clearly.

You can choose to present the American dream as a miracle that one cannot reach or depict a free and wealthy nation. In any case, the American dream essay is a good opportunity to reflect on the concept and learn more about it.

There are many topics you can choose from while writing your essay. Here are some examples of the American dream essay topics we can suggest:

• The true meaning of the American dream
• The image of the American dream in the Great Gatsby
• Is the American dream still relevant in today’s society?
• The role of the American dream: Discussion
• Americans’ beliefs and values: The American dream
• Can we achieve the American dream?
• The American dream in today’s world and society

Remember that you do not have to select one of the American dream essay titles and can come up with your own one. Once you have selected the topic, start working on your essay. Here are ten useful tips that will help you to write an outstanding paper:

• Start working on your essay ahead of time. You will need some time to study the issue, write the paper, and correct possible errors.
• Do preliminary research on the issue you want to discuss. The more information you know about the question, the better. We advise you to rely on credible sources exclusively and avoid using Wikipedia or similar websites.
• Check out the American dream essay examples online if you are not sure that the selected problem is relevant. Avoid copying the information you will find and only use it as guidance.
• Write an outline for your essay. Think of how you can organize your paper and choose titles for each of the sections. Remember that you should include an introductory paragraph and a concluding section along with body paragraphs.
• Remember that you should present the American dream essay thesis clearly. You can put it in the last sentence of your introductory paragraph.
• Your essay should be engaging for the audience. Help your reader to know something new about the issue and include some interesting facts that may not know about. Avoid overly complex sentences and structures.
• Make your essay personal, if it is possible. Do not focus on your opinion solely but provide your perspectives on the issue or discuss your concern about it. You can talk about your experiences with the American dream, too.
• Provide statistical data if you can. For example, you can find the results of surveys about people’s perspectives on the American dream.
• The concluding paragraph is an important section of the paper. Present the thesis and all of your arguments once again and provide recommendations, if necessary. Remember that this paragraph should not include new information or in-text citations.
• Do not send your paper to your professor right away. Check it several times to make sure that there are no grammatical mistakes in it. If you have time, you can put the paper away for several days and revise it later with “fresh” eyes.

Feel free to find an essay sample in our collection and get some ideas for your outstanding paper!

