Bruno, 2019. What Really is the American Dream? 5
may take on several forms. It is my view that the American Dream can indeed be firmly grounded
– base on the existing scholarship, and granted academic credential. By this I mean, there could be
a clearer scholarly path of the placement of that American aspiration;
somewhat of a literary
weaving of the dream by connecting or synthesizing the ideas from the founding articles of the
United States.
Jillson (2016) sees the American Dream as “the broad promise of the American life,”
6
and
adds that the American Dream “was denied to many Americans for most of the nation’s history.”
7
The question is, therefore, when does the dream begin and where does it end? We learn from
Jillson (2016) that the dream has been denied, and this is one of the
factors which drives this
research to determining how an aspirational ideal could be denied. Remember, however, that it
was earlier noticed that the dream could also be ‘attained’ or 'achieved,’ so if the ream can at times
be attained; it can at times be denied. Maybe Jillson (2016) is unto something here, but the scholar
is still vague. The question, then, is not whether the dream exists, but how it exists. It would appear
also that the dream assumes different practical senses and forms, and though this may be the case,
a standard construct would probably better serve the dream.
What appears to be certain is that the overarching concept of the American Dream is not
planted in material accumulation, although – especially in more contemporary era – the dream
generally finds itself manifested in material or capital gains and/or achievements. If one were to
examine the idea of the dream as material accumulation, there is little doubt that this also
constitutes the dream, but is this all that dreamers aspire for? If the answer is no, and it is very
likely that it is - no, we know that the American Dream is not restricted to an accumulation of
money, a house, car, boat, bling-n-thing (the niceties which drive humanity) and other material
6 .
The American Dream, Jillson, 2016, 1, In History, Politics, and Fiction.
7 . The American Dream, Jillson, 2016, 1, In History, Politics, and Fiction.
Bruno, 2019. What Really is the American Dream? 6
possession(s) or fetish. For some, the dream is to set foot on the US shores, to earn a livelihood
and to be able to care for their families; others simply dream to earn a decent education. The dream,
for some, may be fame and recognition and life in the fast lane, and for others only dream might
be to die doing whatever pleases them. The way it appears is that, no one can truthfully affix their
version of the American Dream on anyone else.
Jillson (2016) observes that “the past disappointments and defects, the rising inequality,
the declining mobility, and the shrinking middle class have left many convinced that the American
dream is no more,”
8
Cullen (2003) shares a similar view. He declares that “you’ll never really
understand what it means to be an American of any creed, color, or gender if you don’t try to
imagine the shape of that dream.”
9
The author goes on to state that “the American Dream of the
Founding
Fathers was freedom,”
10
and in the same breath, he claims that “in some important
respects freedom was not a dream at all but rather a living reality.”
11
It seems, therefore, that the
American Dream is an illusionary reality – for some – as there are many things which corrode,
impede or challenge the attainment of the American Dream.
The dream is an illusionary aspiration because it is premised on a set of unchangeable and
personal ideals with
no definite theoretical syntax, but the dream is a reality in that it helps
individuals navigate from their own circumstances and gravitate to a place of perceived or
inspirational hope. Delbanco (1999), in his writings on the American Dream, agrees that “the
struggle to secure this chance for all Americans
has been bitter and bloody, and it is far from
over.”
12
The trend here is clear as it suggest that the American Dream is not a structured concept,
8 . The American Dream – In History, Politics, and Fiction, Jillson, 2016, 259.
9 . The American Dream, Cullen, 2003, 13, A Short History on an idea that Shaped a Nation.
10 . The American Dream, Cullen, 2003, 41, A Short History an idea that Shaped a Nation
11 . The American Dream, Cullen, 2003, 41, A Short History on an idea that Shaped a Nation.
12 . The Real American Dream, Delbanco, 1999, 87.
Bruno, 2019. What Really is the American Dream? 7
although it is the ideal which has shaped America. With that being the case, the American Dream
requires the sort of definition which this research shall later suggest, but we must first present a
discussion and ratify that definition.
de Crevecoeur (1782) refers to the American Dream
as the ethos of freedom and
opportunity,
13
but he, like all other scholars falls short in offering the exact characteristics of that
dream – probably the dream is not even supposed to be so characterized. But, this research takes
the position that the dream is tied to the indomitable spirit which drives the quest for
freedom,
Chia sẻ với bạn bè của bạn: