The American dream is the ideology that hard work and ambition lead to success. Many Immigrants possess this hope when they journey to unfamiliar places to build better homes there. Through this hope, they consider home not where you were born in or grew up in but the place where family is living happily. This hope constitutes the American dream. This theme has been portrayed heavily both in the novel, Brooklyn by Colm Toibin and in the film, Brooklyn (2015) Directed by John Crowley.
In the sections below, the theme, chasing the American Dream as seen by the book and the film is discussed.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The American Dream in the Novel
In the novel, it is evident to see how America shapes the dreams of people. It is said that before and after World War II, it was common practice for people to migrate to America. This move was particularly trending because America presented the hope for a better life (Delaney). The American dream stated that if one worked hard in America they would be highly rewarded for it and become wealthy as compared to other countries.
The character Eilis, gets sponsored by Father Flood to travel to America to find work and build a better future for herself. Eilis immediately knows and exclaims that this is the best thing for her. Travelling to America, the land of the free and home of the brave can be terrifying but she knows it’s best for her. She believes in the American dream; believing that she will get rich if she works hard. Eilis therefore, a young, single woman crosses the ocean to look for work and respectability in America (jones).
“… while the boys and girls from the town who had gone to England did ordinary work for ordinary money, people who went to America could become rich. She tried to work out how she had come to believe also that, while people from the town who lived in England missed Enniscorthy, no one who went to America missed home.” (Toibin,, 47). This is the sheer belief Eilis has on the American dream that her hard work would pay greatly in America than in any other country. She convinces herself that going to America is a good thing since she would never long for Eniscorthy, home.
On arrival in America Eilis embarks on achieving the American dream at all costs. She was already enrolled at Brooklyn College’s night classes by Father Flood. The classes were for bookkeeping and accountancy. It is said that if she studied for two years and passed all her tests, she would instantly get a rewarding job in New York. “… If you do it for two years and pass all their tests, there’s no office in New York that won’t want you.” Even Father Flood from this excerpt believes in the American dream (Delaney); that if Eilis would reap abundantly while in America, from her hard work in the courses she enrolled in (Rehm).
Besides attending night classes at the college, Eilis works the shop floor at Bartocci Department Store. It is this kind of determination to even juggle between a day job and night classes that shows Eilis strongly believes she will be wealthy after it all; the American dream (Rehm).
Eilis gets into a serious relationship with Tony (Taylor, 2015). Yet it is seen that she would avoid him for an entire week to focus on her studies once the exam dates were posted. “Once the dates for the exams were posted up Eilis arranged to have all the week free from work and began to worry about her studies. Thus in the six weeks before her exams started, she did not see Tony on the Saturday evenings for a movie; instead, she stayed in her room and went through her notes and waded through the law books…”( Toibin,148). It is clear to see therefore that Eilis’ belief in the American dream is so unwavering that nothing would come between her and her studies, between her and her dream for a better future through her studies; not even her relationship with Tony, her good-looking Italian boyfriend.
Tony, Eilis’ boyfriend also shows he believes in hard work and the American Dream. This can be clearly seen from his character. Tony has humble beginnings and works as a plumber; making enough to even take her girlfriend, Eilis out for dinner every Friday, and for a movie every Saturday evening.
It is seen that as Tony’s relationship with Eilis grows stronger so does his drive to achieve the American Dream. Tony tells Eilis of his property on Long Island and his plans to commence his carpentry and plumbing business with his brothers and later develop the land. Its seen from the excerpt “It would take time, he said, maybe a year or two before because it was a good distance from services and it looked like nothing except bare land. But soon, they knew the services would reach there...” that Tony is striving to work hard, start a business in order to get money and develop the land on Long Island- and all this drive forms part of the notion of the American dream.
“ On their plot there was enough space for five houses, each with its own garden.” (toibin, 174) This statement portrays the dream Tony has of their home after all this hustling. Tony hopes to leave his small family apartment and build a bigger home for him and Eilis. Tony is seen to describe the most lucrative aspect of the American dream, the wealth. Tony’s idea of wealth is seen as a nice home, with a white picket fence and a garden.
