Every American is familiar with the concept of the American dream. It is the social myth at the very center of the nation's identity. Unlike other countries, the United States is not rooted in a shared ancestry, history, or language. Instead, Americans find their unity in a common aspiration: the hope of a better future for themselves and their children in the Land of Opportunity. This is the vision that drove the Puritans to brave the sea, inspired the Founding Fathers to sign the Declaration of Independence, and continues to keep immigrants swarming the country. The American Dream is deeply rooted in the culture and psyche of the United States and its citizens. It is a common theme in literature as American authors struggle to interpret social myth in light of reality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay One of the most beloved discussions and deconstructions of the American Dream is a novel written by Susan Eloise Hinton when she was only sixteen. The Outsiders tells the story of seven boys and their struggle to overcome the stereotypes imposed on them by their community. Through the eyes of adolescence, Hinton analyzes the American dream by addressing the chasms that separate the dream from reality, and reality from the possibility of realizing the dream. Another book with a similar purpose is Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) by Barbara Ehrenreich. Getting by in America. Unlike The Outsiders, Nickel and Dimed is a non-fictional account of Ehrenreich's experiences as he tries to support himself by working various blue-collar jobs. Ehrenreich accuses America of abandoning the working poor who, he claims, are unable to support themselves at current minimum wages. Also, his exhibits? shows an economic system that encourages the abuse and dehumanization of low-income workers. While underlining the importance of financial stability for the realization of the American dream, Ehrenreich dedicates much of the book to illustrating how the lack of humanity, in the system and between classes, is the main cause of the great gap between the haves and the haves. and poor. Although Hinton and Ehrenreich approach the American Dream from two very different perspectives, both conclude that mutual respect and understanding among all people, regardless of class, is essential to fully restoring the dream for all Americans. notion that “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” should be accessible to every citizen. The belief that these rights are accessible to every citizen is a great American myth. In his book The American Dream: The Short History of an Idea that Shaped a Nation, Jim Cullen calls this “idea that individuals have control over the course of their lives… the very core of the American dream, the fundamental premise upon which all the rest depends” (10). Hinton and Ehrenreich both attack the validity of the myth that equal opportunity is a reality in America and identify it as a source of prejudice and misunderstanding between classes. Ehrenreich's views on poverty, before he began his research on undercover journalism, correspond strongly to how average middle- and upper-class Americans think. She describes how she "grew up hearing repeatedly, to the point of boredom, that 'hard work' was the secret to success" (Ehrenreich 220). When she attempts to support herself as a factory worker, however, she discovers that “you [can] work hard – even harder than you ever thought possible – and still find yourself sinking deeper and deeper into poverty and debt” (Ehrenreich 220). In his book Beyond the American Dream, Charles Hayes describes how thedisconnection between myth and reality stigmatizes the poor: The higher the level of social position achieved… the more people at that level seem blinded by the relative advantage of their position. For example, the middle class expects the lower rung to simply go out and get a job, failing to see the distinct advantage that they themselves maintain through quality education and social connections. The typical middle-class businessman… sees himself as worthy while seeing those at the lower economic levels as lazy and undeserving. (18-19) During his experience as a temporary member of the American working class, Ehrenreich found the work exhausting, both physically and emotionally. Working as a housekeeper, she describes "exercise" as "totally asymmetrical, brutally repetitive, and as likely to destroy the musculoskeletal structure as to strengthen it" (Ehrenreich 90). Many of her colleagues suffer from pain, malnutrition or pregnancy to keep their jobs and because they cannot afford unpaid days off. Many of the maids have injuries, treated and untreated, from their work. Despite the prevailing idea that the poor can lift themselves out of poverty simply by working hard, Ehrenreich's colleagues endure backbreaking work without having the opportunity to save enough to change their circumstances or look for different work. Like Ehrenreich, Hinton also argues that equal opportunity is a myth that contributes to prejudice. In The Outsiders, Ponyboy, the narrator, lives in a world divided by social classes. Poor kids living on the East Side, labeled “infectors” by the rest of the community, endure a multitude of stereotypes and stigmas. Ponyboy and the other kids who make up his adoptive family, or gang, know labels well. On their way to a fight, they “embrace stereotypes” (Inderbitzen 