Forrest Gump and the American Dream 英语专业毕业论文.doc

Forrest Gump and the American Dream Abstract ‘American Dream’ is the famous word every American hears throughout their life. American Dream drives everyone in USA and even many non-American people who came to America for their dreams to achieve themselves. However, what is the American Dream? In this paper, it will be discussed with analyzing the famous movie ‘Forrest Gump’ from following several points: (1) The definition of the American Dream; (2) The evolution of the American Dream; (3) The reflections of the American Dream in the movie ‘Forrest Gump’. Introduction ‘The United States, one of the frequently- mentioned countries in the world, has established a highly developed national economy within a matter of about two hundred years, counting from the time of its independence. ’ (Lai, 2003:214) Why Americans can achieve such great success? Why American can expand their land from a small country with only 225 square kilometers (The area is equal to the size of Xinjiang and Qinghai of China.) to the final 9.37million square kilometers ranking fourth largest country in the world? In the decades from the First World War to the Second World War, why American could have become a ‘world police’ from a ‘house wife’? The answers inevitably involved in the core of American Spirit, namely the American Dream, which is deeply rooted in each American generation, and inspire them to realize themselves. Many non-Americans have had the American Dream or are dreaming it. But most of them prefer to understand the American Dream from material aspect rather than spirit one, such as: going to America to study, getting a ‘green-card’ to become a American citizen, making a fortune to live a life of luxury, etc. In fact, however, American Dream is not limited to these. Ⅰ. The Definition of the American Dream i.What is the American Dream? American is not just a dream, and even though it is a dream, it is not a simple dream, but a ‘national ideal’ weaved by the founders of America