The American Dream Reflective Essay Example

Generations of Americans, natural-born citizens and immigrants, have remained in the United States in order to achieve the American Dream. Individuals from various socio-economic backgrounds have spent their lives seeking ways in which to enhance their position in society. Through working multiple jobs to seeking aid from others, individuals of all economic statuses have worked hard in order to accomplish the American Dream. Some socio-economic groups may deem that this dream is easy to accomplish, with resources already available at hand. Others may regard this task as difficult, as they face discrimination and inequality amongst other socio-economic groups. The American Dream is achieved when an individual is able to improve his/her lifestyle as well as make a lasting impact that shapes the future of society. Although the American Dream is evident in the United States, our flawed economy has limited the potential of certain hard-working socio-economic groups through wage gaps and discrimination. 

Some hard-working individuals view the American Dream as unachievable as a result of economic inequalities. Specifically, individuals in the lower working class often witness challenges due to the increasing wage gap between the wealthy and poor. Journalist Barbara Ehrenreich describes in her narrative essay, “Serving in Florida'', the effects a base pay of $2.15 an hour has on her lifestyle and those around her. Within her narrative, Ehrenreich decided to leave her regular life in order to experience the life of a minimum wage worker. She left everything behind and became a waitress at two restaurants working long days. Ehrenreich recalls when Gail, a waitress she worked with, informed her, “Joan was still living in her van and that Stu had been fired from the Hearthside” (Ehrenreich 376). Even though Ehrenreich, Gail, Joan, and Stu were working class individuals, they were still witnessing challenges that prevented them from accomplishing the American Dream and improving their lifestyle.  Ehrenreich explained in her narrative that the base pay given to her was still short of her monthly rent payments. As a result, she oftentimes had to go paycheck to paycheck in order to sustain her needs. Her experience revealed that current wages limit the potential of individuals as they struggle to provide for themselves. Even though Joan worked hard to provide for herself, she was still living in her van after Ehrenreich quit. This exemplifies the idea that wage gaps limit the success of certain socio-economic groups by showing how waitresses and other minimum wage workers oftentimes still do not make enough money in order to sustain themselves. In comparison, family members of the wealthy often do not struggle as much due to their available resources. In particular, George Packer, the author of “Sam Walton/Jay Z”, describes the success of Sam Walton and how his modest upbringing led to his economic success. Sam Walton, an individual who is considered to be one of America’s wealthiest men, began his success with the help of his father in law. Gradually, his store, Walmart, became extremely successful, opening stores nationwide. After his death, it is estimated that his heirs received a fortune that grew to nearly $145 billion by 2013. As a result of his economic success, “6 of the surviving Waltons would have more money than the bottom 42 percent of Americans”(Packer 355), causing a greater wage gap. Sam Walton’s family did not have to struggle in order to sustain themselves, as they already made plenty of money in order to provide for their needs as well as their business. His children did not need to work as hard as other hardworking socio-economic groups as they were already provided money from their father’s success. This depicts the reality that the wage gap between the wealthy and poor often favors the rich, helping them to achieve the American Dream, while the hardworking lower class drags behind, struggling to improve their lifestyle and impacting society. In addition to wage gaps, many diligent socio-economic groups face obstacles as a result of prejudice.

Diligent socio-economic groups that witness prejudice are also limited in opportunities when attempting to achieve the American Dream. Racism and sexism has led to discrimination among minority groups including women, African Americans and Hispanics. Discrimination limits the potential of minorities as they are not given the same opportunities as others to succeed. Gregory Mantsios mentions a variety of American lifestyles within his essay “Class in America'' in order to demonstrate the effect being a minority had on a person’s success. One of the profiles included an African American female whose economic status led to her dropping out of school. Mantsios described Cheryl Mitchell as a hard worker who worked long hours and was highly motivated. According to her American profile, her jobs consisted of being a janitor, waitress, babysitter, and nurse’s aide. Even with multiple jobs, her annual salary was just $17,850 (Mantsios 387). Due to Cheryl Mitchell’s socio-economic status, her lifestyle was  harder to improve. Even though she may have been highly motivated when she worked multiple jobs, her wages were much lower, therefore causing a limit to her full potential. Without the money to pay for her education, Mitchell was forced to drop out in order to take care of herself and her family as a grandmother. As an African American woman, Mitchell faced many obstacles when improving her lifestyle. As a result of dropping out of high school, Mitchell was unable to get a well paying job, creating a lifestyle that was difficult to live in. She wanted to get out of the ghetto, however her current financial status prevented her from achieving her goal. Furthermore, a display found within Mantsios’s essay, “Class in America'', portrays the chances of certain minorities becoming poor in America. The chances of minority groups including Hispanics and blacks were extremely high with a “1 in 2” chance (Mantsios 396). Compared to White female heads with a chance of “1 in 4” (Mantsios 396), Hispanic and Black women had a greater chance of becoming poor in America. 

Others may argue that an individual’s desire to succeed is a strong factor that leads to improvement in lifestyle. They argue that even with obstacles such as discrimination and wage gaps, it is a person’s longing that paves the way to accomplishing the American Dream. Within Jacob Kornbluth’s film, Inequality for All, Robert Vaclav decides to go to school to earn a degree. Living in a family that is struggling financially, he took the opportunity to get a degree so he could get a better paying job. It was his desire to get a well paying job that caused a change in his lifestyle. Although Vaclav was able to go school to get his degree, that is not always the case for certain socio-economic groups. Families who are struggling financially often do not have the resources to go to school. They prefer not to try, as this is a risk that could potentially harm them in the long run. As previously stated, Cheryl Mitchell from “Class in America” had to drop out of school because she was unable to afford it. Even though it may have been her desire, she was unable to uphold it, leading to her downfall. Her experience demonstrates that a person’s desire to succeed is alone, not enough, to find success and to impact society. 

Even though the American Dream is present in the United States, our weak economy has restricted the potential of various hard working socio-economic groups through income inequality and prejudice. Low income workers and minorities are limited in opportunities, whereas the wealthy and higher class individuals are being benefited. Being hardworking is not enough for a person to achieve the American Dream, as financial status prevents certain opportunities. Desires of certain socio-economic groups are often accompanied by risks which prevent someone from succeeding. In order to make the American Dream more accessible in the U.S., it is imperative that economic inequality is taken care of. Without equal opportunities, certain groups of individuals will be left out, preventing even the hardworking from succeeding. The U.S. job market has to make way from discrimination in order to allow for equal representation within the economy. Without equal representation and opportunity, the American Dream will not be accessible to all socio-economic groups.