Stephen Crane s American Dream - 1264 Words

Stephen Crane’s American Dream The American Dream was first defined In 1931 by James Truslow Adams. He described it by writing, â€Å"The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement,† in his book entitled Epic of America. He continues to describe, â€Å"that it is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.† Stephen Crane’s novel, The Red Badge of Courage, deal†¦show more content†¦Another example of this is after Henry fled one of the battles and hid until it was over, â€Å"Thoughts of his comrades came to him. The brittle blue line had withstood the blows and won. He grew bitter over it. It seemed that the blind ignorance and stupidity of those little pieces had betrayed him. He had been overturned and crushed by their lack of sense in holding the position when intelligent deliberation would have convinced them that it was impossible. He, the enlightened man who looks afar in the dark, had fled because of his superior perceptions and knowledge. He felt a great anger against his comrades. He knew it could be proved that they had been fools.† Henry currently sees the situation as himself against not only the enemy, but also his very own allies, and maybe even himself. Henry does not truly think this of his comrades, he most likely thinks the exact opposite and is envious of their courage, but he is ashamed in his action. He would do anything to convince himself that he was in the right, and to do that the others had to be in the wrong. This is the point in the novel where Crane represents Henry as being at the farthest point away from t he american dream. He cannot get any closer to the it until Henry gets over his fear and sees his allies for what they are, and stops putting a wall between himself and them. Before Henry is truly able to become a part of the team he must first seeShow MoreRelatedEssay on The American Dream1459 Words   |  6 PagesThe American Dream in Death of a Salesman, The Great Gatsby, and Maggie: A Girl of the Streets Millions of immigrants come to America each year to seek their American Dream. Many people believe that rising social mobility and success is possibleRead MoreHenry Flemming and Then Red Badge of Courage1725 Words   |  7 Pagesdistress, nervousness; all emotions of a young, naà ¯ve soldier entering war for the first time. To the reader, this is exactly what Henry Fleming represents. 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Harry thinks he will receive a sendoff from the town and be looked at as a hero. His mother instead says The Lord s will be done and continues milking the cow. The