The American Dream: Myth or Reality?

Introduction

Is life a bed of roses? The answer varies depending on whose life we are talking about. Through thick and thin, ups and downs, high and lows, a person achieve his or her dreams. The journey from “nobody” to “somebody” is never easy. There are several barriers on the road to success and only the best can make the best of their life.

There are some situations which make or break a person. In this essay, I am going to talk about one such situation known as social mobility and will analyze whether the “overly hyped American dream” is real or a mere fantasy.

Social mobility

Social mobility usually means movement from one social position to another due to factors like, migration, financial stability, job, marriage etc. The movie called "pursuit of happiness" shows a trend of downward and upward mobility. Initially Chris Gardner invested all his family savings into density bone-scanners that did not realize quick return on investment. This was the phase when Chris was broke and homeless and was facing downward mobility. But, later, his hard-work and dedication turned to be fruitful and helped him to reach a milestone of self-owned brokerage firm, which in other words is upward mobility.

Barriers to the mobility

According to Worstall (2007), belonging to a privilege family increases the likelihood of being successful through the education system. Factors like family background, social contacts, educational system and economic stability can be the barriers to social advancement. Talent, motivation and hard-work may not be enough to move from rags to riches.

Rags to riches

The concept of moving from rags to riches appears to be extremely eye catching and motivational. Yes, on one hand, we cannot ignore the idea of “self-made man” set by some exemplary individuals who broke all the barriers in their way to success. However, ...