Opportunity: The Main Ingredient to The American Dream

Opportunity: The Main Ingredient to the American Dream

Opportunity is defined in Webster’s Dictionary as “A good position, chance or prospect for achievement” which can be easily connected to the idea of The American Dream. After all, isn’t America known as “The land of opportunity”? Throughout time, many cultures have migrated to America, and still come for that matter, in search of a better life through hard work and dedication to their particular cause. Throughout history, these people have voyaged to America in search of new lives and new opportunities. Whether it be the Puritans escaping religious persecution, immigrants looking for a better place to live and raise their children, or the poor American lower class always searching for a new “hustle” to make them rich, many are given the chance to achieve the goals they set for themselves in America.

For example, when the Puritans came to America in search of religious freedom, they were given the opportunity to start fresh and practice their faith; most of them cherished this occasion and eventually achieved spiritual fulfillment. Of course, this achievement was not easy; the Puritans demanded more strict doctrines and often fought among themselves in order to agree on such things. Despite this, the main focus was that they were given the opportunity to fulfill their goals and whether they achieved them or not, wasn’t as important as the effort and dedication that they were allowed to put into their cause.

Immediately grasping opportunity when it presents itself is possibly the most vital part to achieving The American Dream. In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the main characters Lenny and George, worked on several farms and plantations in order to achieve more than the generation (Lenny’s Aunt) that came before them. Their main goal in life was to work hard enough to earn enough money to purchase a home with a garden and animals that they could raise and eventually, “live off the fat of the land” by later selling the crops. Though both men came