money and class in america
In the book Money and Class in America written by Lewis Lapham, the way Americans look at money is exposed. It compares other nations view on monetary value against that of the Americans. It is a fact that we place more value on money than anything else. This book illustrates the corruptness of the “American Dream” as it focuses money as the “currency of the soul” and through the dream, men remain free to rise or fall. Their life is the product of the effort and the decisions put forth by them. To start off, money in the U.S. is perceived as the currency of the soul. It makes the world go round. Lapham writes, “They had been so ‘deflected by the pursuit of money’ that they could turn ‘in no other direction.’. In my opinion, Americans kill and go great distances in order to obtain money. Money drags along the perks of respect, power, and wealth. Comparing our notion of Money and Class in America, we can compare it to the decline of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby. The whole book revolved around what money can get you. For the Gatsby himself, it got him many lavishing parties and some respect. However, it did not buy Daisy’s affection because having money does not mean having class. This is to prove that other nation’s values and dreams are well rounded unlike that of the Americans. Countries like Europe and Asia balance their desire of wealth against the claims of human spirit. Soviet countries honor the holding of political power. In France, a richman is just a richman, nobody grants him the respect just because he has riches. Moreover, the original American Dream was to be able to chase your dreams and to have the opportunity and freedom in doing so. “Men remain to free to rise and fall in the world, and if they fail, it must be because they willed it so.” In other words, no one choses your destiny but yourself. If you do not surpass the obstacles on your journey, it is simply because you chose not to. After all, freedom, liberty, and opportunity