The American Dream Narrative

Ariana Longoria

Professor Herndon

SOC 4150-001

November 28, 2018

The American Dream Narrative

People all throughout the world believe in The American Dream: a narrative about opportunity and self-betterment that has been spoon-fed and sold to generation after generation. According to page 81 of Dustin Kidd's Pop Culture Freaks: Identity, Mass Media, and Society, the American Dream says that if one works hard enough, eventually, they will succeed and prosper. This class-themed narrative has been chased by so many, yet obtained by few. For most American Dream seekers, their biggest desire is upward mobility. Despite how simple it sounds, upward mobility is just about impossible in this society that is fueled by inequality. The assumption with the American Dream is that if you are not succeeding, then you must not be working hard enough. The issue with this assumption is that it fails to take into consideration barriers a person may face that would keep them from pursuing this common sought-after vision. Nowadays it seems that people more and more are catching on to this narrative and realizing that it is merely unattainable and just plain unrealistic. However, when comparing, for instance, the recent Honduran immigrants trying to enter our southern borders, the American Dream is still alive and well. These adults and children are coming here to America looking to seek political asylum. They are doing everything they can (including being attacked with tear gas) to come to into this country for opportunity, success, safety, for the American Dream.

The American Dream Movie Playlist:

The Great Gatsby

American Beauty

Little Miss Sunshine

The Wolf of Wall Street

American Psycho

The Great Gatsby is known for its connection and critique of the American Dream. At first glance, the audience thinks that Gatsby, the main character, has attained the American Dream, since he worked to have a great amount of wealth throughout his adult life thus far.  However, the audience quickly understands that Daisy, the woman Gatsby is in love with, is the incarnate American Dream. Due to Daisy being married and since she is from old money, Gatsby can never have her. This is basically a metaphor comparing Gatsby’s inability to get Daisy to the impossibility of achieving the American Dream.

One of the central themes of American Beauty is the idolization of the American Dream.

In the first few minutes of the movie, the audience sees the Burnham family in their white-picket-fenced suburban home with a bright, beautiful red rose garden in the yard as they embody the perfect family image. They have achieved the American Dream, yet still desire more because they are not completely satisfied. Each character is searching for happiness in different ways. For example, Lester, the main character of the film, begins to become infatuated with Jane’s (his teenage daughter) best friend. He then quits his job, buys a sports car, and starts to exercise and smoke marijuana. Carolyn his wife is overwhelmingly obsessed with achieving success. As she tries to fill the void that the American Dream cannot fill, she cheats on her husband, Lester, with a man who she idolizes and perceives to be the epitome of success. The film stresses to take in the beauty around us instead of getting caught up in the pursuit of material prosperity.

In Little Miss Sunshine, majority of the film happens in route to a beauty pageant. Olive, who is competing in the pageant, does not look like most pageant girls, but that does not stop her from doing what she loves. Olive is being provided this opportunity to compete in the pageant, yet she does not fit the role/look of a winner. This draws back to the American Dream. The American Dream is supposed to be offered to everyone and be something everyone can attain; however, very few are actually able to reach it since barriers block most people. Olive’s father, Richard, is also another character who is pursuing the American Dream. He teaches seminars about setting goals and being a winner, yet he himself has not found much success. Richard is hoping to find fortune, fame, and success with his book getting a deal; however he gets denied. Richard is trying to reach the American Dream.

The movie, The Wolf of Wall Street, is based off of Jordan Belfort’s life. He began by selling penny stocks then quickly made his way up to being one of the wealthiest people on Wall Street. With all of this money, Jordan became ill with greed. Since his personal life was being affected by drugs, affairs, and his determination to keep making more money no matter what the means were, he lost his family. Also, his involvement in white-collar crime eventually caught up to him, which caused him to lose his money and reputation. The movie shows the pursuit of the American Dream, living the American Dream, and then the loss of the American Dream. What is so interesting about this movie is that Jordan actually becomes the embodiment of the American Dream for the audience. We watch him during the peak of his success and we want his money, power, and fame. We want to be him! Through the conduit of Jordan Belfort, we begin to starve for the American Dream ourselves.

Patrick Bateman is a wealthy 1980’s New Yorker in the movie American Psycho. He has a nice apartment, a perfect physique, and hangs out with elite, established businessmen like himself. Patrick symbolizes the American Dream with all of his successes. Despite having all of his wealth, he is not truly satisfied. He begins to kill people for hobby in an attempt to feed this immoral appetite. Throughout the movie, his kills grow and start to be more frequent. He still cannot become completely satisfied no matter how many human lives he takes. Patrick becomes a victim to the American Dream, one that is deformed by gluttony and greed. His efforts to seek to find happiness end up not working out for him at the end. The American Dream here serves as a cautionary tale of how it can incapacitate a person, leaving them to be a shell of the person they once were.