J. D. Vance’s introduction to his book Hillbilly Elegy. A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis
Summary
J.D. Vance begins his memoir by telling us, that he hasn’t achieved anything ordinary. The only thing he actually achieved was graduating from Yale Law school. He grew up in a poor family, raised by his grandparents, who both dropped out of high school. Vance almost failed out of high school, but he worked hard nearly gave up. He really felt the upward mobility when he graduated, in spite of that his American dream were to be a part of his family, a hillbilly. He knew that the working-class whites were the most pessimistic group in America, and he didn’t want to be a part of that people. Vance argues against the white working-class, and the equal opportunities between the hillbillies and the modern Americans.
Analysis
The American Dream has in many years been a big part of the American humanity, it’s about achieving specific things, for example the traditional American values which is, individual freedom and self-reliance, equality of opportunity and competition, hard work and material wealth. A big concept in America is upward mobility, it means that everyone in US can enjoy their social life, some people have to overcome the conditions from their social heritage, it requires effort and hard work. This concept also means that everyone is supposed to live the American dream. Even if you are born in a low-class family, you can still succeed through upward mobility.
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