Even though Tony lacks a college degree, and his route of achieving the America dream is different from Eilis’, the underlying principle of the American seems to be deeply embedded in their lifestyles. Together they both hope they can rise the ranks from rags to riches through hard work. Their desires to achieve the Dream are equally matched.
Eilis’ hard work starts to pay off when she passes her two years long classes. She therefore receives a degree in bookkeeping. She gets married to Tony and they both intend to live a wonderful life in New York. She is seen throughout the novel as transforming from an Irish girl in America to an Irish-American.
At one point in the story Eilis has a major dilemma (Jones), having to choose between two equally critical decisions. This happens after Rose, Eilis’ self-sacrificing sister dies of an undisclosed illness and Father Flood informs Eilis that their mother is having difficulty coping with the situation. Eilis is thus forced to travel back to Ireland; this happens Just as she has gotten married to Tony, as the later insisted. While at Ireland Eilis finds the living conditions there be different, better and conducive for a life she would comfortable with, as compared to how the place was when she left for America. Eilis, then gets a permanent bookkeeping job and is set up to an eligible Irish man, Jim (played by Domhnall Gleeson). Eilis is then faced with the dilemma; to choose between living and settling in Ireland her original home that she always longed while in America or return to America the place that she made her new home with Tony. This decision is far greater than a decision between two men but a choice between the American dreams of settling at home. A choice between the old world and the new world.
The American Dream in the Film
The film, Brooklyn is directed by John Crowley and written by Nick Hornby, based on the novel, Brooklyn by Colm Toibin. The film is seen as a romantic drama film with a story of an Irish Immigrant girl, in America trying to accomplish the American Dream all while falling in love with a local. The drama later unfolds when her past brings itself back to her and she has to choose between two countries.
The film is set in the 1950’s coastal Ireland and New York. Saoirse Ronan gets to play the part of Eilis Lacey and Emory Cohen as the part of Tony (Rehm). In the film just as in the novel, Ronan is the young Irish woman who joined the throng of immigrants travelling across the sea to America in the hope for better lives. It is clear from Ronan’s stage presentation that Eilis is a reserved yet practical country girl from Enniscorthy. This can be seen from her cable-knit sweaters and sensible dress fashion sense. The solemn composure Ronan presents helps us see Eilis strong will to travel to America despite the intimidation; getting help from her self sacricing older sister; role played by Fiona Glascott.
Her travels to America do not come the assurance of money, work, friendship or even love. Yet the film shows that she finds all this while in New York. Ronan manages to portray Eilis’ determination to achieve the American Dream in a Greer Garson (the late famous actress) kind of way (Taylor).
Just as in the novel Eilis gets to meet Tony; played by Emory Cohen. He presents the picture of a plumber of Italian descent also in pursuit of the American dream. We see Ronan getting to learn what she is good at all while going through the highs and lows of the Dream. Ronan portrays Eilis life as dull and lonely in the start. Just as her American Dream is about to go off she encounters a fellow Irish girl who makes Eilis realize every success story has numerous failures in it. The Irish girls lays out to her the choices of either ending in ungratifying marriages or being stuck in her boarding house forever. Quite a grim picture for Eilis who believes in assured reward for hard work- the American Dream.
Through Ronan’s transcendent performance we get to see Eilis back at Enniscorthy, noticing the changes Ireland has gone through with time (Taylor), it’s becoming a lavishing place also free from the stresses so common in New York. We see Eilis grow into her destiny while making the discovery that in her quest for the American dream there is not right or wrong; only the choices she will make and the strength to bear with the wrong ones matter.
Ronan’s stellar performance enable us to see Eilis as vulnerable and imperfect (Taylor). It’s easy to relate with Eilis who gets to have clouded judgements and concealed emotions all in the quest for a dream. Ronan thus gets to bring out all this even beyond the paradigms of the dialogue. Through small intricate gestures such as the slow blink of an eye or the quiver lips, we can easily see Eilis’ internal conflicts through Rona’s eyes.
