The American Character: Futile Resiliency in the Face of Marginalization and Struggle

The American Character: Futile Resiliency in the Face of Marginalization and Struggle

The American Dream of the early 20th century was filled with seemingly tangible stories of “rags to riches.”   People came to America looking for success and wealth. The idea of easily finding oneself in the higher rungs of society was appetizing to poor marginalized victims of capitalism. Despite what was thrown at them, they kept trudging on to achieve their dreams.   However, their dreams were never really realized, and the honest people were beat with the club of corruption. The American character manifested in the working class while they toiled and labored but still managed to hope.   The poor, exhausted, and marginalized people of the early 1900s were keeping the wheels of the country turning behind the deceptive façade of the American dream and experiencing a harsher reality.   As shown in The Great Gatsby and The Jungle, the deprived dregs of society, whether of class or of personality and their brilliant but futile effort for a better life are the embodiments of the American Character.
The humble beginning of every working class character is the same in that they all start with magnificent dreams of a better future.   In The Jungle, Jurgis Rudkus and his family came to the United States of America in hopes of a better life.   He and his wife Ona threw a happy wedding-feast expecting the guests to cover part of the cost according to Lithuanian customs.   However, they found that nobody paid and were in debt to the saloon keeper.   Despite the turn of events, the couple’s naïve faith in the American Dream did not waver.   Instead “to the two who stood watching while the darkness swallowed [the sunset] up,   it seemed a dream of wonder, with its tale of human energy, of things being done, of employment for thousands upon thousands of men, of opportunity and freedom, of life and love and joy.   When they came away, arm in arm, Jurgis was saying, ‘To-morrow I shall go there and get a job!’” (Sinclair 33)   The two did not know what being part of the...