The American Dream in the 21st Century. Will Smith and 'The Pursuit of Happyness'

Abstract

This project involves analysis of the American Dream in its four versi ons as classified by Jim Cullen: upward mobility, equality, home ownership, and fame and success. Furthermore, it looks at its applications o n the motion picture The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) as well as Will Smith ́s personal and professional life. The aim is to demonstrate that the Dream is still a recurrent idea in the 21 st century and that Smith ́s character, Chris Gardner, and the celebrity himself fully illustrate the four versions of the Dream. Primary sources, including the above mentioned film directed by Gabriele Muccino and the biographical book The Amazing Life of Will Smith written by Matt Green have been used for the purpose of this study. Moreover, interviews with Will Smith and other important works published on the topic of the Dream have been consulted. We finally conclude that the American Dream is a controversial topic which has played an important role in USA history and cultu re and is still a n important issue in the 21 st century.