American Dream

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The Vision of America

Since its founding in 1776, the United States has stood as a beacon of liberty, offering not only the freedom to worship one's chosen deity but also the liberty to chase material prosperity. In the heart of the nineteenth century, Walt Whitman penned his "Song of the Open Road," painting America as a realm of camaraderie and boundless horizons, where every individual was a universe of their own making. The only boundaries were those imposed by the limits of one's imagination.

The American Dream Revisited

Simpson takes this idyllic vision of America and its storied Dream, exposing its less glamorous side. He hints that realizing this Dream brings not boundless joy or unity with fellow citizens, but a monotonous existence where the pursuit of comfort and pleasure overshadows the quest for nobler ideals. Without stating it directly, Simpson portrays middle-class life as one characterized by aimless consumption, where people pursue a so-called "good" life with unquestioning zeal. This unseeing chase is epitomized in the image of a procession of people "To the temple, singing," suggesting that middle-class existence has become a kind of faith with its own deities and rituals.

The Religion of Materialism

Though Simpson refrains from elaborating on this analogy, readers perceive that the deities worshipped by this modern faith are security and wealth, with the rituals comprising the "daily grind" of the nine-to-five workday and, for many suburbanites, the daily dance with congested traffic. Thus, the middle-class life becomes a secular religion, with its own sacraments and worship practices.

Class

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In weaving together images of social class and suburban life, Simpson’s poem breathes life into stereotypes surrounding both suburban dwellers and those seated within the middle class. The poet equates middle-class existence with a sense of "wasted" potential, tapping into widespread beliefs about what defines the middle class. These notions often encompass a particular income bracket, predictable tastes, uniformity, a dread of risk, and, ironically, a pervasive sense of despair.

Yet, the notion of a squandered life presupposes the existence of a life deemed productive. Although Simpson refrains from detailing what constitutes such a life, he intimates its divergence from middle-class "virtues." A "productive" existence may celebrate risk over safety, embrace adventure rather than stability, and favor the exotic over the routine—a life reminiscent of the vibrant journeys that Walt Whitman captured in his poetry over a century ago.

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