The Myth Of The American Dream Essay

Mahek Patel

Mr. Cuccaro

English III CP

19 April 2023

The Myth of The American Dream The idea of the American Dream has been followed since the dawn of the nation. In simple terms, it is the concept that through hard work and determination one has the potential to achieve success. For many individuals, achieving this concept looks extremely different, as there are no clear boundaries of what "the dream" entails. For others, however, when circumstances are factored in, attaining the American Dream becomes significantly more complex. Additionally, since it is human nature to never fully reach satisfaction, the American Dream perpetuates the need to always have more. This leads many through an endless chase of achieving success through societal

America is viewed as the “land of opportunity”, however, these opportunities are not equal for all Americans. The upper class and elite are more likely to have access to higher education and lucrative jobs, thus setting them up for a more successful future. Income inequality further widens the gap in quality of life and resources between the upper and lower class. The vision of the American Dream fails to take into account the hardships faced by those of lower socioeconomic classes. By grouping all Americans into one category, people are misled into believing hard work and determination is all you need to achieve the idealized American Dream. Unfortunately, this provides a false image of reality as socioeconomic status plays a crucial role in determining a person’s social mobility. Alexander Adames, a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology who examined the consequences of social mobility in socioeconomic classes states, “ The issue with the ‘success sequence’ of the American dream is that people have different access to things like education, connections, and job opportunities” (Adames). The American

There are numerous obstacles that block the way of minorities and lower socioeconomic classes from reaching the “The Dream”. For a select few “The Dream” is theoretically attainable, but only because of privileges that stem from wealth and access to higher education. In other cases, many use ‘the dream’ as something to constantly chase to fully achieve, distracting them from their own reality, that there is no end, that it is inevitable, that one will never be satisfied and want to continue working towards it. Although, the motivation of achieving the American Dream is what built the foundation of the country, to this day it is still unreasonable and