It is clear to see how Eilis grows from a shy lonely country girl to a fashionable, independent Irish-American woman through Ronan’s award winning issuance of the role. Ronan’s stature says confidence both in profession and looks as a result of the pursuit for the American dream.
In order to clearly depict Eilis’ dilemma, Ronan’s utterance of the statement “thank you,” (Teng) Eilis’ response to job and love propositions during her return journey to Ireland depicts a character with a complex inner self juggling with crucial decisions despite her placid exterior that could be mistaken for passivity.
Emory Cohen also brilliantly brings out the character of Tony, Eilis’ first love. Cohen helps us to see Tony as a candid (Rehm), and innocent young man equally working hard in pursuit of the American dream. Cohen manages to show that his Italian family were particularly equivocal towards the Irish, which presents a difficult scenario for Tony who is in a relationship an Irish girl, Eilis. Cohen masterfully combines an Italian accent with a Brooklyn one all while maintaining the stature of a minor character whose role is to help Eilis attain her American Dream. However, Tony who comes from a humble Italian home, gets to pursue the Dream in his own measure working as a plumber and planning to start his own business while in a relationship with Eilis
Adaptation of the script has been artistically done by Nick Hornby (Teng). Hornby in trying to keep up with the intense writing of Colm Toibin has managed to light up the mood on some of the somber themes using comedy that doesn’t come out as strenuous. Critical themes such as chasing of the American dream have been carefully crafted to be easily depicted from the film. Through Hornets adaptation we get to encounter and interact with the lively gigglers who share Eilis residence as newcomer, such as the cheerfully senile owner, Mrs Kehoe, part played by Barbara Walters.
Mrs. Kehoe terms Eilis as “sensible” and thereby bound for success. This is as a result of her hard work and determination seen as she studied with American bookkeeping at Brooklyn College. Thus Mrs. Kehoe further reiterates her belief in the American dream as well.
Aside from the playfulness of the script, the costumes and production design adopted helps bring Toibin’s novel to life in the film (Taylor). The atmosphere has been exquisitely set transition the mood of the scenes in shifting shades of dark and light, monochrome and fading color. Some of the costumes used to bring out the story include body-fitting green swim suits and cliché yellow dresses. Ronan is constantly brings Eilis to life through her bright colored outfits amidst the dull and cold Brooklyn winter weather. Eilis’ moods are brought out thereby by her outfits. As seen when Eilis meets Tony, her once gloomy life turns cherry and it can be seen through her choice of dresses.
Conclusion
In conclusion the film, Brooklyn, directed by John Crowley and adapted from the novel by Colm Toibin, heavily talks about or suggests the theme of chasing the American dream. This theme is heavily indicted by the man character Eilis and other minor characters such as Tony. The theme is seen as the hope in leaving ones home for America expecting to build a better life for yourself. In the end after Eilis return to Ireland, despite the improved conditions in Ireland, she decides to leave, officially out of her own will for America to live with Tony in pursuit of the American Dream.
References
Barone M. American Dreamer. How Brooklyn Offers A Fresh, Much Needed Perspective Immigration. 2015. Retrieved from https://www.tribecafilm.com/stories/brooklyn-movie-interview-director-john-crowley-saoirse-ronan
Delaney C. The American Dream: The Novel Behind The Academy Award-Nominated Film.2016. Retrieved from https://offtheshelf.com/2016/02/brooklyn-by-colm-toibin/
Rehm T. Romance and the American Dream in Btrooklyn. Arts & Entertainment. The Cornell Daily Sun. 2016. Retrieved from cornellsun.com/2016/02/11/romance-and-the-american-dream-in-brooklyn
Taylor E. ‘Brooklyn’ Follows A Dream In Ireland And New York. 2015. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2015/11/05453960976/brooklyn-follows-a-dream-in-ireland-an-new-york
Teng E. ‘Brooklyn’ Is a Different Kind of Immigrant Movie. The New Republic. 2015. Retrieved from https://newrepublic.com/article/12336/brooklyn-different-kind-immigrant-movie
