American_Dream-Catcher_in_the_Rye+American_Beauty+Mlk

The concept of the American dream as shown in the novel “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D Salinger, the film “American Beauty” directed by Sam Mendez and Martin Luther King Jr. “I have a dream speech” demonstrate that the American dream contains more materialistic aspects than moralistic. The texts show the American dream in a predominantly negative way, none of the moralistic elements described by Fisher appear in them. The texts show the damaging nature of the dream by exploring the themes of alienation, conformity, superficiality and corruption intertwined with the American dream. Conformity and alienation are explored in Holden's refusal to become a phony and follow the norm. “They don’t do any damn more moulding at Pency than at any other school”, shows the reader through the use of colloquial language and the verb “moulding” the aim of the school, to form students. Holden is against the idea of moulding an individual to conform; this is an early example of Holden’s uniqueness and rejection of conformity. When Holden later talks about the Bible he says “the disciples annoy the hell out of me” the biblical allusion and colloquial language used here reinforce how much he dislikes people who follow expectations and leadership. As a result of Holden’s unwillingness to conform he isn’t accepted by his peers and feels alone. At the start of the novel Holden stands solitary on the hill watching the game below. The symbolic image of alienation coupled with Holden's recount of the teams reaction towards him when leaving the fencing equipment on the train, “ the whole team ostracized me the whole way back to the train” illustrates the extent to which Holden is isolated from the American dream. Later in chapter 1 Holden's casual, colloquial and succinct, “so I got the ax” reminds the reader of the callousness and ruthlessness involved in attaining the dream. It can also hint at the violent competitiveness aroused. The corruption of the American dream is further evidenced in Holden's “I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It's awful” here paradox is used to convey the manipulative, deceitful nature of the dream. “This fall I think your riding for is a special kind of fall, a horrible kind of fall… were looking for something their own environment couldn’t supply them with. So they gave up looking” the repetition of noun fall emphasizes the long, hard way Holden falls after he gives up on the American dream. Holden was not content with what he was given he thought the dream was hollow and insubstantial and looked for things outside the clutches of the now tainted dream. It could also be interpreted as; if you don’t want to fit into the larger picture there is nowhere else to turn, you are alienated from everyone else. “The special type of fall” is foreshadowing Holden’s nervous breakdown it reiterates the damaging force that is the notion of the dream. The corruption is further illustrated thoughts on the prostitute he hires on impulse “she was depressing. Her green dress hanging in the closet and all” the green dress imagery could signify mould; this means the dream has become corrupted and is now something revolting. Holden's misinterpretation of the Robert burns poem “if a body meets a body coming through the rye” reflects Holden's attempt, his need to purify the corrupted American dream is shown in Holden's wishes to preserve the innocence of the children and hence preserve the idealistic notions of the American dream. As in “the Catcher in the Rye” the American dream is depicted as a predominantly negative ideal in the film “American Beauty”. The phrase, “my neighborhood, my street” could be interpreted as showing the insignificance of the individual in the large scope of the American dream. The high angle, long distance shot is used to show the spread of American suburbia, the houses look identical from such a long way out, commenting on the conformity and loss of individuality that comes with pursuing the dream. The narration of Lester is the first thing we hear in the film, he speaks in a bored, monotone voice this hints at the superficiality and the apparent beauty of the American dream. When viewed from the outside the Burnham family seems to have achieved the dream, they have a house in the suburbs and money, but as the audience becomes emerged in their lives their unhappiness and resentment towards each other becomes clear. Lester’s narration at the beginning of the film, “she used to be happy, we used to be happy” emphasizes the destructive nature of the dream and what it has done to Carolyn, namely taken the joy out of her life. Lester emphasizes the pronouns “she” and “we” by pausing before he says then. The repetition of “used to be happy” implies that at one time the Burnham family used to be happy, before they too became corrupted by the American dream. A close up of the family portrait where everyone seems happy, in black and white, this symbolically suggests that the memory of happiness has long since faded. Carolyn, a real-estate agent, trying to sell a rundown old house says “it’s a dream come true” This cliché illustrates the superficiality and the materialism of the American dream. Carolyn represents the materialistic nature of the dream and how fulfillment can only be gained through material possessions. Carolyn also cleans the house before trying to sell it. This is again symbolic of the superficiality of the dream, the obsession with the exterior facade and the constant need for an “appropriate” image to be projected to the outside world. Carolyn's dialogue and bitter tone in “you can’t count on anyone but yourself” also show us the isolation and alienation that many pursuing the American dream experience. The corruption of the American dream is explored in great detail throughout the entirety of the film. The rhetorical, “Christ Carolyn, when did you become so joyless” along with the American idiom portrays the corruption of the dream. “It isn't about life it's about stuff” further reiterates and reflects how the American dream has changed over time to become materialistic. The violent confrontation of Ricky and his father shows the corrupting force of the dream and how it can completely alters a person. This scene is juxtaposed to the one before it when Ricky and Jane share a beautiful moment. This sudden contrast is a startling reminder directed at the audience on how destructive the pursuit of the dream really is. Similarly the corrupting force of the American dream is explored in Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream speech”. Whereas “Catcher in the Rye” and “American beauty” both comment on the conformity, “I have a dream” focuses on the inequality of the dream. In the opening paragraph when he says “Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today” he is alluding to Abraham Lincoln, the American president who abolished slavery after the civil war. “Symbolic shadow” could be a metaphor for Lincoln’s legacy of peace and equality fading, or being overpowered. “Five score years ago” is quoting Lincoln’s introduction to the Gettysburg address. MLK's referral to the past the past is a reoccurring feature of the speech, he wants to return to the essence of the dream. The positioning of this statement is symbolic as it is the most important message of his speech that is, return to the ideals Lincoln started. He uses the Lincoln element as an allusion which is used to portray the pure form of the dream. MLK also quotes one of the founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, the writer of the declaration for independence. “All men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” uses allusion to link the speech back to the US declaration of Independence. Frequent pauses and increases in volume are used for emphasis along with a rhetorical question. In this phrase he is providing hope to the black Americans listening to him he is trying to get America back onto its original dream. He is also commenting on the rift that has formed between the people of America and how not everyone is equal, not everyone has the freedom that is stated in the constitution. “The negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity” shows us through the use of metaphor, imagery and adjectives the greedy, self centered society America has become through its huge influx in wealth. The pure dream has been reduced to a measly island in the midst of a vast ocean of materialism. It demonstrates the changing values of the American people; they would rather pursue personal gains than unify their country and make America a true democracy. The novel “Catcher in the Rye”, the film “American Beauty” and Martin Luther King Jr. “I have a dream speech” all portray the damaging nature of the American dream by exploring the concepts of alienation, conformity, superficiality and corruption which are inherent in the American dream.