“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.”. This excerpt from the US constitution shows the basis of the American national ethos of equal opportunity in a pursuit of happiness and fulfilment, this ethos having been manifested into an idea more recently known as the American Dream. The human experience in this instance is a parallel to the American Dream, also at its core being the pursuit of happiness and fulfilment, this idea of happiness being different to each individual. John Steinbeck’s novella “Of Mice and Men” and Sean Penn’s film “Into the Wild” offer insight into the human experience through a sceptical interrogation
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Steinbeck depicts this in “Of Mice and Men” through George and Lennie’s dream; to live on a ranch with various farm animals and crops to harvest and rely on no one but themselves. Steinbeck uses the mantra “livin off the fatta the lan” as a symbol for George and Lennie’s desire for material possession in a ranch as a source of security and fulfilment, showing the materialism that now goes hand in hand with the modern American Dream. In comparison, “Into the Wild” goes about addressing the materialistic nature of the American Dream in almost the opposite fashion. In a modern context in which the materialism has taken over society, Penn depicts Chris as somewhat of an outlier who rejects the materialism associated with the dream in favour of a pursuit of self-enlightenment in nature, his own version of the dream. Penn depicts this through the contrast of the nature of Chris’ journey compared to that of the normal American pursuing the Dream. This can be seen through Chris’ conversation with Mr. Franz: “Mr. Franz, I think careers are a 20th century invention and I don't want one.”, Penn shows Chris’ constant rejection of material fulfilment, in this case a career, to criticise the materialistic nature of the Dream and show its almost unavoidable presence in the pursuit of
Steinbeck depicts this in “Of Mice and Men” through George and Lennie’s dream; to live on a ranch with various farm animals and crops to harvest and rely on no one but themselves. Steinbeck uses the mantra “livin off the fatta the lan” as a symbol for George and Lennie’s desire for material possession in a ranch as a source of security and fulfilment, showing the materialism that now goes hand in hand with the modern American Dream. In comparison, “Into the Wild” goes about addressing the materialistic nature of the American Dream in almost the opposite fashion. In a modern context in which the materialism has taken over society, Penn depicts Chris as somewhat of an outlier who rejects the materialism associated with the dream in favour of a pursuit of self-enlightenment in nature, his own version of the dream. Penn depicts this through the contrast of the nature of Chris’ journey compared to that of the normal American pursuing the Dream. This can be seen through Chris’ conversation with Mr. Franz: “Mr. Franz, I think careers are a 20th century invention and I don't want one.”, Penn shows Chris’ constant rejection of material fulfilment, in this case a career, to criticise the materialistic nature of the Dream and show its almost unavoidable presence in the pursuit of