¶ … Annie Dillard's "Living Like Weasels"
During the height of the Great Depression in 1931, James Truslow Adams coined the term, "the American Dream" in his book, Epic of America, to describe the growing expectations of a better life for all Americans, a life characterized by the pursuit of happiness, significant material rewards and individual security in exchange for hard work and honesty (Lallas 162). In her essay, "Living Like Weasels," Annie Dillard makes the point that people, who are logical and live by choice, can learn from animals, who are illogical and live only by necessity. This paper provides a review and analysis of Dillard's essay to identify what choices are involved in attempting to live out the typical American Dream and how those choices differ from living according to necessity. The review and analysis concerning the differences between the lifestyles defined by the American Dream as opposed to those defined by minimalism is followed by a discussion concerning the impact that the nonfictional nature of Dillard's essay had on the depiction of the American Dream theme. Finally, a summary of the research and important findings concerning the foregoing issues are presented in the conclusion.
Choices Involved in Attempting to Live Out the Typical American Dream
Many young people are still brought up in the United States believing that they can "be anything they want to be" as long as they are honest, work hard and believe in themselves. In return, Americans are supposed to be guaranteed a lifetime of job security, a nice house (preferably in the suburbs) with two new cars in their garage and two-and-a-half...
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