This study uses literary texts from the twentieth century to explore the interaction between liberty and democracy at the heart of the American Dream. Of particular interest is the way in which the Dream is invoked and then called into question in Hemingway's To Have and Have Not (1937), Zora Neal Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), and Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' Cross Creek (1942). These works demonstrate a failure of a social order meant to guarantee individual success. The protagonists are forced to counter expectations of normalcy concerning the identity politics of race, class, gender, and sexuality in order to achieve the Dream's goal of a good life rooted in domestic happiness. / A Dissertation submitted to the Program in Interdisciplinary Humanities in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2013. / March 21, 2013. / American Dream, Hemingway, Hurston, Rawlings / Includes bibliographical references. / John J. Fenstermaker, Professor Directing Dissertation; Neil T. Jumonville, University Representative; William J. Cloonan, Committee Member; David F. Johnson, Committee Member.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_183729 |
| Contributors | Gibson, Jason M. (authoraut), Fenstermaker, John J. (professor directing dissertation), Jumonville, Neil T. (university representative), Cloonan, William J. (committee member), Johnson, David F. (committee member), Program in Interdisciplinary Humanities (degree granting department), Florida State University (degree granting institution) |
| Publisher | Florida State University, Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, text |
| Format | 1 online resource, computer, application/pdf |
| Rights | This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). The copyright in theses and dissertations completed at Florida State University is held by the students who author them. |
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