Ernest Hemingway and Eugene O’neill: Exploring the Realization of the American Dream

Authors

  • Rana Gorai State Aided College Teacher, Category I, Saltora Netaji Centenary College, Department of English

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31150/ajshr.v4i3.2098

Keywords:

American Dream, Culture, Society, Identity, Alienation

Abstract

The term ‘American Dream’ refers to the belief that everyone without the consideration of the fact – where they took birth and in which class, can attain their success in such a society where improvement is possible for everyone. This dream of America is achieved not through chance, but through hard work, risk taking and sacrifice.

The term was first coined by the historian and the writer James Adams in his bestselling book, “Epic of America”. In the book he described it as the dream of a land where life should be better, full and prosperous for everyone by giving opportunity to each according to ability or achievement. He even asserted that this definition of ‘American Dream’ would be difficult to interpret for the European aristocratic class. This dream is not restricted to the financial sector only but a dream of social order where each man and woman should be able to attain to the fullest stature for which they are capable and become eminent in the society regardless of their background.

References

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Sylvester, Bickford. “Hemingway's Extended Vision: The Old Man and the Sea”. PMLA, vol. 81, no. 1, 1966, pp. 130–138.

Tracy, Jessica L., et al., “Death of a (narcissistic) Salesman: An integrative model of fragile self-esteem”. Psychological Inquiry, Vol. 14, no. 1, 2003, pp. 57-62.

Valovirta, Elina., et al., “The smell of an impossible dream: Dallas migration, and creative failure in Angie Cruz, s ‘Let it rain coffee’”. Journal of Commonwealth Literature, Vol. 49, no. 2, 2014, pp. 229-242.

Weeks, Robert P. “Fakery in the Old Man and the Sea”. College English, vol. 24, no. 3, 1962, pp.188–192.

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Published

2023-03-27

How to Cite

Gorai, R. . (2023). Ernest Hemingway and Eugene O’neill: Exploring the Realization of the American Dream. American Journal of Social and Humanitarian Research, 4(3), 252–260. https://doi.org/10.31150/ajshr.v4i3.2098