 |
| from http://www.citylab.com/housing/2012/04/evolution-american-dream-colonial-times-today/1862/ |
In class we discussed how prevalent ideas associated with the "American Dream" are present in American literature, film, and popular culture.
We discussed that "[t]he American Dream is a national ethos of the United States, a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility achieved through hard work."
We also discussed that the idea of the American Dream is rooted in the UnitedStates Declaration of Independence which proclaims that "all men are created equal" and that they are "endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights" including "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream
Please post a comment below that expresses how ideas pertaining to the American Dream intersect with some of the circumstances and characters we encounter in the novel, Beloved.
In the situation of the American Dream of being set free and all people are created equal, Sethe is not set free and is not created equal. At first she is running up North so she can be set free only to come to a point where he kills her daughter and is not living in a house where the daughter is haunting her and she feels trapped and cannot leave. When Paul D came to visit her and strange things were going on in the house, he tried to get her to leave but she would not because she felt as if she could not leave her daughter alone in the house by herself. So in this situation she feels as though she is not created equal and she is not free.
ReplyDeleteI think one thing to note when talking about the American Dream, especially when talking about Beloved, is the differing ideals of the American Dream between different classes. The modern example that comes to mind is immigrants coming to America. These are the people that will put an earnest effort into a job that most of us would never even consider. They will be thankful for it too, because for many of them the American Dream is simply having the opportunity to live here, feel secure, and provide for their family. Sethe’s case is somewhat similar. Her idea of the American Dream wouldn’t have been the same as Amy Denver’s. To her living the American Dream would probably include all her family being together, happy, and safe. Maybe if she reached her Dream she would start dreaming larger (in a sort of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs way), but I think Sethe would be content with less since her whole life she had been handed so much less than people i higher classes.
ReplyDeleteI feel that The American Dream is Sethe makes a hard journey only to get a portion of what she was looking for. She isn't happy, but at the same time she is bound to the house that she is living in because of the hardships she's already been through. The first journey "cost too much" for her and she does not want it to pay another price for trying to chase the idea of having the American Dream. It's unlikely for her to ever find true happiness due to her background and ethnicity.
ReplyDeleteAs Sethe seeks the American Dream, she realizes she has to endure multiple consequences to become even close to obtaining the dream. When Sethe runs away she uses this American Dream as a motivation and an excuse for some of her actions. She lets the idea of the dream overtake her to the point where she loses the important parts of her life she does have, like her sons and daughter. Sethe continues to make such sacrifices for the hope of the dream, to only realize she is being haunted by her past and decisions, which end up pulling her back, not allowing her to leave. This is similar to other's peoples journey to the American Dream. While many focus mainly on their goals, they lose sight of what they already have and take it for granite. Even though Sethe may have had some logical reason behind her killing, it isn't worth the sacrifice to lose a family while she still has the chance to enjoys hers. Now Sethe is in a lonely, trapped situation similar to Baby Sugg's, except Sethe has created this haunting misery for herself.
ReplyDeleteThe American dream is expressed in the novel Beloved through certain characters and circumstances we encounter as the novel progress. The main character Sethe desires the american dream so she kills her two year old daughter because she did not want her to be born into slavery. If her daughter was born into slavery her daughter would not live or grow up living a normal life therefore she would never have the opportunity to experience the american dream. Sethe has this idea and desire in her mind that she should be raising and living with all of her children, but she only has one child with her. In a way I do not believe Sethe has lived the American Dream yet, because the american dream is referred to as the traditional social ideas of the US, such as equality, democracy, and material prosperity. So far Sethe has not been able to obtain any of these ideas.
ReplyDeleteIn beloved many of the characters circumstances are relevant to the idea of the american dream. They want to be free and live their lives as normal human beings and not as slaves to others, when in fact everyone is supposed to be equal. Sethe, the main character from the book, even goes as far to kill her own daughter to save her from going into slavery. She feared that her daughter would never experience the american dream and that life without it was not worth it. However, Sethe now feels the guilt of what she has done and feels that she can't be free either, also disabling her from reaching the idea of the american dream.
ReplyDeleteThe American dream is all about feeling free and pursing your personal happiness. In beloved, Sethe felt as if she had to murder her little girl in order for her to be free... Which is very twisted on a lot of levels. In the slave industry, it is ten times harder for women to become free since most women were housewives and caretakers. Sethe didn't even feel free or comfortable within her own home due to the fact that it is haunted by beloved. She wants more then anything to leave the home but she feels as if she can't because she doesn't want to leave her baby. Therefore, Sethe is not free, created equal or happy.
ReplyDeleteThe American Dream relates to the book Beloved through the character Sethe. When Sethe escaped Sweet Home with her children, she was chasing a dream. A dream to keep her children safe while living a normal family life freed from slavery. Sethe did everything it took to make this a reality, including running while being pregnant and killing her second child, Beloved. As the book continues on, Sethe begins to think back on these painful memories wondering if it was worth it. From her point of view, it didn't seem like it. She lost her son because he ran away, she killed her second child, Beloved and the house is haunted by her. But, when Denver cries out that she wants to leave the haunted house because she is suffering, Sethe refuses to leave and claims that they can and will be happy living in that house. So part of her wants to keep living the dream and pursuing her desires.
ReplyDeleteThe American Dream is very prominent throughout the book Beloved. The most obvious character that pursued this dream was Sethe. She was determined to be free ad have a life of her own. She wanted to marry Halle in the most traditional way and she desired a normal family. There were many obstacles in her way but she has gotten through them and hasn't given up on that dream. Another character i think who pursued the American Dream was Amy Denver. In the small part of the book that Amy was in, we found out a lot about her. She was on her was to Boston for velvet. This characterizes the American Dream because velvet represented wealth and prestige, so i think by the way Amy wanted that velvet, it was also showing that she wanted to live a happy, lavish lifestyle.
ReplyDelete