• Pros and Cons of the American Dream The American dream is one of the most revered ideals of the nation and it has become a part of the American national identity.
• The American Dream by Edward Albee Play Analysis The American Dream play is an apologue of how American life has turned awry under the pretext of the American Dream.
• Michelle Obama American Dream Speech Analysis – Michelle’s purpose was to introduce her husband as man who was more concerned about the common citizens’ concerns and who was willing and able to help everyone to realize his/her American dream because he himself […]
• American Dream in “The Pursuit of Happiness” Film In America today, there is a general belief that every individual is unique, and should have equal access to the American dream of life “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”.
• American Dream: “Fences” by August Wilson The American dream makes it clear through its guarantee of the freedom and equality with the promise of prosperity and success as per the ability or personal achievements of every American citizen.”Fences” reveals the obstacles […]
• The Tortilla Curtain: American Dream – Characters, Summary & Analysis The cultural difference between the two families is introduced by the author as a theme describing the role of gender in the community.
• American Dream After World War I People lost vision of what this dream was supposed to mean and it became a dream, not of the vestal and industrious, but of the corrupt coterie, hence corrupting the dream itself.
• American Dream and Socialism in the Book “The Jungle” by Sinclair The main idea of the book lies in upholding the Marxist belief of the inevitable collapse of capitalism and the accession of the proletariat, or industrial working class.
• American Dream and Reality for Minorities The topic of our concern is the reality that is faced by women, blacks, and war veterans who are associated with the American army.
• American Dream of Early Settlers He did not tell the settlers of the difficulties they were going to face in moving from Europe to the land of honey that is America.
• Portrayal of the American Dream in the 20th Century Theatre However, different analysts criticized the use of the amelting pot’ in the play to show the pursuit of the American dream terming it as unrealistic in the sense that the term amelting’ creates a picture […]
• Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’, Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ and the American Dream “The America Dream’ is a longstanding common belief of the American population that in the United States, people are free to realize the full potential of their labor and their talents and every person in […]
• The American Dream in Arthur Miller’s Plays Willy has a distorted vision of the American Dream, and he has such blind faith in this inaccurate vision that it leads to his mental disturbance when he is not able to accept how the […]
• Is the American Dream Still Alive? The American Dream can be defined as a summation of national values entrenched in the culture of the United States. In this regard, the minority groups in the United States are often on the receiving […]
• In Pursuit of the American Dream: An Analysis of Willa Cather’s O Pioneers The experiences of the characters in the novel portray the endeavors of the early immigrants’ pursuit of the American dream. The instinct to forgo the comforts, which a home country offers by default and then […]
• The American Dream: Franklin’s and Douglass’s Perception The objective of this paper, therefore, is to discuss the topic of the American dream and how both Franklin and Douglass, each exemplify this dream.
• The American Dream in The Great Gatsby After spending some time in this neighborhood, Nick finally attends Gatsby’s exuberant parties only to realize that Gatsby organizes these parties to impress Daisy, Nick’s cousin, and wife to Tom.
• The American Dream, Social Status and Hierarchies The persistence of social status and hierarchies in modern-day America undermines the possibility of realizing Winthrop’s ideal community as a goal for the current American Dream, considering his argument of wouldivinely ordained’ holds no traction […]
• The American Dream and Its Roots The tension between the ideals of the American Dream as espoused by the Puritans and the realities of American life has been a recurrent theme in American history.
• Tensions in the American Dream The imbalance can lead to debates and discussions about the meaning and purpose of the American Dream, as well as a conflict between the ideals of freedom and agency and the desire for a more […]
• Support of the American Dream Act of 2001 In contrast to many supporters of the American Dream Act, some individuals claim that the policy promotes the entrance of illegal immigrants.
• The Possibility of Realizing the American Dream Thus, according to the author, the American dream is only a fantasy. Returning to the ideas of Krugman, Cox and Alm, and Dalmia, it seems necessary to highlight some aspects.
• Reflection on the American Dream Concept The vision of the American Dream can be different for individuals, and people create their interpretations according to their specific experiences.
• Reaching the American Dream From Scratch For example, the experience of a person coming to the United States from Haiti is one of poverty, under-resourced communities, and a complete disillusion with the promise of a good life.
• The American Dream Based on “Re Jane” by Patricia Park The main difference is that Jane had a chance to live her dreams in New York than in Seoul. Nina is an example of Jane’s friends who want her to succeed and understand the flaws […]
