The American Dream has now a broader meaning, which means people speak about it in the symbolic sense, which means achieving economic prosperity, and not just limited to house ownership. The harsh realities and poverty faced by most Americans today resulted to the loss of meaning of the American Dream, since its gradual disintegration as a concept is yet to be determined (Jonsson, 2002)
The emergence of the 20th century gave birth to renewed perceptions and opinions about the American Dream. In a country where developments and downfalls have taken place over the years, the very concept of the American Dream has faded to provide a more realistic and newer framework that people can relate with and will serve as the guide towards achieving happiness and contentment in life (Varadi, 2004)
" This makes it possible for society to understand that social class is very important when considering people's attitudes toward an individual. "The divergent fates of the Titanic's passengers present a dramatic illustration of the connection between social class and what pioneer sociologist Max Webber called life chances" (Gilbert 2)
In his study on Miller's play, Lois Gordon emphasizes that for Willy, the American Dream has been the only religion, replacing the moral and the human values: "In the play Willy has no traditional religion; his religion has been the American Dream; his gods have been Dave Singleman, Ben, and his father, but they are now all dead -- to the world and as meaningful values for himself."(Gordon, 278) it is also evident that the American Dream is contradictory in itself
Willy thus meditates on his empty life, which had been nothing but a lie as he himself admits: "I realized what a ridiculous lie my whole life has been."(Miller, 94) All his life Willy believed in the core ideas expressed by the American Dream: to be liked in society and to live well is to be successful in business
It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position. (Adams)" The original ideas relating to the American Dream were not born in a merely materialistic pursuit
Banks were eager to carve out new market segments in which they could craft financial products for because the industry was fueled by competition. The industry forced banks to become more innovative so that they could simply remain competitive (Asensio and Lang)
Historically, there had been a natural default rate that generally remains fairly consistent. Therefore, by diversifying the risks in these packages this worked to leverage the amount of risk exposure that any individual would face on their own (Focardi and Fabozzi)
Furthermore, investment banks and deposit institutions were allowed to merge their services whereas once they were separated by law. The deregulation of the banking gained the most traction under President Clinton who enacted regulations that virtually revolutionized the way banks do business (Lal)
government has prohibited many innovative solutions that could provide effective leadership under such situations. This bipartisanship is still present and has just recently resulted in a "sequester" cut of eighty five billion dollars that stands the potential to be the next self-inflicted crisis (Mason and Spetalnick)
Others found themselves unable to make payments that grew larger under the terms of their adjustable rate mortgages and eventually fell into foreclosure. In total, it is estimated that roughly four million families have lost their homes and their piece of the American dream between 2007 and early 2012 (Wilson)
The pursuit of the American Dream led to what was later called the "housing bubble" which was defined by the fact that real estate prices had grown to a level in which the actual asset price exceeded that would have been otherwise deemed as normal due to inflated demand. The demand was also fueled by the fact that buyers could purchase a mortgage with no initial investment on their behalf (Zhang, 2008)
This means that morality has become a concept that most people prefer to ignore as they employ perfectly legal attitudes in exploiting others and in trying to take advantage of every opportunity they have with no regard to the harm that they cause. Intergenerational progress is a key idea concerning the American Dream: "each generation stands on the shoulders of the preceding one, and improvement in health, income, and well-being is assured through education and hard work" (Grogger & Trejo iii)
Alberto maintains that Fitzgerald quickly establishes readers with "essential information by mentioning the source of Buchanan's income as well as his spending habits. Thus, his enormous inheritance renders him the diametrical opposite of the self-made man, a concept forged at the end of the nineteenth century" (Alberto)
. Why of course you can!" (Fitzgerald 113) and he is "going to fix everything just the way it was before" (113)
However, it is Gatsby that allows us to see how great the dream can become and how quickly it can fade away. Edwin Fussell maintains that the novel has "two predominant patterns, quest and seduction" (Fussell 291)
This American Dream fails and Fitzgerald captures how this type of failure can occur with Gatsby's life and times. Inge observes that Gatsby's story "deals symbolically with the failure of the American dream of success" (Inge
The limitations of this background finally make it impossible for him to win the enduring love of Daisy Fay Buchanan. and, like Myrtle, he is guilty of a crucial error in judgment" (Donaldson)
Of course, it is Daisy for what he reaches but the overarching image we should keep in mind is the fact that this is the only thing we ever see Gatsby reaching out to grab and hold. Sutton maintains that the second image "marks Gatsby's brief moment of triumph" (Sutton) because Gatsby has attained the level of becoming Daisy's lover
(Cardullo) Here Cardullo integrates the Williams utilizes symbolism in the Glass Menagerie to emphasize each character's plight. Milly Barranger maintains that the characters in the play become "powerful images of human alienation and despair" (Barranger 315)