The American Dream has been an irresistible goal occupying the minds of citizens for almost a century. It has been a prime motivation for achieving success. It has been attained by some and some are still working to attain it. The American Dream is still standing with copious amounts of people reaching it.
The ideal dream alters based on each individual. The main ideology of the American Dream is the achievement of success. However, success is perceived differently on ways of attaining it and what it means. For example, success can be absolute (Hochschild). Jennifer Hochschild states, “Achieving the American dream implies reaching some threshold of well-being, higher than where one began but not necessarily dazzling” (Hochschild). In addition, success can be competitive (Hochschild). She also says, “Success can, alternatively, be competitive - achieving victory over someone else. My success implies your failure” (Hochschild). Each
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Authorities of the nation have vocalized their views on the transformation of the dream (Amadeo). Originally, it was a goal for obtaining rights for minorities. Kimberly Amadeo states, “President Wilson supported the voting rights of women. It led to the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1918” (Amadeo). Further, “President Johnson promoted Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That ended segregation in the schools. It protects workers from discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy) or national origin” (Amadeo). Recently, the dream has been about gaining materialistic possessions. The shift is demonstrated in the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, The Great Gatsby (Amadeo). Amadeo states, “In it, the character Daisy Buchanan cries when she sees Jay Gatsby’s shirts, because she’s ‘never seen such—such beautiful shirts before.” The evolution of the dream has altered from obtaining equal rights to obtaining property and