• The American Dream in Boyle’s The Tortilla Curtain The personal experience of the characters can be explained by their varying life conditions and, hence, are linked to the notion of the American Dream, which can be achieved by everyone while the efforts differ.
• Whitman, Hughes, and the American Dream Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes, two prominent figures of American poetry of the past, are of them.”I Hear America Singing,” “I, Too,” “Harlem,” and “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” are the emotional responses to the […]
• The Corrupted American Dream and Its Significance in “The Great Gatsby” The development of the American dream and its impact on the society of the United States is a pertinent topic of discussion for various authors.
• Color Adjustment: False Image of American Dream The documentary tells the story of white, well-dressed people advertising the American dream, completely ignoring that the U.S.is not only a country of the white race.
• Femininity and the American Dream in Works of Chopin, Gilman, and Williams Even though the general understanding of the American dream was advertised to everyone, the idea was more applicable to the male members of the American society, which is reflected in Chopin’s “The Story of an […]
• The American Dream and Success One of the most pertinent topics associated with the American Dream is taking the courage to act and seize the opportunity.
• The Concept of American Dream: Examples of Columbus and Bradstreet Bradstreet’s other dream was to be able to secure a position in the ‘New world’ and still be seen as a woman who cares for her family.
• Racial Wealth Gap and the American Dream The speaker evaluates the accumulative wealth of Blacks, Hispanics, and Whites in America and arrives to the conclusion that race plays a role in financial burdens that many people of color experience.
• American Dreams: The United States Since 1945 Although the major idea of the book is a critical one, the author’s intention does not concern analyzing approaches to the American social evolution in order to define the most adequate one.
• History of Achieving the American Dream James Truslow Adams who wrote the book “The Epic of America” defined the American dream as “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity […]
• The American Dream in the 21st Century It is the labor of these people that allowed the country to afford to build its industry and set up a base for fulfilling the American Dream.
• Willy Loman and the American Dream As a result of his boasting, a great deal of what his family knows about Willy is based upon the image he feels he must portray of himself in order to bring himself in line […]
• Meritocracy and the American Dream In the perception of such people, the American Dream is directly connected to meritocracy, i.e.a judgment on people on their individual abilities rather than the connections of the families, and in that regard such perception […]
• Richard Rodriguez’s Opinion on Migration and the American Dream American seems to refer only to the citizen of the United States and does not include the rest of the people in the continent!
• American Dream Is Not a Myth The paper is based on the argument, a simplified definition of the American dream: the American dream can be defined as “the achievement of economic and social advancement through hard work and determination”.
• The Immigrant Experience and the Failure of the American Dream The fates of the heroes of the book amaze with their tragedy, and this is the story of slaves of wage labor.
• Tycoons and Their American Dream The American Dream as Rockefeller, Carnegie, Morgan, and others saw it and forged it to be seen by others contributed meaningfully to the values of the American people and the priorities of a nation.
• American Dream in Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” The play Death of a salesman is indeed an anatomy of the American dream especially because the plot of the story revolves around some of the basic material gains that individuals in the American society […]
• “American Dream” of English and Chinese Immigrants My family decided to move to the US from England because of the low wages in our town. My intentions were to explore the new opportunities of the West and to earn more money than […]
• American Dream and Equity of Outcome and Opportunity The American dream is one of the most famous declarations of the world and the American subsequent governments have kept the dream alive for the last hundred years.
• Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream This is one of the drawbacks that should be taken into account by the viewers who want to get a better idea about the causes of the problems described in the movie.
• American Dream in Hansberry’s and Miller’s Tragedies Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” and Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” tell the stories about how people can perceive and be affected by the idea of the American Dream, how they choose wrong dreams […]
• Park Avenue: Money, Power and the American Dream – Movie Analysis It can be taken as the national ethos of the citizens of the USA. The basis of the American society is broken and it is not united anymore.
• Music Talent Shows and the American Dream Talent search shows, like American Idol and The Voice, have suffered a lot of criticism for different reasons. Stanley says the main reason for this cynicism is the failure of such shows to focus on […]
• Michelle Obama’s Remarks on American Dream She added that the main goal was to secure the blessings of liberty and to bring about the fulfillment of the promise of equality.
• The American Dream’s Concept The American economy is also likely to improve as a result of realizing the American dream 2013 since most of the residents are likely to indulge in productive activities as stipulated in the American dream […]
