Dorothy Parker
The Way In Which The Characters In On The Road by Jack Kerouac, Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemmingway and Dorothy Parker’s poetry, conflict and compare with the ideologies of The American Dream
The basic principles of the American Dream came about at the beginning of the 17th century, where the European colonists settled in America, with hopes for independence and wealth - which are key ideologies of the American dream itself. This carried on throughout the 18th century too as more people immigrated to the country, with high aims to achieve wealth, it seemed that people saw America as being full of opportunities. It wasn’t until 1931, during the great depression, that James Truslow Adams carried out a study and defined the American Dream as what it is known as today. He stated that any citezen of any class could achieve a ‘better, richer and happier life’. This idea is also noted in the second sentence of the declaration of independence which states that ‘All men are created equal’ and have the right to ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’. With strong ideologies like this, there is a great deal of critism and conflict that surrounds it, and this was seen following the end of World War I.
At that time many people suffered a loss of their direction in their lives, due to the both the effects of the war and the economic crisis the country was in. This caused many people to question the ideologies of the American Dream. Part of the idea of it was that anyone could achieve happiness and success if they worked hard enough for it. This fell under a lot of criticism as some saw it as being unrealistic and others thought it was too prioritised with the material aspects of life, arguing that the American Dream taught you could only be successful and find happiness if you have money and possessions. These critisisms were reflected in the literature, with novels such as On The Road by Jack Kerouac and Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
The basic principles of the American Dream came about at the beginning of the 17th century, where the European colonists settled in America, with hopes for independence and wealth - which are key ideologies of the American dream itself. This carried on throughout the 18th century too as more people immigrated to the country, with high aims to achieve wealth, it seemed that people saw America as being full of opportunities. It wasn’t until 1931, during the great depression, that James Truslow Adams carried out a study and defined the American Dream as what it is known as today. He stated that any citezen of any class could achieve a ‘better, richer and happier life’. This idea is also noted in the second sentence of the declaration of independence which states that ‘All men are created equal’ and have the right to ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’. With strong ideologies like this, there is a great deal of critism and conflict that surrounds it, and this was seen following the end of World War I.
At that time many people suffered a loss of their direction in their lives, due to the both the effects of the war and the economic crisis the country was in. This caused many people to question the ideologies of the American Dream. Part of the idea of it was that anyone could achieve happiness and success if they worked hard enough for it. This fell under a lot of criticism as some saw it as being unrealistic and others thought it was too prioritised with the material aspects of life, arguing that the American Dream taught you could only be successful and find happiness if you have money and possessions. These critisisms were reflected in the literature, with novels such as On The Road by Jack Kerouac and Fiesta: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway