On the "American Dream"

I had to do an extra credit assignment for one of my English Lit classes recently and I was happy with the result. We were to respond to a prompt about the subtitle to the book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson. The subtitle reads: "A Savage Journey into the Heart of the American Dream". Here is my response.

I think so much of our society today has strayed far away from the American dream and into an every man for himself mentality. The “American dream”, the one men and women have served and died for in the armed forces and the one that people in other countries often look toward for their future, started out as a good thought but turned into something ugly. By basic definition the American dream is people striving to better themselves for the good of the country. It is the idea that you can achieve anything you set out to do. It is your parents telling you at age five that when you grow up, you can do anything you want to do, be anything you want to be, go to school wherever you want to go, etcetera. The sad truth about all those encouraging words is that they are not always true. I believe that as a nation, we have become so used to hearing these words about opportunity and goal reaching, we have almost forgotten that it actually takes something more than ambition to get there. We have come to expect the good things in life to just fall in our laps because if we want it, we are told we can have it.
I think this may be what Hunter S. Thompson is saying with his subtitle “A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream”. The American dream is a savage journey. To get what you want to get, we are told that sometimes you have to step on a few toes. It is an “all for one” mentality that leaves off the “one for all” part and makes it a just a perk. For example, when someone is trying to rise to a top position in a company, I would venture to say that the company itself is not the first thing on the person’s mind. A higher position would help them achieve the American dream. They will accumulate more wealth and stature, and if their ideas happen to help the company out too, well that is great. It paints a pretty sad picture, but I fear that it is true. The American dream is savage. It causes us to think more for ourselves than for those around us.
To make the American dream a less savage idea, I believe there are certain mind-set changes we all have to make. More than striving to be the best at everything, we need to help others reach their goals as well. We need to teach our children that it takes more than talent and will to get to the top; it takes hard work and character as well. With character, we are able to look to others and work together with them to help the greater good. We are so divided as a country because it becomes about individuals rather than the whole body of Americans. It becomes about fame and fortune and not about humble service for each other so that more people are reached and served.
The American dream can be a good thought, if carried out in the right way. I would hope that Thompson might agree as well. It just means striving to do better as an individual in order to affect the country, and in many cases the world, for good. It does not have to be savage or selfish; it can honestly be something worth fighting for.

Peace