The Essence of America

Since America was formed, there has been something special about it that set it apart from other countries: the American Dream. As time has progressed, the American Dream has adapted to different contexts in which the citizens are living in. In the past, people dreamt about becoming rich plantation owners; however, today these same people fight for equality. In his scholarly article titled “Reaffirmation and Subversion of the American Dream,” USC professor Walter Fisher discusses the two forms of the American Dream and its importance to American society.

In the beginning of the article, Fisher claims that the American Dream actually consists of two dreams. He states that there is the materialistic form of the American Dream, which is the “rags to riches…grounded on the puritan work ethic and relates to the values of effort,” and the moralistic version which comprises of “values of tolerance, charity, compassion, and true regard for the dignity and worth of each and every individual” (161). Basically, there are people who live a more selfish dream of improving life for oneself only, and the dream which is for the betterment of Americans as a whole. Fisher goes on to prove his points by using historical figures Richard Nixon, the symbol of the materialistic dream, and Senator McGovern, who represented the moral dream.


Potentially this idea of having only two types of dreams was true in 1972 when the article was published and the specific audience had different background contexts in their lives, but today I believe that there are more than two forms of the American Dream. Americans come from various backgrounds with different morals which may cause them to strive for alternate dreams. To me, the American dream is anything that you make of it and fight for, anything that you set goals to achieve, anything that you desire most; this could be moral, materialistic, or it could fall under a new category entirely.

Fisher then goes on to claim that America could not remain united in the absence of the American Dream. 1972 was a very different time period than we are living in today. Despite being in the mix of the political issues with Nixon and American involvement in the Vietnam War, American’s continued to carry a sense of hopefulness within them. America is a fairly young country in comparison to the others; this allows its residents to remain confident that it can bounce back in times if distress. However, one thing has not changed: America is the American Dream. Fisher argues that this historical concept is a necessity for the survival of the country. The Dream is composed of “its moral ideals and its materialistic values,” and without it will lead to “insanity” (167). Fisher uses exigency to establish the importance of the American Dream to society as a whole. If the whole society begins to give up on the concept, everything will begin to fall through the cracks and it will be hard to recover.


However, today people are losing the strength in the optimism for the country. If this steady decrease in hope continues, Fisher’s claim may be tested. Will the country remain united without the presence of the American Dream, or as Fisher suggests, will “America lose its identity” (167)?

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