Ficticious Portrait of the American Dream
...nded all economic relations. This made for economic hardships in America, limiting America’s possibilities. Patrick Henry, a man of the Age of Reason shared the view of Britain oppressing opportunities in America. Henry grew up in Virginia, where he became a representative in the House of Burgesses. As his power grew, so did his opinions. On March 23, 1775, he gave an oration regarding the New World’s relations with Britain. In his speech, Speech to the Virginia Convention, Henry believes “it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope” (Henry 88). Henry believes that the colonists are ignoring the fact that Great Britain controls the colonists. He sees that Britain is being unfair to those not in the motherland, and wishes for people to act against it. Henry argues, “There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free…we must fight” (Henry 90). Henry’s speech struck the hearts of his audience, convincing them of their suppression. However, Henry’s speech demonstrates that Americans were being held back from experiencing the opportunities that the New World had to offer. America entered the period of the Romantics after the new government built the foundation of the New Nation. It was a time where the country was growing larger and expanding west. However, there was a conflict of interest between the different regions, resulting in curbed actions and wavering relations. “The American people… found themselves living in an era of transition and instability. The society was changing and traditional values were being challenged”(Advanced Placement United States History). These changes differed in the various areas of the country. One of the main conflicts was between the North and the South. In 1828, Congress passed the “Tariff of Abominations” which established high import duties on many of the products southern farmers purchased. Southerner, Vice President Calhoun, protested the tariff by publishing a paper including his idea that a state with a minority view could nullify a law if they saw it was unconstitutional. Tensions grew between the north and the south when a second “Nullification Crisis” occurred. Calhoun resigned from office when President Jackson supported the Tariff of 1832. Calhoun continued on to South Carolina where he wrote “The Ordinance of Nullification” and inspired people to ignore duty collection in the Charleston port. Left with no choice, Jackson resorted to gaining a Force Bill from Congress, which gave Jackson the use of troops to enforce duty collection. The conflict gained momentum until it erupted in the secession of the southern states from the Union. With the conflict between the various regions, the United States was left with no possibilities to move forward. During the Romantic period, one of the styles of literature was transcendentalism, which was the belief that knowledge “transcended” upon people from isolation in nature. However, the opportunity of true solitude is nonexistent. Thoreau, a dominant transcendentalist writer, was in search of the opportunity to find himself. To get to know himself better and become and individual, Thoreau isolated himself in nature and wrote about the experience. In the story Walden, Thoreau writes about how he simplifies his life in order to comprehend more of the universe. He believes that by taking the “path less traveled” that he will see the universe from a more knowledgeable point of view. Thoreau watches the little things that occur at the pond, such as the ants and relates them to human behavior. Thoreau believes that the extent of his knowledge is growing from his solitude until he notices that he has worn a path from his house to the pond. Thoreau realizes “how easily and insensibly we fall into a particular route and make a beaten path for ourselves” (Thoreau 217). Thoreau leaves Walden Pond “for as good a reason as I went there”(Thoreau 217). Thoreau went to the pond to get away from the distractions of life. Once there, he realizes that he has not escaped these distractions. Thoreau’s inability to live a simple and original life enhances the idea that there is no real opportunity left in America. The other style of literature during the Romantic period, is the naturally dark Gothic literature. Edgar Allen Poe’s poetry reflects his pessimistic views towards life. Poe writes about personal experiences, where he views that he has lost the opportunity to be loved. Poe’s poem, Annabel Lee, is about a woman that a woman that Poe has lost to death. Although Poe continues to love Annabel Lee, he mourns her death, speaking of how the universe does not continue to function normally. “For the moon never beams, without bringing me dreams of the beautiful Annabel Lee; And the stars never rise, but I feel the bright eyes of the beautiful Annabel Lee” (Poe 251). Poe feels that he and the universe are unable to perform the same without the opportunity of the love of Annabel Lee. Similarly, The Raven demonstrates Poe’s view against opportunity when Poe talks about how he shall have the love of his