Bindle Stiffs 'American Dream'

Bindle Stiffs’ American Dream Let down by a series of unfortunate events, the American Dream in this novel remains unfulfilled by every character involved. Originally, the ‘dream’ in this book was to own your personal property where you reside after working so hard for it. With owning your own property, you would ultimately be your own boss. You decide how many hours you work, what you’re working for, and how much you work to get what you want. You have the freedom to do as you please. With being the boss of everything in your own place, you get to be in charge of what goes on and who is allowed to participate in the activities going on. To own your personal land, means that you don’t have to rely on someone else to get you the necessities

While in the great depression, you either stayed in the class you were in before the market crashed throughout this crisis, or you suffered and went down a social class then became poverty stricken. There was no ‘coming up from the bottom’ in the great depression. If you were a bindlestiff, you remain so.The American dream was ultimately a pipe dream for bindlestiffs, it was too good to be true. With being in need of a job all the time and not being able to make money, no bindlestiff was ever able to achieve this dream. There wasn’t enough money going into the economic cycle to stimulate it and keep it healthy. For example, Candy was willing to give the little money he had in hopes of making this dream work. In the book Candy suggests, “Maybe if I give you guys my money, you’ll let me hoe in the garden even after I ain’t no good at it. An’ I’ll wash dishes an’ little chicken stuff like that. But I’ll be on our own place, an’ I’ll be let to work on our own place,” he said miserably (Steinback 30). The great depression was a time of pessimism. No one had faith in achieving the American Dream, many thought it wasn’t