TITLE:
Disillusionment of American Dream in The Egg by Sherwood Anderson
AUTHORS:
Kaijia Hu
KEYWORDS:
American Dream, Sherwood Anderson, The Egg, Disillusionment
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.9 No.9,
September
9,
2022
ABSTRACT: "The Egg" is a short story by Sherwood Anderson. The story is told in the first person from the perspective of a child about his father's disillusion to rise in the world. The child's father used to live a self-sufficient and happy rural life. Under the pressure of his wife's urge to "rise in the world" after marriage, he experiences a series of failures to run a business. Finally, he breaks down in a ridiculous failed attempt to please his customer. Through the father's failures and absurd behaviors, the story shows that the American dream symbolized by the egg is illusory and impractical, reduced to monetary pursuit. Anderson satirizes the American people's fanatical quest for fortune in an unscrupulous manner in the early 20th century. He extends his sympathy to those who try to keep up with the rapid process of industrialization but get lost.