Changes to the American Dream

Continuing my literature review, I discovered another scholarly source that could be very useful for my topic. The journal article, titled "The Apocalyptic Strain in Popular Culture: The American Nightmare Becomes the American Dream," is written by Paul A. Cantor. This article discusses what was initially seen as the true American Dream: a happy, healthy family living in a suitable house with 2-3 cars owned, adults living with a well paid job, the children going to a quality school with a good educational institution. After describing the original American Dream, he describes how this dream has been altered in the nation over the decades primarily due to apocalyptic fiction.

 He also states that the occurrence of the World Wars also played a huge part in this drastic change. Both apocalyptic fiction and the World Wars ties in with each other because the wars lead to a global apocalypse scare. The threat of nuclear warfare drove the world into hysteria of the world soon coming to an end, which allowed the theme of apocalypse to become a very hot topic in America for generations.  Because apocalyptic fiction has become a part of the American lifestyle, people of the nation began doubting that a lifestyle as explained in the original American Dream, could actually be realized. If choosing to use this article source in my Literature Review, the drastic shift from the older, original sense of the American Dream to the newly revised and somewhat darker version will be greatly supported.

Cantor, Paul A. "The Apocalyptic Strain in Popular Culture: The American Nightmare Becomes    the American Dream." The Hedgehog Review 15.2 (2013): 23. Web. 28 March 2015.