• The Dilemmas of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby is a story of a young man in the early twentieth century who seems to know what he wants in the way of that dream and what to do to achieve it.
• The Concept of Progress or the Pursuit of the American Dream The concept of progress or the pursuit of the American Dream since 1930s has been a matter of concern for many immigrants who believe that they can achieve much in the US than in their […]
• The Book American Dream by Jason DeParle From the name of the book, it is clear that the cardinal theme of the book is the American dream. This is contrary to the fact that she was pregnant and in a crack house.
• The Definition of the Great American Dream: Hearing Opportunity Knock Although the concept of the American Dream is very recognizable, its essence is very hard to nail down, since it incorporates a number of social, economical and financial principles; largely, the American Dream is the […]
• The American Dream Negative Sides and Benefits The United States is thought of as the land of opportunity and there are many people who want to live “The American Dream”.
• Role of Money in the American Dream’s Concept Many people lack the meaning of the American dream because they are always looking forward to find opportunity and fail to realize that the opportunity to succeed is always around them in the work they […]
• The Reality of American Dream The government encouraged the immigration of the population whose labor and skills were required in the United States. The housing in the urban was overcrowded with very unsanitary conditions, and some of the immigrants did […]
• Social Status Anxiety and the American Dream The pain of a loss and the status anxiety that came with being inferior to other students at Harvard instigated the urge to revenge and brought a desire to achieve success.
• Francis Scott Fitzgerald & His American Dream In the novel “Tender is the Night,” Fitzgerald describes the society in Riviera where he and his family had moved to live after his misfortune of late inheritance.
• American Dream: Is It Still There? It is a dream for immigrants from the Middle East to be in America; a country where discrimination is history and where no one will prevent them from achieving their dreams in life.
• The American Dream: Walt Disney’s Cinderella and Ron Howard’s Cinderella Man This is attributed to the fact that the original ideas and the fundamental principals that founded the dream are quickly fading away given the changing fortunes of the average American.
• The Death of the American Dream It is the moral decay that leads to the loss of freedom, the very essence of the founding of the American dream.
• American Dream and Unfulfilling Reality Living the American dream is the ultimate dream for most of the American citizens and those aspiring to acquire American citizenship.
• Inequality and the American Dream It is only after the poor workers are assured of their jobs that the American model can be said to be successful.
• A Response to the Article “Inequality and the American Dream” It has drawn my attention that other world countries embrace the “American model” since the super power has enormous wealth and its economic development is marked by up-to-date juggernauts of globalization and technology.
• Fitzgerald’s American Dream in The Great Gatsby & Winter Dreams To my mind, Winter Dream is a perfect example of the American Dream, since the main hero, Dexter, implemented each point of it, he was persistent and very hard-working, he was a very sensible and […]
• How Did Ben Franklin Exemplify the American Dream?
• Does Fitzgerald Condemn the American Dream in “The Great Gatsby”?
• How Do Benjamin Franklin and Frederick Douglass Represent the American Dream?
• Has America Lost Its Potential to Achieve the American Dream?
• How Has Disney’s Social Power Influenced the Vision of the American Dream?
• Does the American Dream Really Exist?
• How Does the Great Gatsby Portray the Death of the American Dream?
• What Does “The Great Gatsby” Have to Say About the Condition of the American Dream in the 1920s?
• How Does One Achieve the American Dream?
• What Are the Greatest Obstacles of Full Access to the American Dream?
• How Has the American Dream Been Translated Into Popular Film?
• What Does the American Dream Mean to an Immigrant?
• How Does Arthur Miller Through “Death of a Salesman” Deal With the Theme of the American Dream?
• What Must Everyone Know About the American Dream?
• How Has the American Dream Changed Over Time?
• What Is Infamous About the American Dream?
• How Does Millar Portray His Views of the American Dream Using Willy Loman?
• When Did American Dream Start?
• How Has the Media Changed the American Dream?
• Who Would Think the American Dream Isn’t Possible?
• How Does Steinbeck Present the American Dream in “Of Mice and Men”?
• Why Will Equal Pay Help Women Achieve the American Dream?
• How Might the Disadvantage of Immigration Affect the Chances of Having That American Dream?
• Why Is the American Dream Equally Given and Registered To All Citizens?
• How Does Extreme Inequality Make the American Dream Inaccessible?
• Why Is the American Dream Still Alive in the United States?
• How Are Millennials Redefining the American Dream?
• Why Is the American Dream Unattainable?
• How Does Society Influence the Idea of the American Dream?
• Why Must the United States Renew Opportunities to Achieve the American Dream to Reform Immigration Policy?
• Success Ideas
• Social Security Paper Topics
• Wealth Research Topics
• Inequality Titles
• Materialism Topics
• Declaration of Independence Paper Topics
• Happiness Research Ideas
• US History Topics
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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American Dream essays

