American Dream (Citizen Kane vs. Mildred Pierce
Parth Patel
Topic #1
The American Dream is one of the things that describes what America is made of. Although the definition of the American Dream may be different from individual to individual, the main purpose is one thing: to gain the wealth and success you need to live a good life. People come to America because this is the land where you have equal opportunity, and the ability to become very successful. There have been many movies and books that depict the American Dream, but both show that the American Dream is not always the happy story that most Americans yearn for. These two movies are Citizen Kane and Mildred Pierce. As these two movies show that the American Dream is not what it seems, they show how middle class life and strong family values is the key to a good life. In the movie Mildred Pierce, the American Dream is portrayed as more of a nightmare. Mildred Pierce is the story of Mildred Pierce, a single mother who is willing to do anything to support her two daughters. Most of the movie is a flashback of Mildred explaining the recent events of her life to police officers after her husband Monte was murdered. Pierce separated from her first husband, Bert, after she found out he had an affair with another woman. Both of her daughters, Veda and Kay, live with Pierce now and she is willing to do anything to support the needs of them, especially the 16-year-old Veda. Mildred took a job as a waitress and she baked pies for extra income to meet the needs of Veda, who often longs for things that Mildred cannot afford. Veda was furious when she found out that Mildred was a waitress, which led Mildred to quit. Mildred then came up with the idea to start a restaurant to improve her image in the eyes Veda. She used the help of her real estate agent friend Wally and her future husband Monte to get the business started, which ended up being a great success. This storyline shows how a single mother went from barely supporting her two daughters
Topic #1
The American Dream is one of the things that describes what America is made of. Although the definition of the American Dream may be different from individual to individual, the main purpose is one thing: to gain the wealth and success you need to live a good life. People come to America because this is the land where you have equal opportunity, and the ability to become very successful. There have been many movies and books that depict the American Dream, but both show that the American Dream is not always the happy story that most Americans yearn for. These two movies are Citizen Kane and Mildred Pierce. As these two movies show that the American Dream is not what it seems, they show how middle class life and strong family values is the key to a good life. In the movie Mildred Pierce, the American Dream is portrayed as more of a nightmare. Mildred Pierce is the story of Mildred Pierce, a single mother who is willing to do anything to support her two daughters. Most of the movie is a flashback of Mildred explaining the recent events of her life to police officers after her husband Monte was murdered. Pierce separated from her first husband, Bert, after she found out he had an affair with another woman. Both of her daughters, Veda and Kay, live with Pierce now and she is willing to do anything to support the needs of them, especially the 16-year-old Veda. Mildred took a job as a waitress and she baked pies for extra income to meet the needs of Veda, who often longs for things that Mildred cannot afford. Veda was furious when she found out that Mildred was a waitress, which led Mildred to quit. Mildred then came up with the idea to start a restaurant to improve her image in the eyes Veda. She used the help of her real estate agent friend Wally and her future husband Monte to get the business started, which ended up being a great success. This storyline shows how a single mother went from barely supporting her two daughters