In the present text I am going to analyse Russell Wayne Baker’s extract “The American Dream” taken from his memoir “Growing Up” published in 1982.

In the first paragraph the narrator, Russell, an American man, describes the character of her younger sister Doris, when they were children during the Depression years. She was a determined girl and she had enough gumption for a dozen people. Indeed she enjoyed cleaning the house, washing the dishes and going to the grocer’s. According to the narrator she could probably have become someone important, if she had not been a girl. Indeed in the 1930s during the Depression years the American society believed that women did not have to go work and they could not become independent, but they had to be housewives and mothers, who looked after their husbands and children. On the other hand according to the Puritan mentality, men were encouraged to make something of themselves. Men were asked if they wanted to become US president by their families, which encouraged them to do it, since they were children. This happened also at Russell. Indeed his mother and relatives, such as his grandfather and uncle, believed the boy could have become a president. In America all the families, even the poor ones, believed that their sons could have done it and this idea was supported by the Lincoln’s presidency years conditions. Lincoln came from a poor family, but he became president. This myth was strong in all American families.

Russell’s mother was disappointed when she understood her son was not interested in climbing the social ladder, according to the typical American mentality that comes from the Puritan culture and vision about the God’s blessing. Puritans believe that someone is blessed by God only if he/she progresses continuously, while he/she is not blessed if he/she does not make progresses. When Russell’s relatives asked him if he wanted to grow up to be a President, the young boy told them that he preferred to get a different job. He said that he enjoyed picking up trash piles and so he would have become a garbage man. This decision left his family astonished and puzzled. Indeed it was a dishonour for the whole family to live with someone who did not want to proceed on the social ladder, especially if the person was the first son.

In conclusion in the 1930s’ America, the American dream, which means having equal opportunities for everybody was a privilege for male people, but not everybody believed in it and for this reason he was considered “strange”.