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During the 1920s, America welcomed an economic boom that established huge economic growth within American industries as well as aided the birth of a new consumer culture. With this, America saw the growth of ideals that aided the lives of the individual and bolstered a new optimism that strengthened the...

During the 1920s, America welcomed an economic boom that established huge economic growth within American industries as well as aided the birth of a new consumer culture. With this, America saw the growth of ideals that aided the lives of the individual and bolstered a new optimism that strengthened the idea of the American Dream as a beacon of hope within society. However, the definition of the American Dream was often refabricated in order to become compatible with the individual’s devotion to the idea of his own prosperity and pleasure. The American Dream become a veil under which society used to hide its own corrupt idealism of wealth. The American Dream stood for the idea that the US would contain an equal opportunity for the individual but never gave hope to the idea of equal success; the American Dream could not guarantee economic sustainability or social equality within the US.

The concept of the American Dream slowly became the illusion of immediate affluence within American society. Certainly, the idea of the individual’s pursuit of prosperity, the success stories of the self-made man, and the concept of going from rags to riches formed the popularity of the American Dream in the 1920s and drove those who were impoverished to gain this aspiration to rise from their current social status. According to Kevin M. Kruse, writer for the Nation, “The American Dream was about how to stop bad millionaires, not how to become one.”(Source D). The idea was derived from the idea that the utilization of the phrase ‘the American Dream’ was only employed to describe political ideas, such as protecting individuals from corrupt entities of power, and not a slogan to fuel economic aspirations. Although the American Dream seems to manifest a prosperous lifestyle for some individuals, we can assume the Dream has nothing to do with these presumptions. In addition, in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Gatsby’s mansion symbolizes the concept of the American Dream as it is related to the inability of an individual to obtain it. The text states, “Turning a corner, I saw that it was Gatsby’s house, lit from tower to cellar…. Only wind in the trees, which blew the wires and made the lights go off and on again as if the house had winked into the darkness.”(81, The Great Gatsby). The main idea that Fitzgerald entertains within this quote is that the flickering of the lights as the mansion fades from view might be seen as the falsity of the mansion. As real as it might seem, the way it is described as winking into the darkness may entail the absence of its existence from the American dream as if to show that it is only a dream to obtain it. The presumptions of the economic aspects of the American Dream only delude the individual into chasing the idea of materialistic success.

As the American Dream became a beacon of hope in society, the idea of America being a land of opportunities became a common belief in many countries. With these presumed ideas, America became a magnet for mass immigration. As more immigrants came in search of the economic freedom promised to them, many faced restrictions put in place in order to limit, “the number of immigrants admitted from any country.”(Source C). This event was an effect of the new nativist ideology in the 1920s that seeked to prevent culture change. With restrictions on who was and wasn’t allowed to live the American Dream, we see the prominence of segregation and lack of equality of opportunity within the US. As the US restricted opportunity for immigrants seeking success, it also limited the ability of ordinary American citizens from being able to achieve their goals. This is prominent as a symbol of the state of the American Dream in Langston Hughes’ poem “I Too” as the narrator expresses the discrimination that is imposed onto him through the text, “They send me to the kitchen When company comes.”(Source A). The idea presented in this verse shows the way the author is secluded from reaching his goals because he is ‘sent to the kitchen’. This further confirms that the American dream had no benefit to those seeking to better their economic status and only deceived people into trying to obtain it.

The idea that the American dream was directly responsible for individual prosperity in the 1920s is a falsity derived from the belief in equal opportunity and the belief in the self-made man. Those who believe in the positive aspects of the American Dream may source the higher morale and optimism that was prominent at this time, but that idea was misleading. The overall higher morale in people only existed in the early years of the American Dream as many people still believed that they could change their lives around. In “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, the narrator is established as a middle-class man who desperately tries to live the American Dream, but he slowly suffers from low self-confidence. The narrator remarks that he is “pinned and wriggling on the wall”(Source B) which shows us how he tries to live the values of the American Dream and how because of this, he is stuck in his place in society and cannot move. The narrator’s struggle and low self-confidence depict the negative effects the American Dream had on people. Even with the idea that high morale and optimism were associated with the American Dream, the overall effect it had on the lives of people trying to live up to it was detrimental as it attempted to convince others of a false image.

The American Dream was thought to be the idea of equal opportunity where anyone could gain economic success, but many failed to realize the falsity of the ideas the American Dream expressed. As more and more people attempted the structure their lives to the American Dream, more and more people were faced with the negative living style and poor morale associated with it. Any attempt for people to pursue the American Dream with wealth as their inspiration would be useless as it would only amount to their own demise.   

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Student Opinion

Do You Think the American Dream Is Real?

