The American dream in literature: Women and ethnics need not apply.

摘要

This study examines the works of seventeen authors and their portrayal of the American dream: Sinclair Lewis, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Arthur Miller, Fanny Fern, Willa Cather, Wendy Wasserstein, Anzia Yezierska, Bernard Malamud, Maxine Hong Kingston, Amy Tan, N. Scott Momaday, Leslie Marmon Silko, Tomas Rivera, Sandra Cisneros, Ann Petry, Lorraine Hansberry, and August Wilson.; In addition to historical background, the works of Lewis, Fitzgerald, and Miner are used to define the American dream. These white male writers portray the decline of the dream and show that, due to the controlling forces of the dominant culture, women and ethnics are not guaranteed the same opportunities as white men. However, according to Fern, Cather, and Wasserstein, women can achieve their unique versions of the dream, but their dreams maintain a purity that is absent in the works by male writers.; The immigrant groups included in the study are Jewish Americans and Chinese Americans. Yezierska and Malamud present contrasting versions of the American dream. Yezierska shows that a young Jewish woman is able to achieve the dream, but Malamud illustrates that hard work is not always a guarantee of success. Both Kingston and Tan show that, despite being the victims of a racist dominant culture, their female protagonists are able to achieve American success.; The discussion of the colonized groups includes Native Americans, Mexican Americans, and African Americans. Momaday and Silko illustrate that Native Americans discover that the American dream is incompatible with their Native American beliefs. Rivera portrays Mexican American migrant workers and their struggle to survive in America, while Cisneros represents a Mexican American family in an urban environment attempting to achieve their version of the American dream. Finally, while Petry shows that the African American woman is defeated from the very beginning of her pursuit of the dream, both Hansberry and Wilson illustrate that African Americans are able to achieve modest versions of the dream.; A common thread in the works by ethnic writers is the importance of community. In order for ethnics to live more fulfilling versions of the American dream, they must reunite with their ethnic communities.