Lucid Dreaming as a Therapeudic Tool?

Essay by DuVc2002A+, September 2004

download word file, 4 pages 4.5

The Flawed Belief of The American "Dream"

The pursuit of complete "Happiness" and bliss is what The American Dream is made up of. A definite classification of the American Dream does not exist; anything that brings joy to an individual. Joy differs from one person to another due to individual preferences. Different backgrounds, childhood, environment, age, gender, and a countless number of other factors also have an effect on one's perception of The American Dream. For instance, a boyfriend-seeking seventeen year old female has different ambitions than a middle-aged man during his midlife crisis. Generally, the common American citizen has the improbable view of having wealth, a well paying job, a house with a white picket fence, and to remain youthful.

Since the settlement of the United States, people have based their lives upon reaching this pipedream fantasy. In Miller's The Crucible, the Puritan society was the first to embrace The American Dream.

They journeyed to the new world during the 1600's to be break away from England's religious persecution; to pursue their own personal freedom. Even within this utopian society, an equal opportunity for each person was nonexistent. After being alienated by the government of England, they alienated themselves by pointing fingers at each other and yelling "Witch!" John Proctor, the protagonist, is condemned for speaking out against the Puritan leaders; being an individual got John Procter killed. The parallelism to "Guilty By Suspicion" also reveals that The American Dream is a fairy tale. David Merrill's membership with the Communist Party during The Great Depression led him to find himself testifying in front of The House of Un-American Activities and to be blacklisted as a throughout the country. Harassment by the government leaves him unable to work on Broadway, with advertising agencies, or even in a small film repair...