By Jeremy Engle

• Feb. 12, 2019

What does the American dream mean to you? A house with a white picket fence? Lavish wealth? A life better than your parents’?

Do you think you will be able to achieve the American dream?

In “ The American Dream Is Alive and Well ,” Samuel J. Abrams writes:

I am pleased to report that the American dream is alive and well for an overwhelming majority of Americans. This claim might sound far-fetched given the cultural climate in the United States today. Especially since President Trump took office, hardly a day goes by without a fresh tale of economic anxiety, political disunity or social struggle. Opportunities to achieve material success and social mobility through hard, honest work — which many people, including me, have assumed to be the core idea of the American dream — appear to be diminishing. But Americans, it turns out, have something else in mind when they talk about the American dream. And they believe that they are living it. Last year the American Enterprise Institute and I joined forces with the research center NORC at the University of Chicago and surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,411 Americans about their attitudes toward community and society. The center is renowned for offering “deep” samples of Americans, not just random ones, so that researchers can be confident that they are reaching Americans in all walks of life: rural, urban, exurban and so on. Our findings were released on Tuesday as an American Enterprise Institute report.

What our survey found about the American dream came as a surprise to me. When Americans were asked what makes the American dream a reality, they did not select as essential factors becoming wealthy, owning a home or having a successful career. Instead, 85 percent indicated that “to have freedom of choice in how to live” was essential to achieving the American dream. In addition, 83 percent indicated that “a good family life” was essential. The “traditional” factors (at least as I had understood them) were seen as less important. Only 16 percent said that to achieve the American dream, they believed it was essential to “become wealthy,” only 45 percent said it was essential “to have a better quality of life than your parents,” and just 49 percent said that “having a successful career” was key.

The Opinion piece continues:

The data also show that most Americans believe themselves to be achieving this version of the American dream, with 41 percent reporting that their families are already living the American dream and another 41 percent reporting that they are well on the way to doing so. Only 18 percent took the position that the American dream was out of reach for them

Collectively, 82 percent of Americans said they were optimistic about their future, and there was a fairly uniform positive outlook across the nation. Factors such as region, urbanity, partisanship and housing type (such as a single‐family detached home versus an apartment) barely affected these patterns, with all groups hovering around 80 percent. Even race and ethnicity, which are regularly cited as key factors in thwarting upward mobility, corresponded to no real differences in outlook: Eighty-one percent of non‐Hispanic whites; 80 percent of blacks, Hispanics and those of mixed race; and 85 percent of those with Asian heritage said that they had achieved or were on their way to achieving the American dream.

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James Truslow Adams: Dreaming up the American Dream

Background on James Truslow Adams, who coined the phrase The American Dream.

With the 2016 Presidential election approaching, we can all be sure we’ll be hearing about the American Dream a lot in the coming months. Where did the concept come from?

There was, in fact, a founding father of the American Dream. He was James Truslow Adams and he coined the phrase in his 1931 bestseller The Epic of America . Adams, who was no relation to the Presidential Adamses, had actually wanted to name the book after his central thesis, but his publisher thought that a book called The American Dream wouldn’t sell well during the Great Depression.

Adams’s definition: “a dream of a social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.”

He put it more succinctly elsewhere in the book: a “dream of a better, richer and happier life for all our citizens of every rank.” This contemporary review of Epic notes that Adams alluded to the idea in fifty or more passages in the book. The unnamed reviewer thought Adams believed the dream to be “our greatest contribution to the thought of the world.”

Adams himself was born fortuitously into a wealthy Brooklyn family and became a successful investment banker before transforming himself into a best-selling, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian. This  short essay on Chief Justice John Marshall  published in  The American Scholar  shows he didn’t talk down to a popular audience. The piece is dense and closely-argued, and goes to the heart of the question about just what kind of democracy we have, and might have in the future—his notion that the nation-state was on the way out may have been premature.

Calling something a dream is a tricky proposition, since matching “a better, richer and happier life for all” to today’s economic disparities, limited social mobility, and the overweening power of money in politics makes it sound like a far-fetched fantasy indeed.