Lenore “nevermore”(Poe 255). After the secession of the southern states, the hostility between the Union and the newly formed Confederacy intensified. While the Confederacy claimed that it was their right to leave the Union if they did not agree with its policies, for the people were the ones who created the Union. However, the Union did not agree with this theory and fought to reintegrate the south into the Union. After the North won the Civil War, the Union began to bring the South back into the government. However, the South’s freedoms were extremely limited. The South was not represented in legislature until the rejoined the Union, which they could not do unless they abolished slavery and took a loyalty oath. Either way, the Union was repressing the South from what it wanted and limiting the possibilities for its people. Stephan Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage proves the lack of opportunity. Henry is a young boy who wants to go off to war because he thinks that it is a chance for him to become a man. Although his mother does not want him to go to war, Henry enlists and heads off to the war. While leaving “he bowed his head and went on, feeling suddenly ashamed of his purposes” (Crane 445). Henry feels dishonorable for not following the wishes of his mother. He regrets his actions while waiting at the camp until they head out for war. While fighting, Henry runs away, proving that he is still a boy. Henry continues on his journey to become a man. In the end, the war forces Henry to mature due to his experiences, yet he did not have the opportunity to become a man. Crane explains, “Echoes of his terrible combat with the arrayed forces of the universe came to his ears…for a moment he blushed, and the light of his soul flickered with shame”(Crane 505). Henry never has the chance to become a man because he is still uncomfortable with himself. Although the 1920’s were called the roaring twenties due to their prosperity, it was only an opportunity to some. Many of the policies of the times limited the people who became rich overnight. One such limitation was due to World War I and the Red Scare, where people became fearful of foreign invasion. After the two incidents, Americans grew wary of foreigners so people developed a “nativist” mentality. The first action was the formation of a new Ku Klux Klan. They demonstrated their extremely conservative views in “konclaves”, which were enormous “flag-waving parades”(American Pageant 748). The Ku Klux Klan rallied people into joining their cause to fight for opportunities strictly for white, Protestant Americans. The United States Congress established the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 in response to the large amount of immigration. It allowed for only three percent of the immigrants in the United States in 1910. When Americans were still not satisfied with this, in 1924, the percentage allowed dropped to two percent of 1890. The isolationist view from Americans limited the number of people who were able to come to the “Land of Opportunity”. Another limitation occurred when the Government gave away their control of private industries. During World War I, the U.S. Government ran railroads and controlled the economy. When they handed the industries back to private owners, many people lost money, while the only people who gained from the deal were the private owners. By limiting opportunity to only few people, the 1920’s lost most of its opportunity. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald portrays the Twenties as an era where there are numerous possibilities. However, the possibilities that are available are not the ones that a person desires. One such person who embodies this idea is Jay Gatsby. Jay Gatsby grows up near the Great Lakes, where he meets Dan Cody. Dan Cody befriends Gatsby and trains him in living “successfully”. As Dan Cody’s prodigy, Gatsby inherits Cody’s money when he passes away. However, this supposed “opportunity” is not what Gatsby is searching for. Gatsby had fallen in love with a girl named Daisy, earlier in his life. However, Gatsby had to leave Daisy behind to go fight in the war. Missing the past, Gatsby moves to New York City in search of his love, Daisy. After finding Daisy, Gatsby buys a house on the opposite side of the bay, and moves into it. Gatsby lives there for many years, throwing parties and living extravagantly. Gatsby does all of this in hope of encountering Daisy, hoping that he can rekindle their love. However, Daisy never attends Gatsby’s parties. One day, Daisy’s cousin, Nick moves in next door. Gatsby sees this as an opportunity to run into Daisy. However, this is not a chance for Gatsby to start anew with Daisy, for she is already married and has changed a lot since Gatsby last saw her. Nick sets up for Daisy to come over and have tea and Gatsby comes over. The two end up talking, and Gatsby realizes that she has changed. “She use to be able to understand…I’m going to fix everything the way it was before”(111). Gatsby is unable to understand that he cannot start where he left off with D...