Jomar NocedaHooper11 AP Literature and Composition21 November 2016In "Paradox and Dream", John Steinbeck explains how Americans have become obliviousto the paradoxes that are present between the American mindset and American life. He points outthat America's history is filled with symbols like "gunslinging sheriffs" which translate to be the national dreams of the past (Steinbeck 4). The paradoxes that Steinbeck lists are supported by these symbols of the American Dream as they are idolized by Americans, yet they are not relevant in the present. However, it is to be reasoned that the American Dream is changing alongside American life, so Steinbeck is correct in his assertion that the American Dream is still a possibility. Much of the paradoxes Steinbeck accounts for can be thought of as the impact of changing times. He states that Americans believe themselves to be “heirs of the pioneers”, yet there “isn’t a man among us in ten thousand” that can take on the role of a butcher or hunter (1). Americans are not as self-sufficient as they ideally were in the past because America is becomingmore advanced. It is a result of the increased availability of a college-level education which fosters a variety of new skills among Americans and a dependency on other Americans for certain skills. The American Dream of the past was being self-sufficient, evident through the pioneers. With the opportunity of education in the advancing America of today, that Dream is no longer relevant. Rather, the Dream has shifted towards pursuing a skill to specialize in. The Dream did not “die” with the past, it just “[took] another form” (2). The Dream has changed withthe circumstances of education in American life, so the American Dream is still attainable.Steinbeck discusses the significance of the “home dream” in America’s history and how ithas also evolved with American life. In the past, the American Dream of home was obtained witha place to live where woman and children felt “reasonably safe” and families felt comfort with just warmth and food (2-3). In the present, American families are characterized by “pure restlessness” as the more money a family makes prompts the spending for more comforts (2). Excessive comforts are continuously sought out with the home which signifies that the past American Dream of home―characterized by safety and minimal comforts―is not relevant in thepresent. However, the American Dream of home has not died because it has changed into a new form of the home dream driven by materialism. Although it is considered a negative change, the American Dream is still a possibility; by obtaining the valued products in society, the home dream will be attained.American life is changing for better and for worse. However, those changes do not make the American Dream dead or impossible to attain. The idolized Dreams of making a living off theland and the adequate, simple home may not have any presence in America today, but they have changed into a different form of the American Dream that is both possible and relevant to