Alice Walker American Dream

The American dream for many people is the idea of prospering and achieving success while everyone has the same opportunity to triumphant. But there are also plenty of other people who highly disagree with the theory of American dream. Many people believe that there are other countries that are equal if not better than the United States. According to statistics throughout the years, the United States has not been the most successful country. There is just as much poverty and lack of employment in the US as there is in many other countries. So why does the American dream still have the fame of being something so spectacular if in reality it’s all the same in other countries? Sure there are many countries that have many problems which is why
people choose to leave their home. But there are also a handful of countries that are equal to, if not better off than the US. In this paper, we will exam two short stories, which deal with dilemmas about the American dream and how it affects their family and view of their American life. In the short story “Everyday Use” by Alice walker, there are two daughters and a mother, which are depicted in the story.
The daughters are completely different because one is a stay home daughter while the other is in college living the American Dream. Dee is the daughter who is in college and visits the family while Maggie and Mama are at home. When Dee comes back home, Maggie and Mama realize that Dees personality is completely different. “What happened to Dee?” asked Mama, then Dee replies, “She’s dead, I couldn’t bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me” (Walker). Dee feels like she is superior to her family, making her want to stand out from her family all because the American
dream. Now that Dee is gone, it seems like she has put her family behind her, leaving Maggie and Mama at home. Mama also moved to the United States for a better life for her and the daughters. But now that the church has invested money in Dee, Maggie is left without and education. Susan Neuman in the article The American Dream: Slipping away, states that all children need to have equal opportunity in the US. “We need to tip the balance not by equalizing funding but by providing more resources and additional supports to students in poor neighborhoods” says Neuman and that it’s not just about finding more money, but also “additional human resources are needed” (Neuman). The playing field to reach success has to be even, and both Maggie and Dee in this case have to have the equal opportunity to get an education. Dee in this case was able to get a college education because the church helped fund money. But Maggie and Mama are left alone, and they will continue to live their life without opportunity. Immigrants move to the United States to give not only them selves a better life, but also to give their children a chance to be raised in a better environment. In “Everyday Use,” Mama does just that for her child, but poverty affects the family. Dee was able to go off to college, but Maggie was not able to accomplish this goal. William Damon in his article American Dreams and Visions, says that living the American dream is not just about the riches and it’s about everybody having equal opportunity. Damon states in his article, “The American dream has always meant the freedom to seek and purse one’s own path” (Damon 162). While this is true to a certain extent, poverty and not being able to have an opportunity plays a major factor. If Maggie and her family did have money, she most likely would be able to seek an education to seek a better life. Maggie, unlike Dee has many doors closed, and has to find a way to succeed and be able to live comfortable in the U.S. While Damon in his article does have a point about not everything evolve around “riches.” It is to a certain extent to have money.
College is not cheap, and paying for an education could leave some in debt for years. Soaring tuition fees, which can leave hole in anyone’s pocket. Hu Helen in her Higher Education article explains, “Many of them (Immigrants) receive an inferior education, work on the side, and drop out or graduate with degrees that don't help them get jobs. They're left with huge debts that they can't pay off” (Helen). The American dream should have a more even playing field and should give opportunity to those who moved to the country for the better. The United States has been giving many jobs away, and foreign countries are now doing these jobs. The amount of money we as a nation spends on imports is staggering, and many of those imports can be jobs and opportunity that immigrants have in the U.S. In the short story “New York Day Woman” by Edwidge Danticat, there is also a daughter and a mother relationship. But in this story the characters are different in the way the Suzette knows little to almost nothing about her mom. With the clash of two different cultures by different generations, we notice in the story that the American dream is to blame in this
situation. In Suzette case, the story takes places from her point of view. Throughout the story Suzette is shocked and almost amazed by the things that her mother does. Things like walking through the city, stopping by at hotdog stand, or even babysitting a kid in the park. Suzette thinks her mother is a stay home mother, while she is out working in the city. Suzettes mother is from Haiti, and she was born and raised there, while Suzette was born and raised in the United States. This is where the clash between two cultures takes place, and the story depicts how the American dream can change a family into strangers. The relationship between Suzette and her mother is so far apart because they were raised in two different cultures. The mother, who was raised in Haiti, has a different view on life. She dresses her own unique way and even doesn’t mind that she has missing teeth when she isn’t wearing her dentures. Other religions and countries aren’t worried about their appearance. They worry more about other things such as raising their children and being able to maintain their family. In the mothers case, the story does not explain what she does for a living, but we see that she is out in the city and even babysits a child for an hour. Suzette does not recognize this woman very well because the things she does, but looks exactly how her mother does. On the other hand, Suzette who was raised in the United State has a different outlook on life. Stuff like appearance and personality is important to her, because in America’s society it is so highly judged. If someone without dentures is found in the city, people look down on you and it looks degrading. It is not high standards to have missing teeth or even wear different clothing from the other cultures. This is how society in America views things, which is not a good thing. Rather than being happy and enjoying life to the fullest, people are worried about how others look and judge them without knowing the person. In this case, her mother embarrasses Suzette and this is why their relationship is so apart. Suzette is so caught up on living the American dream by going to work and making a living. Although these people live under the same roof and see each other daily, they have a very poor mother and daughter relationship. Neuman believes that parents should be more involved especially when children are also Immigrants themselves. “We need programs that help parents become the advocates they wish to be by teaching them about the skills and strategies children will need to be successful in school,” says Neuman. But in this case, Suzettes mother never went to her teacher parent conference meeting. The story doesn’t explain if this is because shame or just because the fact that she wasn’t interested. But Suzette is a grown woman in the story, and this could be the reason why the never had a strong bond. Suzette never spent time with her mother, making it the reason why the never had time to know each other. The American dream is the reason for this clash of cultures. But it is not Suzettes fault, nor her mothers fault either. But if Suzette had been raised in her Haitian culture under her mother’s normal living standard, Suzette and her mother’s relationship would be much different. The two women love each other, which is why the mother makes Suzette dolls, and Suzette worries about her health. The truth of that fact is that living the American dream has its blessing as well as its hardships. While some have successful living as immigrants, others suffer and find it harder to accommodate themselves. The dream, which many seek for a better life, often ends up with people suffering with physical, emotional, and financial stability. In a country like Haiti, the poverty and the violence in the streets, is the cause that leads both of these mothers to look or a better life for there daughter(s). Whichever the case may be, Maggie was the only daughter who was with her mother and not able to experience the Americanized way of living. Nevertheless, both Suzette and Dee were able to expand themselves and reach out to live the American dream. Living in the United States also achieves its positive aspects. Many immigrants come from countries with immense violence, corrupted governments, and less opportunities. They often seek a better life and opportunity, no matter how much they need to work or struggle. Many find their freedom and happiness much more important than living in a country where chances in life seem very minimal. Neuman believes that the American dream can be revived stating, “Nevertheless, the last decade's economic chaos and rising inequality has led some to question whether there is a future for the American dream. For those of us who believe that this concept is still what defines us and makes America great, it is time to renew our determination to recapture the American dream and make it a reality for all our children” (Neuman).