Topic: The harsh reality of the american dream
Citation: Wright, L. S. H. (2009). The death of the american dream. The Virginia Quarterly Review, 85(4), 196-VIII. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxylocal.library.nova.edu/docview/205385361?accountid=6579
Hunter S. Thompson’s “The Death of the American Dream.” Thompson believed that the dream itself could’ve helped our society if it wasn’t so flawed. The analyzer of the story, Luke Wright, addresses the story as a life changing read. To understand the flawed system of injustice in America, Thompson endured various political and social protest events that permanently left a mark on his life, and not in a positive way. Wright states in order to jumpstart the halting project, Thompson convinced Silberman to obtain him press credentials for the Democratic Convention in August. Mingling among the protesters outside the convention and mixing among journalists covering the event, Thompson witnessed police violence, which would forever scar his psyche and become a constructive factor in virtually all his subsequent writing (1). This is when he knew, peace and unity was not a factor in the American dream, nor should it have ever been claimed to have ever been a part of what makes America great. We are divided subconsciously and historically, which leads into the hate crimes and police brutality we see on our streets every single day. Thompson finishes his story, ending it with the fact that he believes the notion of the American dream and everything it stands for is as good as meaningless. Wrights’ analysis finishes off with his own opinion, explaining that we have confused the American Dream with simple accumulation.
