A Transformation of the American Dream
A Transformation of the American Dream
Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value." (Albert Einstein) The American Dream, although different for each one of us, is the personal paradise, we all aspire to achieve. It promises prosperity and self-fulfillment as rewards for hard work and self-reliance. It offers faith in the possibility of a better life. Traditionally, the original dream consisted of a spiritual quest, the pursuit of a sublime gratification. Humanity’s main goal was to become one with God. It was a dream in an era where the spiritual world dominated people’s values. The dream was pure, selfless and devout. People were in search of the divine. However with time, the spiritual quest was mutated into a material quest. The American Dream was transformed into a desire to attain wealth and power. Society began to prioritize their materialistic desires over self-discovery. They were now in pursuit of worldly goods, and desired a life of great wealth. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story, Winter Dreams the new transformed American Dream is portrayed. This story tells the tale a young man’s obsession and determination for the love of Judy Jones, a women who represents the ideal characteristics of the American Dream. She is beautiful, rich and persuasive- everything that Dexter wants. She is the American Dream. However, Fitzgerald illustrates how life based on materialism alone is a corruption rather than a fulfillment of the American Dream. He portrays how those who try to maintain a lifestyle based purely on materialistic values are doomed by their self-delusion. In this sense, the story shows how the American Dream is an illusion, how it can be detrimental to oneself and how it is temporary and easily destroyed thus demonstrating the corruption within the American Dream.
In itself, the American Dream is an illusion. In Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, an illusion is defined as ‘a misleading or deceiving image presented to the vision as a perception of something objectively existing in such a way as to cause misinterpretation of its actual nature.’ Similarly, many of the goals and desires that the American Dream holds are not always what they seem to be. On the surface, they may seem to be what everyone wants, however below is the real truth...