The Paradox of the California Dream
“More gold has been mined from the thoughts of men than has been taken from the earth.” - Napoleon Hill
Dreaming something is very different than trying to accomplish it. The famed author Napoleon Hill puts it so wisely: many more people dream and try to become rich and successful than the small percentage that actually accomplish that goal. In the article “California: A place, A People, A Dream,” James Rawls argues that the California dream consists of five main factors. These factors are Health, Romance, Opportunity and Success, Warmth and Sunshine, and Freedom. People come from all over the world to live this dream, which sometimes turns into a nightmare instead. Based on texts such as The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, The Republic of East L.A., by Luis J. Rodriguez, California travel guides, and others, the California dream is perceived and lived differently by different people. The California dream is not how it seems; it is a paradox to the lower class but a reality for the wealthy. The California dream changes drastically depending on your level of income. As we see in the majority of Luis J. Rodriguez’s stories, opportunity and success is what lower class families are focused on. “Pigeons” is about a young, poor couple who are doing whatever it takes to support their family. “Although apprentices were called oil greasers...it was a job that promised up to 15 dollars an hour within two years...What more could a young, poor, married couple living in East L.A. ask for?” (109). For a typical poor couple like that, jobs like these are very common. For them, the California dream is being able to support a family and live happily. While this can be thought of as a dream, it is what is expected everywhere and is not unique to California in any way. If you compare this definition to Rawls’ definition, it is nowhere near the full California dream. In fact, it is only one fifth of it, which doesn't really make it a dream. In contrast, the California dream
Dreaming something is very different than trying to accomplish it. The famed author Napoleon Hill puts it so wisely: many more people dream and try to become rich and successful than the small percentage that actually accomplish that goal. In the article “California: A place, A People, A Dream,” James Rawls argues that the California dream consists of five main factors. These factors are Health, Romance, Opportunity and Success, Warmth and Sunshine, and Freedom. People come from all over the world to live this dream, which sometimes turns into a nightmare instead. Based on texts such as The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, The Republic of East L.A., by Luis J. Rodriguez, California travel guides, and others, the California dream is perceived and lived differently by different people. The California dream is not how it seems; it is a paradox to the lower class but a reality for the wealthy. The California dream changes drastically depending on your level of income. As we see in the majority of Luis J. Rodriguez’s stories, opportunity and success is what lower class families are focused on. “Pigeons” is about a young, poor couple who are doing whatever it takes to support their family. “Although apprentices were called oil greasers...it was a job that promised up to 15 dollars an hour within two years...What more could a young, poor, married couple living in East L.A. ask for?” (109). For a typical poor couple like that, jobs like these are very common. For them, the California dream is being able to support a family and live happily. While this can be thought of as a dream, it is what is expected everywhere and is not unique to California in any way. If you compare this definition to Rawls’ definition, it is nowhere near the full California dream. In fact, it is only one fifth of it, which doesn't really make it a dream. In contrast, the California dream