A Hidden Meaning

The American Dream is a dream that many people want to thrive in, but what they do not know is what the American Dream truly is. The American Dream is portrayed with a twist in its title, which makes people think, is it truly a dream to live for? Dreams can sometimes be noticed to be ‘too good to be true,’ but some get their head wrapped into the dream instead of realizing the reality. With dreams and reality, it shows that people do not realize that their dream is beyond what they can control. Their work ethic is the fact that they either continue to work hard to succeed their dream or do not. The most important thing is, the reason for a dream continues to be questioned if it is even worth it. Novels and poems will explain these topics to portray what the American Dream truly is.

Society is a huge factor of what one’s dream should or should not be. As for Crook, in Of Mice and Men, it truly shows that some people are not able to dream the ways others can. Society at times, dictates what an individual’s role in life is. As Lennie opens up to Crook about his dream, Crook begins to open up as well. When Curley’s wife puts him in his place saying, “I could get you strung up on a tree so easy it ain’t even funny” (Steinbeck 81). Crook was thinking about the dream, but then came to realize that he needs to face reality. Reality is expressed to people like Crook in a plain way, saying that they can not live the American Dream. Society can also paint a picture to notice all the rejects from the American Dream. In Of Mice and Men, Candy, Crook, Lennie, and Curly’s Wife are all in Crook’s shed and it so happens that all of them are not wanted in society (Steinbeck 80). It is the fact that their dream in this world did not work out as planned or just was not irrelevant. In many cases, one does not determine one’s dream, but society does that for that individual.

Many people get so caught up in their dream, they do not notice who they truly are. Miller makes this evident in the novel, Death of a Salesman, as Willy continues to live the dream that is nonexistent. Biff attempts to show Willy who he is, but Willy is so focused on the fact that he has potential saying, “I am not a dime a dozen! I am Willy Loman, and you are Biff Loman” Miller 105). Biff has a straight up answer to Willy to tell him that he needs to accept Biff for who he is, “I am not a leader of men, Willy and neither are you. You were never anything but a hard-working drummer who landed in the ash can like all of the rest of them!” (Miller 105-106) As of Willy, he is very confused of accepting who he is, but Biff understands that stating, “Why am I trying to become what I don’t want to become” (Miller 105). With these quotes, people at times are just confused trying to figure out their worth in the American Dream And who they truly are.
As peers understand who they are and what dream they should chase, sometimes their mind is just so full of wanting to live the perfect dream. Individuals give up great opportunities because they think that this dream is not for them, when in all reality it is. Biff realizes this in many occasions, as he struggles in school, Bernard states, “. . . all he had to do was go to summer school and make up that subject” (Miller 71). Biff had the chance to play football in college and maybe to become an outstanding athlete. Instead, he does not attempt to make that dream become an outcome of reality. It is like he has come so far to be successful, but at the last second, he did not continue to live that dream. As it could be said, “Does it dry up, like a raisin in the sun?” (Hughes 1-2) Do not let the dream dry up, but instead live that dream that is designed for that individual as it gives one many chances in the dream. At times they do not even realize it.

Many people are confused with what is a dream and the reality of if they will succeed in these dreams. Life gives people so many chances and ways to show who they really are to figure out their dream. With that, there is no way one can get to the dream if one does not have the work ethic to pursue that dream.

Work ethic is key when someone wants to get something done effectively and efficiently. Reading through the novel, Death of a Salesman, Miller shows that it is not always the case. Willy works his whole life and admits, “After all the highways, and trains, and the appointments, and the years, you end up worth more dead then alive” (Miller 76). Willy notices that the dream is not exactly the best thing in life, but also the fact working his butt off is not the solution. As Miller portrays Willy’s non-stop hard work ethic, it brought him to commit suicide. The dream is not easy as Willy says, “There’s more people! That’s what’s ruining this country! Population is getting out of control. The competition is maddening! Smell the stink from the apartment house!” (Miller 7) Willy notices at the beginning of the novel that his job is not easy, so he needs to work hard. When he doesn’t work hard, of course he will not make a living. Having an outstanding work ethic is key, but not overworking an individual can be an outcome of success.

There are times that people know they are failing, but continue to try and cover that up with hard work. Willy struggled to accept his failure, but finally he came to a conclusion admitting, “Charley, I’m strapped, I’m strapped. I don’t know what to do. I was just fired” (Miller 75). Willy continued to hide his failure, which brought him to dig himself a deeper hole. Once he finally realized his failure, it was too late. Willy then realizes that a man cannot always be on top, saying, “A man can’t go out the way he came in, Ben, a man has got to add up to something” (Miller 99). Willy understands that there is a purpose to life and somehow he needs to add up to something, but Willy is in such a deep hole, he committed suicide. Failure is important in life, but attempting to hide it from the world and even one’s self can lead to trouble.
Through all the failures in life, at times it is just the fact that one has been over worked. One would think that with one’s hard work people would notice him and congratulate him with what he has achieved. This occasion occurs and makes him feel useful, but through Willy’s life, no one noticed him through his hard work (Miller 40-41). He continues to be over worked because he has this obligation that he needs to fix his failure. Linda, Willy’s wife, notices that concluding, “The man is exhausted” (Miller 40). Through his hard work covering up his failures, he attempts to succeed the dream that is out of his reach. Living the dream may have felt impossible to Willy at times. He was lost and did not know what to do, which came to the conclusion of his dream to be a fail.

The work ethic of an individual is a key role in succeeding in the American Dream, but does not always come to success. There are struggles, within the process of living that dream, which makes one wonder. Is there a reason to even have the dream?
A dream is something that continues to push one to live. It is something to live for, which can come to conclusion. If one does not have a dream, does he or she truly have a purpose of living or is he or she worthless? Dreams are worth a lot to people because individuals want to be someone, stating, “Hold fast to dreams, For if dreams die, Life is a broken-winged bird. . .” (Hughes 1-3). If one has a dream and he or she lets it die, is there a reason to live? For Willy, he had his dreams, not saying he exactly fulfilled them, but that is what kept him going saying, “I realized that selling was the greatest career a man could want” (Miller 61). If one has a dream, that individual has a purpose. As Willy’s purpose was to be a salesman. An individual’s dream can for tell their vocation in life.

At times, one’s dreams can be confusing, and he or she is lost within the dream. Trying to figure out what they truly want to do with their life. Willy after all the stress and confusion of his hard work in the sales business, Linda says, “Because he’s only a little boat looking for a harbor” (Miller 56). Willy is not sure what to do because of what he has gotten himself into. At this point, he is not sure what is reality and what is the dream. People always expect everyone to have this specific dream, but Biff thinks different, “To devote your whole life keeping stock . . . when all you really desire is to be outdoors, with your shirt off” (Miller 11). Everyone is commanded to live this certain dream, go to college, have a family, but in all reality some just want to break away and make their own little dream. That is what Biff would want to do. Miller portrays later in the novel, he is kind of forced to become what his father was. When he does not want to go down that path. At times people need to refocus and try to figure out are individuals lost in this ‘American Dream?’

Life is not easy and with life people have dreams, which concludes dreams are not easy. Through dreams there are struggles through relationships with oneself and relationships with others. The dream does not always have struggles, but some success. As one has friends it is always nice to know this, “Because . . . because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you . . .” (Steinbeck 14). Lennie gives that confidence to George that they can achieve this dream if of course they work together. At separate times, George gets upset with Lennie, saying, “God you’re a lot of trouble, I could get along so easy and so nice if you weren’t on my tail. I could live so easy and maybe have a girl” (Steinbeck 7). People feel like they are better off on their own, but they need someone to hang on to. These are just small struggles, but a huge struggle is if one loses something that is important to them that makes them successful. As it is essential to have a hand, this poem states, “Don’t let him cut off my hand” (Frost 25). These items are so important to each individual because it can affect how successful they are to pursue the American Dream. It truly portrays one’s success in this world through struggles.

The American Dream is not exactly the way people portray it to be. Through the points, brought together in this essay, the American Dream is not the best thing to live for. Of course, not everyone will fail, but the failing percentage is high. This then provokes a question about whether or not the dream is even worth it. Depending on the way someone encounters the dream could visualize the outcome of who one truly is within where they are at with the American Dream.

 

Works Cited
Frost, Robert. “Out, Out–.” poetryfoundation.org. 30 October 2017. Web.
Hughes, Langston. “Dreams.” poetryfoundation.org. 30 October 2017. Web.
Hughes, Langston. “Harlem.” poetryfoundation.org. 30 October 2017. Web.
Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. Penguin, 1998.
Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. Penguin, 1993.