The American Dream Flisiuk Analysis

Dream of All, Life of None

The American Dream has been a desire and interest of American citizens since the development of this very nation. It epitomizes the “hard work” approach to attaining success by idealizing the notion that anything is possible as long as effort is put in. This dream has led to an influx of immigrants looking to improve their financial outlook or seeking refuge from their unstable home country. In the article “American dream delayed: Father struggles to bring family from Syria to Maine,” author Francis Flisiuk reports the situation of an immigrant struggling to bring his family to United States from the war-torn and unstable Syria. Flisiuk contends that the American Dream has gradually faded into an unreality with a

The article “American dream delayed: Father struggles to bring family from Syria to Maine” recounts the story of 55-year-old Syrian immigrant Yassin Saker. Before immigrating to the United States, Saker and his family were constantly living on the doorstep of death, having “‘escaped [it] over 20 times…’” (Flisiuk). Constant danger combined with struggling finances convinced Saker and his family, just like 4 million other Syrians, to flee to the “Land of Opportunity,” the United States. Saker’s American Dream of improving his financial situation and protecting his family from the dangers in Syria, however, is yet to come true. His wife and three children are still in Syria as the US immigration policy has delayed their migration. Now, Saker is laboring to bring his beloved family to the United States and to improve his financial situation so that his family can lead a decent life. Saker’s

Tracking back to Saker’s situation, every step that he has been able to take towards the American Dream can be attested to, according to him, “‘the people here [being] so good to [him which has convinced him] that the dream that anyone can come here and establish a life from nothing is alive’” (Flisiuk). Although the American Dream suggests settling in the US starting withfrom nothing, anyone would need some form of external support during the onset of his or her transition to cope with the hardships associated with such a dramatic shift. In “America and Americans,” Steinbeck emphasizes how dependent we are on one another in our pursuit for success as well as the lack of acknowledgment there is for that reliance. We have become so accustomed to receiving support that we often forget about those who guide us in the face of difficulty. Similarly, achieving a goal as demanding as the American Dream requires the utmost amount of emotional support. The fact that many immigrants usually attempt the near impossible on their own explains why the American Dream has become so unattainable. No matter how the American Dream evolves in the coming years, one thing will always remain clear: the support of others is a requirement on the road to