The American Dream

The topic of the “American dream” must come up in every 11^th grade English class based on conversations I have had with my classmates.  This, and the fact that we have discussed this subject a good deal in our own class this semester made me hesitant to pursue it on my own in one of these blog posts.  However, I realized that the “American dream” is not always as clear cut as it is presented in “The Death of A Salesman”, Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself”, or “Rip Van Winkle”.  Sometimes it is just an undercurrent to the more obvious theme in a piece of literature.  Discussing nature in my prior blog post made clear how much nature and the American dream are connected, so below I go into depth on a variety of other areas of the American dream.  However, before delving into the literature I want to briefly explain why the idea of the American dream is important to me.  I appreciate our home for the freedoms and opportunities it provides and this goes hand in hand with the idea.  But the American dream means so much to the evolution of the American identity and finding meaning in our past, present, and future.  I find inspiration in what value the American dream holds in our history and its transformation parallel to our evolving nation.

            J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur was a native of France but lived in New York for a good bit of his adult life until the American Revolution.  At this point his support of British rule in the colonies forced him to leave his home in New York.  His now famous letter, “What Is An American,” reveals an interesting side to this supporter of British rule.  One of his first observances of the new land is admiring the development of what was once “wild.” (Crevecoeur 376)   Like Freneau he sees the “New World” as something to be tamed.  However, the most striking thing about Crevecoeur’s letter is his comparison of the colonies to Europe.  He describes the new world as a picture of equality compared to Europe (376).  It is from this idea, and his suggestion of a completely new race, that Crevecoeur starts to form a fresh take on the colonists.  “We are all animated with the spirit of an industry which is unfettered and unrestrained, because each person works for himself.” (376)  He is at times condescending towards a good portion of Americans, “From this promiscuous breed, that race now called Americans have arisen.” (376) By calling the land the “American asylum” and painting a picture of the poor and downtrodden arriving in America and becoming full citizens there certainly seems to be an air of superiority and lack of relatability.  However, he ends on a positive note, summarizing brilliantly what we today recognize as key characteristics of the American dream and spirit, “Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labours and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world.” (378)  Crevecoeur emphasizes that these labors are a product of self-interest, getting to the heart of the self-made man narrative so common in the American storyline.  In the end, he calls the American a new man, but I would argue he does not see himself as one.  Despite his amazing comprehension of the beginning of the American character, the air of elitism and otherness sensed throughout his letter suggest he does not identify as such.  It was exactly this separation of character and purpose that allowed him to be so insightful and it is the leaving of those like him who supported crown rule that allow the realization of being an American to fully take form. 

            Also from this time period is Judith Sargent Murray’s “On the Equality of the Sexes.”  Although is does not directly address what it means to be an American, Murray proves to readers that she is everything good about Crevecoeur’s American.  Her push to explain that male and female minds are by nature equal is an early form of women’s rights advocacy (Murray 404).  Murray challenged the notion of male superiority, arguing that education and opportunity would transform the lives of women.  This seems to be the spirit of a true American.  Although Crevecoeur probably did not have Murray in mind when he was writing his letter, she fits the description perfectly. 

            Toni Morrison’s short story “Recitatif” challenges what we think of as a modern day American by encouraging the reader to look at two characters of two different races, but without identifying which character is black and which is white.  Their dreams, goals, and accomplishments are a part of the puzzle—but the readers’ ability to use them as clues also relies on their use of stereotypes.  It makes us realize that there are even stereotypes about parts of the American dream—who can accomplish it, what one wants out of it, and who believes in it.  As readers we use where Twyla and Roberta end up living, who they marry, and their wealth to discuss who is white and who is black.  Assumptions of race and class overlap, but so do the stereotypes surrounding the two characters.  Someone who reads this today will have different ideas about why one character might be white and the other black then someone reading this when it was first published.  This makes sense because as Morrison successfully points out race is not a clear-cut line to be drawn, in this case, between white and black Americans. 

             

Works Cited

Crevecoeur, J. Hector St. John de . “Letter III. What Is an American” The Bedford Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Susan Belasco and Linck Johnson, Second ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2014. 374-378. Print.

Morrison, Toni. “Recitatif.” The Bedford Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Susan Belasco and Linck Johnson, Second ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2014. 2151-2167. Print.

Murray, Judith Sargent. “On the Equality of the Sexes” The Bedford Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Susan Belasco and Linck Johnson, Second ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2014. 401-406. Print.