Dream and reality are as different as day and night. Sometimes it seems that what is practical and sensible does not connect with people’s most treasured dreams. There is no reason why dreams must accord with reality. The power of dream is really overwhelming and always creates miracle. Unfortunately, there is a gap between dream and reality. Everyone has their dreams. However, it is the reality that often hinders the dream from coming true. This is the contrasting situation. In “Orange Crush,” the author Yiyun Li uses sharp contrast and anecdotes to show the great gap between dream and reality.
Fruit Treasure represents a high quality of life in young Yiyun Li’s mind, while reality disproves that. Li wishes to live a Tangy life, which to her symbolizes western luxury and a life of style. She supposes that the Fruit Treasure stands for her dream of being fashionable, “I was ashamed by our lack of style and our life…I could not wait until I grew up and could have my own Tang-filled life” (Li 2). On the contrary, when Li turns to be a mature adult, she discovers that Tang doesn’t represent anything. Her dream doesn’t correspond with reality. “I moved to America ten years later and discovered Tang in the grocery store…its glamour had lost its gloss because, alas, it was neither expensive nor trendy” says Li(2). Yiyun Li uses impressive contrast and symbol to show the big differences between her dream and reality.
The TV commercial convinces people that a more healthful and richer lifestyle is produced by Tang, while the real product prompts ostentation and doesn’t create a better life. Yiyun Li proves the impracticality of Tang ad, “The TV commercial, which gave a glimpse of a life that most families, including mine, could hardly afford” (Li 1). Moreover, “The family on TV was beautiful…the young parents had to carry their children, half asleep and often screaming, with them because the only child care they could afford was that