John Steinbeck's Paradox Of The American Dream

The American Dream: the classic rags to riches, something from nothing story. The concept is countlessly repeated in literature, cinema, and real life, and it raises speculation about what makes the idea limited to the United States. Is this common anecdote exclusive to only the US? The “American” Dream is integral to American culture but is just as applicable to other nations and foreign individuals that do not fly the Star Spangled Banner. The American Dream has common themes that are not unique to only the US. John Steinbeck’s “Paradox and Dream” believes a recurring continuity is the “the dream of and the hunger for home”(Steinbeck). The desire for home was prevalent when interviewing Chico Fraley about his own American Dream. He said, “Growing up, [ the American Dream] was having a family of five or six with a big house with a view, driving whatever car we wanted.” So, the longing for home is paramount in American culture, yet it exists outside the US borders as well. Steinbeck wrote, “Of course, the home dream can be acted out almost anywhere…”(Steinbeck). He was acknowledging how it could span from urban areas to the suburbs, but the scale can be expanded farther than that. The rest of the world does not consist of vagrant, nomadic tribes. There has been a desire for settlement long before the US was established and …show more content…
The idea has existed far before the United States and subsists outside its borders. Today, one may argue the American Dream is disappearing, but one can see the common goal exists on a larger scale by dismissing the national identity it is associated. At the core, we all desire the same goal no matter where we come from and where we go to achieve it. The only separations we face are the opportunities were are given and the work we are willing put in to achieve our not-so-American