Like all immigrants to the United States, Reyna's family wants to achieve the American Dream. They want to be prosperous and successful in their new country. As always, however, that's a lot easier said than done, especially as Reyna's family members are undocumented immigrants. This means that if they are caught by the authorities they can be instantly deported back to Mexico. If this happens, then the American Dream will be well and truly over for all of them.

At the same time, Reyna is pursuing her own version of the American Dream. She wants to make it as a writer, which is something she's rather good at. But the ultimate achievement of this ambition will depend on whether her family can remain in the United States, and that's by no means a certainty. So Reyna has several major hurdles to surmount if she's going to achieve her life's goals.

To a considerable extent, the American Dream is presented in The Distance Between Us as something that traps people. Once Reyna's family have determined on making it in the United States, there's really no way back for them, as Reyna discovers for herself when she visits her native village in Mexico. Once someone has set foot on the path towards achieving the American Dream, it is virtually impossible to turn back, and one therefore has no choice but to carry on along that hard and winding road.