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Madison Goad
Mrs. Bernhard
English AP Lit
14 December 2015
The American Dream
The concept of the American Dream has become an outdated idea based on an America
that has since then evolved in every aspect of the dream itself. It has sources in a largely bigoted
society full of twisted images of what, at the time, was considered the ideal situation for the
aspiring. American. During times of extreme hatred based on uncontrollable afflictions,
Americans will keep the dream alive of a better tomorrow. This supposed better tomorrow has
become an idea that generations since its conception, have clung to. In a poem written by Amy
H., she expresses that the American Dream is a reality and that it is everything we desire (H).
Although to some, the American Dream will always be the classic image of stereotypical roles in
society, the ideals are not extremely different from those today because of similarities in the
pursuit of general wealth
The definition of a concept can be difficult, especially considering that the explanation of
a concept can vary depending on who defines it; the challenge increases when the concept
describes the dreams and aspirations of an entire society of dreamers. However, as defined by the
Merriam-Webster dictionary, the American dream is, an American social ideal that stresses
egalitarianism and especially material prosperity; an ideal that also happens to rhyme with
Bavarian cream (American Dream). Though that is just the definition of a single dictionary,
other companies have their own definitions. Definitions that reflect the desires of the employees

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who defined the ideal. Ultimately, there is no concrete answer as to what society means when it
outlines the American dream.
Although the American Dream cannot be clearly defined, society is able to characterize
the ideal with varying generalizations. For example, in a class exercise, students widely agreed
that a successful career, a family, and a nice home characterized the dream. The definition that
the students provided is relatively simple and arguably possible to achieve; this could be due to
the fact that teenagers today have witnessed the effects of inflation and therefore have simpler
aspirations due to lowered expectations. However, any number of situations or experiences could
have aided in their ideal American dream. For example, the dream of someone from a previous
generation would likely have the same characteristics, though that generation would prefer a stay
at home wife, three children, and a dog.
Despite the true conception of the American Dream being within a book published in
1931 by John Truslow Adams, the peak of the ideal dream was around the 50s. The novel A
Prayer for Owen Meany, written by John Irving, is a fair representation of the 50s through the
early 70s. The timeline showcases the change in ideal family life as the preferences and mindsets
of American society itself changed. Early 50s, the United States was recovering from WWII and
soldiers were welcomed home as if they were Gods angels themselves. These soldiers came
home, claimed their brides that embraced the stereotypical hair and dress of the time, and had at
least three children. In Irvings novel, the extended family of Johnny Wheelwright is a near
perfect example of the American family ideal at that time. In the novel, Johnny has three cousins
who live with a successful father and a beautiful, kind mother. They are the epitome of a nuclear
family, and the epitome of the 50s. In the novel, Johnny Wheelwright describes his cousins
home in Sawyer Depot as spacious and pretty, and along the lake the family kept a boathouse

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which was remodeled to resemble an English pub(Irving). Obviously, the Eastman family had
no struggles with money and had a wonderful lifestyle that could very easily represent the
American Dream.
Unlike the Eastman family in A Prayer for Owen Meany, the Lomans of Death of a
Salesman, could only imagine what it would be like to experience and live the American Dream.
While the Eastman family owned an extremely successful lumber mill, Willy Loman continually
struggles to make a successful living through being a salesman. Although the Lomans have the
same dream as the Eastmans, the live in the facade of the lifestyle rather than actually
experiencing it. When the Loman home is first introduced, Arthur Miller describes it as a small,
fragile-seeming home (Miller). The adjectives attached to the house almost exactly describe the
lives of the Lomans, small and fragile, and unstable at best. In order to boost their egos and feel
as though they were closer to the American Dream they would purchase the shiniest, newest
gadgets despite the overall quality being very poor. For the Lomans, those products would lead
them closer to actually living the American Dream. Towards the end of Millers description of
the Lomans home, he writes that it had an air of the dream clings to the place, a dream rising
out of reality. Although the family aspires to succeed and obtain the dream, Miller makes it
clear that their dreams are unrealistic compared to that of the majority of America.
Although the concept of the American Dream is flexible and bends to the will of the
dreamer, it generally has a basis among society. In a way, the dream is anything just out of ones
reach, a person can grow and become happier and happier, but the dream will just inch out of the
way every time. Furthermore, the American Dream could also be considered to feel like one is
running very fast and very hard, trying to move forward, only to feel as though theyve not even
moved an inch. So although some forms of the dream are attainable, whether it be owning a huge

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home or having the classic nuclear family, there will always be a time when the ideals are too big
for the dreamer, and they feel as though theyve fallen closer to Bavarian cream than the
American dream.

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Works Cited
"American Dream." Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 21 Dec. 2015.
H, Amy. "The American Dream." The American Dream. Teenink, n.d. Web. 17 Dec. 2015.
Irving, John. A Prayer for Owen Meany: A Novel. New York: Morrow, 1989. Print.
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman; Certain Private Conversations in Two Acts and a Requiem.
New York: Viking, 1949. Print.