The American Dream has been a motif in American literature since the term was coined in 1931. It promotes a belief that anyone can succeed in America, as long as they work hard.
Now almost 100 years after the term was popularized, the American Dream has seen a change in meaning, as well as practice. N, an engineer who graduated from an esteemed Northeast university in early 2000s, explained what the American Dream meant to him while growing up in the South.
“I don’t quite believe in it [the American Dream] the same way my mom did. I know that she was a firm believer that if I went to school and did well in school, that things would turn out okay.”
N’s family emphasized good grades and a strong education. However, N says his education hasn’t come without downsides.
“Somehow I’m still carrying around student loans. They’re nearly 20 years old and somehow I’ve still got student loans I’m paying. I don’t even know how that works.”
The American Dream is “being able to go to the grocery store and buy, kind of, whatever you want without worrying too much about how much money you’re spending.
As tuition prices skyrocket, the accessibility of the American Dream, one that now relies on higher education, is being questioned. According to a 2017 report by College Board, a non-profit college preparatory organization, college tuition prices have risen by 213% from the 1987-1988 school year to the 2017-2018 one. An analysis by the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce found that 65% of jobs require some level of postsecondary education. With college degrees being seen as a necessity but priced as a luxury, the American Dream is faulty when it comes to equal opportunity for all.
For N, most of his identity growing up was about being smart. Sometimes this trait even helped him avoid trouble.
“I got away with a lot in high school, because I got good grades. I got suspended once and I don’t think they put it in my school record as a suspension. I just didn’t have to go to school for a day.”
Despite the occasional scuffles, N said his grades made him “the darling of the community.” Back then, he believed the American Dream consisted of good grades and a college degree. These days, he has a simpler definition.
“Being able to go to the grocery store and buy, kind of, whatever you want without worrying too much about how much money you’re spending, has always been a definition.” says N. “I remember the first time I walked into the grocery store with enough money in the bank account, and it felt like people just brought food from all over the world for me to make a big sandwich.”
N is…
- 40 Years-Old
- Male, Cisgender
- White
- From Mexico
- Upper Middle Class
- Straight
