A Thematic Journey
The American Experience as a journey can be expressed thematically, in three separate ideas that are ordered and expressed very specifically. Each one builds off of the next like a pyramid, and in order to reach the top, one must start at the bottom. In other words, as each theme connects to the one before it, and references and utilizes ideas proven or introduced in previous pages, reading in the order they are presented is vital.
Each one functions as a sort of mini-thesis that, when combined, becomes a comment on the American Experience.
- The American Experience is about chasing an ideal. This is the first thing that I seek to prove about the Experience, as it assists in conveying the idea that it is rather about a better future or brighter tomorrow, and it leads directly into the next point:
- The American Hero is tragically doomed to fail at achieving this ideal. In working to link the archetypal American Hero with the definition of tragedy and the tragic hero, this is what I seek to prove, which leads into the next idea:
- Success in the American Experience is not determined by achieving that goal, but by being optimistic that the better future and brighter ideal exist, and pushing onward anyway. Here is where it is truly shown to be about the journey and not the ending, and that is what the American Experience is all about.
Each one functions as a sort of mini-thesis that, when combined, becomes a comment on the American Experience.