“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”--The American Declaration of Independence makes it no surprise that America has been a beacon of hope and a symbol of freedom. With the struggle for success in a nation filled with countless opportunities, there comes individualism. Valuing individualism, the nation encourages an American to be self-reliant and pleasing to his/her own eyes. Works of American literature from different periods in the country’s history depict the impact of American culture on the individual as well as the American family. Families often succumb to immense societal pressures in regards to maintaining a high social status and attaining great wealth. This among other factors result in familial fragmentation. Consequently,
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Of Edna, The Awakening states, “She would, through habit, have yielded to [her husband’s] desire; not with any sense of submission or obedience to his compelling wishes, but unthinkingly, as we walk, move, sit, stand” (Chopin). Blinded by society’s portrayal of women as loving wives and nurturing mothers, Edna falls into the trap of letting an outside factor determine her identity. Then Edna eventually wakes up and tells herself, “I'm going to pull myself together for a while and think-try to determine what character of a woman I am” (Chopin). At this moment, Edna realizes the label society puts on her as a woman, sees that she does not fit this role, and further seeks to create her own definition of who she is. Although she committed suicide, Edna nonetheless is a representation of the American value of individualism through her steps in developing as a character of her …show more content…
In The Glass Menagerie, the departure of the father marks a major turning point for the Wingfield family leaving Amanda alone with the responsibility of supporting what is left of the family. On top of that, pressure is also placed upon Tom who becomes the man of the household. It is clear that the family is facing a difficult time when Amanda tells Tom, “We have to do all that we can to build ourselves up. In these trying times we live in, all that we have to cling to is--each other” (Williams). Members within an American family need to support each other whether it is financially, emotionally, or physically. This is further exemplified by Richard’s statement in Black Boy, “At the age of twelve, before I had one full year of schooling, I had a conception of life that no experience would ever erase” (Wright). By this age, Richard had experienced many difficult and unfair events in his life. After his father leaves, his mother starts working to support Richard and his brother, Alan. They face many hardships simply trying to put food on the table from the trouble Richard got himself into--being taken into the bar and given alcohol when Ella was not present to watch over him--to Ella’s paralytic strokes that prevented her from continuing to work. As a family tries to gain wealth and live up to the standards society sets, they face countless obstacles and trials that constantly
Of Edna, The Awakening states, “She would, through habit, have yielded to [her husband’s] desire; not with any sense of submission or obedience to his compelling wishes, but unthinkingly, as we walk, move, sit, stand” (Chopin). Blinded by society’s portrayal of women as loving wives and nurturing mothers, Edna falls into the trap of letting an outside factor determine her identity. Then Edna eventually wakes up and tells herself, “I'm going to pull myself together for a while and think-try to determine what character of a woman I am” (Chopin). At this moment, Edna realizes the label society puts on her as a woman, sees that she does not fit this role, and further seeks to create her own definition of who she is. Although she committed suicide, Edna nonetheless is a representation of the American value of individualism through her steps in developing as a character of her …show more content…
In The Glass Menagerie, the departure of the father marks a major turning point for the Wingfield family leaving Amanda alone with the responsibility of supporting what is left of the family. On top of that, pressure is also placed upon Tom who becomes the man of the household. It is clear that the family is facing a difficult time when Amanda tells Tom, “We have to do all that we can to build ourselves up. In these trying times we live in, all that we have to cling to is--each other” (Williams). Members within an American family need to support each other whether it is financially, emotionally, or physically. This is further exemplified by Richard’s statement in Black Boy, “At the age of twelve, before I had one full year of schooling, I had a conception of life that no experience would ever erase” (Wright). By this age, Richard had experienced many difficult and unfair events in his life. After his father leaves, his mother starts working to support Richard and his brother, Alan. They face many hardships simply trying to put food on the table from the trouble Richard got himself into--being taken into the bar and given alcohol when Ella was not present to watch over him--to Ella’s paralytic strokes that prevented her from continuing to work. As a family tries to gain wealth and live up to the standards society sets, they face countless obstacles and trials that constantly