American Dream; to Some, Not What it Seemed
“The Americans” by Viet Thanh Nguyen offers the distinct view of a self-contradictory America that while allows the freedom of movement towards success is also an exclusionary destructive nation. “The Americans” follows a family divided by their views of being an American as each member comes to terms with their identity and being open-minded to others’ differences.
“The Americans” shows that America can be a place where people of all different backgrounds can live freely and work their way to success. James Carver grew up as a black man in Alabama constantly having to deal with racism and the feeling of non-belonging. Carver struggled with his identity until he found his place as an aerial bomber in the US Army. He worked hard to gain status in the US Army and his skill gave him authority on his plane. The author wrote that Carver “had survived by focusing on his goal, ascending ever higher, refusing to see the sneers and …show more content…
The idea of being an American ripped the Carver family apart and simultaneously brought the family together by forcing the family to accept each other’s decisions at the expense of their own control and to eventually switch roles when James Carver relied on Claire to regain his health. The fractured family was finally brought back together when James Carver came to terms with his age and inability to control Claire’s life, and opened his mind to her reasons for living in Vietnam. The significance of a self-contradicting America is that people who are welcomed into America where they have freedom and opportunities think that being American is an honor, while those living in other countries may feel excluded from the American title, or may resent America for it’s role in their country’s history or its effect on their land, people, economy, or
“The Americans” by Viet Thanh Nguyen offers the distinct view of a self-contradictory America that while allows the freedom of movement towards success is also an exclusionary destructive nation. “The Americans” follows a family divided by their views of being an American as each member comes to terms with their identity and being open-minded to others’ differences.
“The Americans” shows that America can be a place where people of all different backgrounds can live freely and work their way to success. James Carver grew up as a black man in Alabama constantly having to deal with racism and the feeling of non-belonging. Carver struggled with his identity until he found his place as an aerial bomber in the US Army. He worked hard to gain status in the US Army and his skill gave him authority on his plane. The author wrote that Carver “had survived by focusing on his goal, ascending ever higher, refusing to see the sneers and …show more content…
The idea of being an American ripped the Carver family apart and simultaneously brought the family together by forcing the family to accept each other’s decisions at the expense of their own control and to eventually switch roles when James Carver relied on Claire to regain his health. The fractured family was finally brought back together when James Carver came to terms with his age and inability to control Claire’s life, and opened his mind to her reasons for living in Vietnam. The significance of a self-contradicting America is that people who are welcomed into America where they have freedom and opportunities think that being American is an honor, while those living in other countries may feel excluded from the American title, or may resent America for it’s role in their country’s history or its effect on their land, people, economy, or