What is the American dream? The American dream is to be successful and to find happiness. What happens when we fail this dream? There are two stories that act out the failure of the American dream. In the story Winter Dreams, a man named Dexter falls in love with a beauty Judy Jones. He becomes very wealthy, but struggles with his feelings for Judy. In a different story Native Son, a boy named Bigger Thomas has lost his self-identity due to racism. Bigger and Dexter never reached the American Dream because they never knew themselves, just the things around them that they couldn't control.
             To accomplish the American dream, you need a strong sense of identity. In Native Son, Bigger could not live the dream because he did not know who he was. Bigger was distracted by many outside forces. One of these forces was racism. "I could fly a plane if I had a chance." (Pg. 20) Anyone could accomplish their dreams if they were given the chance. Because Bigger was a poor black man, he wouldn't get the chance to do anything. He became angry and violent leading to the cloud covering his identity, leaving him in the dark.
             Another thing that makes the American dream easier to achieve is one's environment. Bigger lived in a one-room apartment, a slump. It is not all about your house though. It is also about the people surrounding you. Bigger lived in a capitalist city, which never let him become an individual or let him do what he wanted. He was labeled as a poor black man who didn't deserve any respect. Dexter, on the other hand, was a successful man on his was to achieving the dream when he was blinded by Judy Jones. He had part of the American dream as being rich, but he could never find happiness.
             It is not just a strong sense of identity or our environments that help and hinder us, but these are two of the major factors. If Bigger were brought up in a different society, he would get the chance to do the thing
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