Hegemonic Discourse Of The American Dream

Academic Introduction

The philosophy of the American dream is deeply rooted in the soul of the American nation. It portrays the idea of America as a land where all dreams can come true and where those individuals who work hard can live a fuller, happier life. Since the very beginning of the establishment of this ideology, it was already repleted with stereotypes which are still present these days. Taking this into account, to what extent is the American dream really achievable? The aim of this paper is to show how the hegemonic discourse of the American dream is based on stereotypes and consequently fails at accomplishing the expectatives of those who believe in it. Therefore, it will discuss the discourse’s inability to provide financial

During the journey, several setbacks occur: the old Volkswagen Type 2 breaks down, Richard is left in bankrupt, grandpa dies suddenly and Dwayne’s hopes to join the Air Force are destroyed. However the family continues with the goal of taking Olive to the contest- even if it doesn't quite go as planned. As it has been said previously, this movie has been chosen because it deals with the stereotypes present in the American dream; examines the state apparatus of family and how it influences cultural agents and shows how the patriarchal discourse affects gender-roles and girls’ perception of beauty. Accordingly, the frame of this study is mainly Cultural Studies but also Feminism. There are a few scholars and cinephiles who have analysed Little Miss Sunshine from different perspectives, however very few of them have stressed the movie’s connection with the ideology of the American dream. Nevertheless, many historians and scholars have studied this philosophy. For instance Jennifer Hochschild in his book Facing Up to the American Dream: Race, Class, and the Soul of the Nation (1995) examines how millions of immigrants have moved to America to fulfill their American dream and how “many have achieved success [and] probably as just as many have been defeated and

It genesis can be set in 1620 with a group of English religious dissenters who looked for a space in which many generations could be prosperous; then the dream of religious freedom shifted towards a conviction of America as a country of unlimited opportunities where everyone can live a happy and successful life. Despite the fact that the idea of the American Dream may be encouraging and inspiring, it has now become quite impractical and impossible to attain because it is mainly built around stereotypes. Little Miss Sunshine presents its audience a realistic vision of life in an attempt to denote the massive imperfections in this idealised principle which is so common within American society. Each one of the Hoovers present a stereotype of the American dream: those of attaining financial or material success; personal achievement; the want to be good-looking and the desire of living a happy and “normal” family life. However, as it has been discussed throughout the paper, all of the character’s hopes and aspirations are vanished despite strongly believing in the possibility of achieving their American dream. Richard, notwithstanding his self-motivation and efforts putted in the publication of his book, meets bankruptcy; Dwayne, whose only hope is to join the Air Force, learns he won’t be able to fulfill