American Dream Nightmare

The American Dream can be defined or summed up as an “ideal that every US citizen should have equal opportunity to achieve success, and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative.” In the novel, TheWorking Poor, by David Shipler, the characters come from different backgrounds, and different lifestyles with the ambition to accomplish the American dream. Although each character is different, one thing that unites them all is that they are all part of the workforce of America. They are the forgotten American who’s hard work did not provide them with the equal opportunity of the American dream. The author’s theme of the American dream being dead can be effectively seen through the characters Caroline Payne, and her financial situations, and Claudio and his wife, and the price they pay to work in America.

Caroline's Pain

 In the novel, the author uses Caroline Payne as a device to effectively show his theme of the American Dream being dead. She is an example of the forgotten American in the workforce of America. Caroline describes herself as someone who “works her butt off” (Shipler 51). According to the author, she has worked in multiple factories, a store, a local lodge, an insurance company, a bank, and even Wal-Mart, never being promoted to higher positions and never making more than $10 an hour in her work history. Her struggles in her work life are further emphasized in this quote, “Back in the mid 1970’s, she earned $6 an hour in a Vermont factory that made plastic cigarettes lighters, and cases for Gillette razors. In 2000, she earned $6.80 an hour stocking shelves and working register at a vast Wal-Mart in New Hampshire” (Shipler 50). Shipler uses this quote to emphasize that in reality, Caroline has been working for such a long time, just as many forgotten Americans have, with nothing gained from it, and nothing to show for it. With no fruits of success coming blossoming from Caroline’s hard work, she is a definitive example as to why the American dream is dead.  

            

Wal-Mart Wants You

Wal-Mart, the company that has employed Caroline Payne, also employs Jennifer Mclaughlin, a young mother who according to the article, Up Against Wal-Mart, by Karen Olsson, is makes on a yearly average of  $16,800, and is “considered high-paid” has dealt with similar struggles that Caroline has dealt with for much longer. Mclaughlin emphasizes in her quote “the way they pay you, you cannot make it by yourself without having a second job or someone to help you, unless you’ve been there for 20 years or you’re a manager.” This further stresses what Shipler was using his novel for, living in a nightmare in which even the work you have isn’t enough to provide families with basic essentials.

           

Stuck In America

  Claudio and his wife are also symbols that Shipler used to effectively show his theme of the death of the American dream. Although, they are not Americans themselves, Claudio and his wife are just as much as part of the American workforce as any other American citizen. They, symbolize the many migrants that come from the farthest frontiers in search of abundant work and hopefully pay, also. What they come to learn is that there is a price for everything in America, including work. In the quote, “the young couple set out on their new journey to a new life in America by agreeing to pay a coyote, a smuggler of humans, to sneak them across the border from Mexico” (Shipler 99), the price people pay to get to America is not just financial, but also legal, risking their freedom for the opportunity to come work in America. The migrants that do make it do not have an easy journey ahead of them, many, like Claudio and his wife, have to pay off debts by the contractors before they can start to see the fruits of their labor, and to even be able to return home.

            

Conclusion

The American Dream was once attainable for anyone who worked hard and persevered through tough times to get themselves and their families ahead. For David Shipler, the author of the novel The Working Poor, the American dream is dead. The character Caroline Payne elaborates as to why this is true because, in her time served in the workforce of America, she has not achieved a promotion or a substantial pay raise, even though she’s been thought to be a hard worker.  Claudio and his wife also serve a specific purpose as to why the dream is dead, they chose to make a financial sacrifice to come to America to work, and hopefully prosper, for their family, only to be left trapped here until they can pay their debts to America.

Work Cited

Olsson, Karen. Up Against Wal-Mart. Mother Jones. 2003. Web

Shipler, David. The Working Poor. New York: Vintage Books. 2004. Print