Jonas Normand Kristensen

The Evolution of The Dream

Introduction

The evolution of the dream. Explore the American Dream's evolution in the 21st century. Through film analysis ('Pursuit of Happyness', 'Wolf of Wall Street'), this paper debates its modern pursuit.

Abstract

This paper debates the current state of the American Dream, once central to the identity of the United States, based on contemporary representations of the Dream that have taken root in the 21st century. These arguments are founded in the cultural analyses of Muccino’s The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) and Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street (2013), due to their diametrically opposing representations of the concept. Through these analyses, I find that the Dream has evolved from a debate on whether it could be real, to a debate on whether it should be pursued in the first place.

Review

This paper proposes a timely and pertinent examination of the American Dream, charting its evolution through contemporary cultural representations in the 21st century. The central argument posits a significant ideological shift, moving the core debate from the feasibility of the Dream to its inherent ethical desirability. This reframing of a foundational concept promises to offer valuable insights into evolving national identity and societal values, positioning the paper as a potentially important contribution to American studies and cultural critique. The methodology hinges on a comparative cultural analysis of two prominent films: Muccino’s *The Pursuit of Happyness* (2006) and Scorsese’s *The Wolf of Wall Street* (2013). The selection of these particular texts appears strategically sound, given their explicitly "diametrically opposing representations" of success, ambition, and the pursuit of wealth, which directly aligns with the paper's core thesis. While these films offer rich ground for textual analysis and exemplify the proposed dichotomy, a minor point of consideration might be whether two cinematic examples, however potent, fully encapsulate the diverse and multifaceted "contemporary representations" of the Dream across the broader cultural landscape. Further detail on the specific analytical framework employed for these cultural analyses would also strengthen the methodological clarity. The paper's conclusion, that the Dream's discourse has shifted from a question of its reality to one of its ethical pursuit, is a compelling and intellectually stimulating finding. This insight has profound implications for understanding modern American aspirations and the potential disillusionment or re-evaluation of traditional success metrics. Should the analysis robustly support this claim, the paper will undoubtedly stimulate further academic discussion and provide a solid foundation for exploring the socio-economic and psychological ramifications of this evolving paradigm. It suggests fertile ground for subsequent research, perhaps extending the analysis to other cultural artifacts or demographic perspectives to further validate and nuance this significant proposed transformation.

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