360), singing: “'I'm a greaser…, I'm a JD and a thug. I blacken the name of our beautiful city. I hit people. I rob gas stations. They are a threat to society. Man, I have fun… O victim of the environment, underprivileged, rotten, without counting!'” (Hinton 144). Despite their willingness to unite under these stereotypes, however, Ponyboy's account of events leads the reader to a different understanding of the plague spreaders. One gang member, in particular, gives the reader a new perspective on these dehumanizing stereotypes. Dally, who “spent three years on the wild side of New York and was arrested at the age of ten,” is the toughest boy of the group: “tougher, colder, meaner” (Hinton 19). Ponyboy, although he respects Dally, also doesn't like him. The tough facade, however, quickly crumbles when Dally's friend Johnny dies from injuries sustained while saving children from a burning building. “'This is what you get for trying to help people, you little punk,' Dally snaps as he looks at Johnny's body, 'this is what you get...'” (Hinton 157). Dally's life circumstances have taught him that selflessness, like Johnny's heroic efforts, only results in personal disaster and pain. Since childhood, Dally has learned to face the world with cold detachment to survive on the harsh streets of urban centers. When he loses the only person who was able to get past his defenses and get close to him, grief overwhelms Dally. He points an unloaded gun at the police, forcing them to shoot him. Although Dally embodied many of the stereotypes imposed on all plague spreaders, in the end he was just a child trying to protect himself in a world where no parent had ever cared for him. The great tragedy of his death is that Dally still had the potential to be an extraordinary person. In himJohnny saw a strong and “gallant” hero (Hinton 84), someone to look up to. Dally's efforts to save Johnny from the fire at the risk of his own life provide a glimpse into the person he might have become if circumstances had been different. Unlike what the labels suggest, Dally has not been irreparably ruined or redeemed by his environment. He was still a human being and, as such, still had the ability to choose who he might become. The myth, therefore, perpetuates stereotypes that prevent the existence of empathy and guidance for children because they are already considered unavailable. Despite the myth of equal opportunity, the American dream is still present in the hearts of poor and rich Americans. Ehrenreich and Hinton each comment on what the Dream looks like through the eyes of the poor and compare it to the Dream interpreted by the middle and upper classes. After examining the dreams of each class, both authors conclude that the dreams are complementary, not antagonistic. In Nickel and Dimed, the perspectives of those struggling with poverty come in the form of interviews with Ehrenreich's colleagues. Toward the end of her work as a housekeeper, Ehrenreich asks the women she worked with how they felt about the owners of the homes they cleaned, "who have so much while others, like them, can barely survive" (118). The answers provided by two women shed light on a common point in the dream of every person struggling against poverty. Lori responds, “All I can think about is, wow, I would love to have these things someday. It motivates me and I don't feel the slightest bit of resentment because, you know, my goal is to get to where they are” (Ehrenreich 118). Colleen's response is slightly different: “I don't mind, really, because I think I'm a simple person and I don't want what they have. I mean, it's nothing to me. But what I would like is to be able to take a day off every now and then… if I had to… and still be able to go shopping the next day” (Ehrenreich 119). Although Lori and Colleen have different dreams, the need for financial security is common to both. Without enough income to start saving, the poor are trapped in their current situation, with no hope of escape. Even the ability to find better-paying work is severely limited by lack of time, energy and transportation. The smallest disaster could push their delicately balanced lives to the limit and leave them without work or money. The dream of the rich, expressed in Nickel and Dimed, comes from the author's point of view. Both Ehrenreich's desire to research and write the book, and the comments he makes about his own state of mind, reveal his bourgeois dream. Reflecting on her “savior complex,” Ehrenreich admits, “Even my motivations seem dark right now. Yes, I want to help Holly and everyone else in need, globally if possible. I'm a "good person"..., but maybe I'm also just fed up with my suddenly acquired insignificance. Maybe I want to 'be someone'..., someone generous, competent, courageous, and perhaps, above all, remarkable” (Ehrenreich 99). The need to count is one she constantly struggles with as she performs the menial tasks required of her by the various blue-collar jobs she holds. To cope with each of his works, Ehrenreich finds meaning in them or creates meaning from pure imagination. In what she calls a “psychic flotation device” (108), Ehrenreich pretends, “I don't work for a cleaning service; rather, I joined a mystical order dedicated to performing the most despised tasks, cheerfully and practically for free, grateful, in fact, for this chance to earn grace through submission and work” (108). Unlike those who. 2012.