From the American Revolution onward, the United States has gained international recognition as a land of hope and equal opportunity. America's Founding Fathers envisioned the nation as a place of widespread promise, operating under democratic government, and allowing for social mobility. The idea that any individual, regardless of circumstance, could achieve a goal by possessing determination became a belief known as the American Dream. Instilled in the heart of American culture, and remaining there today, the American Dream must be evaluated for its validity. Using critical support to discuss the purpose and importance of this myth in centuries past, I will examine the American Dream from a historical perspective to uncover its current function in modern America. Despite its illusory nature, the pervasion of the American Dream into national thought serves to justify the myth's perpetuation in the 21st century. Overall, this article will illustrate the need for a new ideology if America is to continue to grow. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Incredibly popularized in the 19th century, during the time of expansion and Manifest Destiny, the American Dream became a predominant principle guiding society. The premise of the myth seemed simple: work hard and achieve greatness. A hopeful approach to the future, this idealistic vision provided inspiration to adolescent America, essentially a child. Psychologist Bruno Bettelheim explains that “the most important and also most difficult task in raising a child is to help him find meaning in life” (3), which is essentially the conflict that has led youth society to adopt a recognized ideology at a national level. The people had the difficult task of economic, social and cultural development before them and needed a path to follow that would ensure an important and meaningful future. A mid-19th-century author of children's stories, Horatio Alger was a major influence in spreading the message of the American Dream through popular culture. Incorporating the myth into the American consciousness, Alger proposed that anyone could go from rags to riches (Kanfer). He provided a formula for realizing the American dream that corresponds to the simplified formula of Joseph Campbell's monomyth.[1] There are three phases in Campbell's formula: “a separation from the world, a penetration into some source of power, and a life-enhancing return” (35). Likewise, Alger's plot typically depicted a young boy separating himself from his poverty-stricken world, embarking on a new routine characterized by an intense work ethic, and emerging with an improved status. Alger's stories circulated across America at a crucial stage in its history, imparting a seemingly common-sense approach to social challenges and promising triumph. Alger indeed had a substantial impact on American philosophy of the next century. Although Joseph Campbell in his conclusion to The Hero with a Thousand Faces states that modern society no longer holds to a mythical approach to life's difficulties, I see the situation as the opposite. : Too strong a reliance on the American myth has served as a constraint on the progress of society. In Campbell's formula comes "the phase of trials and victories" (36). The continued hope in the American dream has prevented the social body from overcoming these tests. Consequently, the modern world's reluctance to throw away the American dream causes the postponement of "return and reintegration into..