Australian literature: major works and themes

¶ … Australian Literature: An Anthology of Writing From the Land Down Under, by Phyllis Edelson. Specifically, it will contain an analysis of "American Dreams," by Peter Carey. Some Australians do not seem to recognize just what it is they have in their country, and Carey attempts to show them how they are pushing their culture away with their "American Dreams."

AUSTRALIANS AND THEIR COUNTRY

Peter Carey's "American Dreams" is a veiled plea to his countrymen to stop thinking about America and try to appreciate what they have at home. "For our own town, my father says, we have nothing but contempt" (Ededson 166). The people do not respect what they have, or even those who live in the town. When Gleason begins building his wall, they think only the worst, and cannot think of something good or beautiful, and it is the same with how they see Australia as compared to America. "Later he told me that he thought Gleason had built the model of our town just for this moment, to set us see the beauty of our own town, to make us proud of ourselves and to stop the American Dreams we were so prone to" (Edelson 172).

Gleason's tiny town proves the man knew and saw everything that happened in this small town. He captured each resident perfectly, right down to who was having an affair with who, which turns the town from magical to ugly, and shows it for its true self, a blend of good and bad. Amazingly enough, the miniature town does not stop the town from dreaming about America, only now they are dreaming about America coming to them, to visit the tiny town and bring along many American dollars to spend.

In actuality, the town really did get its American Dream. The miniature town has turned into big business, and like any good capitalistic American, a few of the townspeople are raking in all the money, while the rest simply sit back and watch, sometimes posing for pictures for the insensitive American's cameras. They discover they do not like the Americans very much, and they do not enjoy being a living tourist attraction and here is the ultimate meaning of Carey's story - "be careful what you wish for." The town has found its American Dream, but as with most dreams, they tarnish when they come true.

Carey shows graphically the folly of wishing for something you do not have, and the folly of trying to be something you are not. Australia is not the United States, and never will be. The people of Australia, rather than wishing for something they do not have, should learn to take joy in what it is they do have - the beauty of the magnificent land around them.