Adams himself was clear-eyed: he wrote the American Dream “has been realized more fully in actual life here than anywhere else, though very imperfectly even among ourselves.”

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The Problems of the American Dream: False Hopes and Hurtful Judgments

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While the American Dream for so long has been built into the story of America, few have sought to question whether the dream is a healthy and attainable dream for our country to believe in today. The American Dream arose out of the idyllic and utopian stories of America. It quickly spread as a source of hope amidst a time of war and difficulties. The idyllic story of the dream has become more inflated and focused on monetary success ever since. My thesis aims to compare the teachings and belief of the American Dream story with facts. Statistics show at the same time as the American Dream has become more exaggerated, income mobility has decreased. My thesis explains we must strive for a more attainable dream, and we must do more to help people reach this modified dream. First, we should not teach that every person can become rich from poor. Statistics show that rag-to-riches story of rising from poor to multimillionaires are highly uncharacteristic, and these stories should not be the praised and searched for goal of the dream. Americans will continually be disappointed if this is the ultimate target, and, thus, will grow to disbelieve and resent the dream. Instead, the dream should be for all to reach a point where they can live a modest and sustainable lifestyle. Second, once we shift our focus on the American Dream, we can all play a part to help the struggling families reach this goal. While my thesis provides several recommendations for ways in which the government can help Americans be able to afford basic necessities in life, the dream is not just dependent on the government. My thesis encourages every American to help revise and implement the American Dream for all.

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Amanda Gorman Says the American Dream Is a ‘Dare To Dream Together’ in DNC Address

“Empathy emancipates, making us greater than hate or vanity. That is the American promise, powerful and pure,” the 2017 National Youth Poet Laureate said

Amanda Gorman delivered a new poem on the third night of the Democratic National Convention with a clear message that “love that frees us all.”

The 2017 National Youth Poet Laureate called on Americans to lead with empathy and unity. 

“Empathy emancipates, making us greater than hate or vanity. That is the American promise, powerful and pure,” she said. “Divided, we cannot endure but united, we can endeavor to humanize our democracy and endear democracy to humanity.”

She then inquired that maybe the American dream, that Vice President Kamala Harris represents for many, might not be a dream at all. 

“Perhaps the American dream is no dream at all, but instead a dare to dream together,” she added.

Gorman was the first person to be named National Youth Poet Laureate and the youngest poet to read at a presidential inauguration. She read her poem “The Hill We Climb” at President Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021.

The poet outlined the stakes of the election in her poem. She called for the audience to think critically about who we “fall for.”

“We face a race that tests if this country we cherish shall perish from the earth, and if our earth shall perish from this country, it falls to us to ensure that we do not fall for a people that cannot stand together, cannot stand at all,” she added.

Gorman concluded her three minute poem by calling Americans to step up and redeem this country that men and women have fought wars over.

“Let us not just believe in the American dream. Let us be worthy of it,” Gorman concluded.

Watch the full poem recitation here:

Poet and activist Amanda Gorman addresses the DNC: "We are one family, regardless of religion, class or color. For what defines a patriot is not just our love of liberty, but our love for one another." https://t.co/cS91XqZhJh pic.twitter.com/ivLLBaOEzi — ABC News Live (@ABCNewsLive) August 22, 2024

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Home — Essay Samples — Economics — American Dream — Is the American Dream Still Alive?

Is The American Dream Still Alive?

• Categories: American Dream

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Words: 712 |

Published: Jan 30, 2024

Words: 712 | Pages: 2 | 4 min read

Table of contents

Introduction, history of the american dream, economic perspective on the american dream, social perspective on the american dream, cultural perspective on the american dream, personal perspective on the american dream, counterarguments to the american dream, references:.

• Kelly, P. (2020). The American Dream. Forbes.
• Gallup. (2020). Americans Still Believe in the American Dream.
• Kochhar, R. (2016). The American Dream: Dead, Alive, or on Hold? Pew Research Center.
• Wilhelm, H. & Schulte, B. (2020). Is the American Dream Dead? Global Young Voices.
• Delgado, R. & Stefancic, J. (2001). Understanding Words That Wound.

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