FREE ESSAY ON AMERICAN DREAM BY JOHN STEINBECK

AMERICAN DREAM BY JOHN STEINBECK

The Dream of the American Dream
John Steinbeck, in his essay America and Americans, uses many contradictions to explain
his views on the American Dream. I have witnessed and experienced many of these
contradictions in my life. Through my experiences, I have learned to believe that the
American dream is no more than just a dream.
One of the first contradictions Steinbeck uses that I have personally experienced is, We
are alert, curious, hopeful, and we take more drugs designed to make us unaware than any
other people. This quote almost perfectly describes one of my cousins. She at one time
was very bright and intelligent. In fact, she had over a 4.0 grade point average through
her fist two years of high school. However, she began taking drugs and progressively
followed a downhill track until she was barely even able to think at all. I do not think
that a girl almost killing herself and ending up as a vegetable is part of the American
Dream.
Another example of a contradiction Steinbeck uses in his essay that I have personally
witnessed is, We spend our lives in motor cars, yet most of us - a great many of us at
least - do not know enough about a car to look in the gas tank when the motor fails. I
observed this when my grandma's car broke down once. She had her car towed to the
mechanic, and after about a week of it being examined, the mechanic called my grandma and
told her that the only problem with the car was that it was out of gas. If we were living
the American dream, would my grandma be so lazy as to have her car stop running and never
look at the gas gauge? Would she have spent hundreds of dollars getting her car fixed
when five dollars would have been suitable for gas? The answer to both questions is no.
One final contradiction that Steinbeck uses in his essay that I have personally witnessed
is, In no country are more seeds and plants and equipment purchased, and less vegetables
and flowers raised. It seems like every other week my neighbor two houses down brings
home bags of seeds for plants, trees, fruits, and vegetables, yet their back yard still
looks like all they plant are weeds. They even hire landscapers to come and work on their
yard. However, two weeks later the yard looks like as though it has never been touched.
My neighbors have great ideas, but they never finish them. Spending a mere fortune and
getting nothing but what you started with is not a part of the American dream.
To most, the American dream is seen as no more than a dream. That is my belief on the
prestigious dream that attracts many to this country also. I do not believe that the
dream is really possible with people as lazy as they are, and that is why it is called a
dream. However, if we as a society washed away our laziness, maybe our dreams could come
true.