Vol. 7, Issue 2, Part D (2025)

The American Dream has been studied as a belief that, regardless of one’s background, caste, or class, or place of birth, one can achieve success and a better life through continuous hard work. Apart from the materialistic fulfilments, the American Dream also seeks one’s complete achievement, which encompasses happiness, liberty and opportunities. The notion of the American Dream is not only about success, but also about failures, unfulfilled expectations, identity crises, cultural compromises, etc. These diverse and complex aspects are evident in the works of Amy Tan and Jhumpa Lahiri. Amy Tan, in her novel The Joy Luck Club, talks of the generational conflict, identity crisis, cultural loss, misunderstanding due to cultural differences and struggle with the pressure to succeed. Similarly, Jhumpa Lahiri, in her novel The Namesake, depicts the economic success of the first generation but at the cost of cultural loss, which led to the identity crisis of the second generation. This paper aims to explore the nuances of the American Dream in the works of Amy Tan and Jhumpa Lahiri, which will enable the readers to think of varied and complex aspects of the functioning of the American Dream. Here is an attempt to explore the values of the American Dream, which are exemplified in the circumstances confronted by the characters in both novels.