239 American Dream Success
239 美国梦 成功
Ask most people how they define the American Dream and chances are they’ll say, “Success.” The dream of individual opportunity has been home in American since Europeans discovered a “new world” in the Western Hemisphere. Early immigrants like Hector St. Jean de Crevecoeur praised highly the freedom and opportunity to be found in this new land. His glowing descriptions of a classless society where anyone could attain success through honesty and hard work fired the imaginations of many European readers: in Letters from an American Farmer (1782) he wrote. “We are all excited at the spirit of an industry which is unfettered and unrestrained, because each person works for himself … We have no princes, for whom we toil，starve, and bleed: we are the most perfect society now existing in the world.” The promise of a land where “the rewards of a man’s industry follow with equal steps the progress of his labor” drew poor immigrants from Europe and fueled national expansion into the western territories.
当被问到如何定义美国梦时，绝大多数人可能会回答“成功”。自从欧洲人发现了西半球的“新世界”，对个人发展机会的梦想就深植于美国人的心中。早期的移民像赫拉托德·圣·克雷弗克就高度评价了新世界中能找到的自由和机会。他进而非常生动地描述了—个没有阶级的社会，在那里，人人都能在通过诚实和勤奋获得成功。他的描述激发了许多欧洲人的想像。在一个美国农民书信(1782)里，他写道：“我们都对工业化的优点充满了惊喜，因为它使得我们的工作变得无拘无束，不受人限制，这种精神使我们都感到激动，因为每个人都为自己工作……我们没有君主，无须为他们干苦力，饿肚子或流鲜血。我们是现今世界上所存在的社会中最完美的一个。”这块理想的土地上，“人人都有同等的机会，只要付出了劳动，就得到与之相应的回报”，这吸引了许多贫穷的欧洲移民，并推动了美国西部地区的发展。
Our national mythology is full of illustration the American success story. There’s Benjamin Franklin, the very model of the self-educated, self-made man, who rose from modest origins to become a well-known scientist, philosopher, and statesman. In the nineteenth century, Horatio Alger, a writer of fiction for young boys, became American’s best-selling author with rags-to-riches tales. The notion of success haunts us: we spend million every year reading about the rich and famous, learning how to “make a fortune in real estate with no money down,” and “dressing for success.” The myth of success has even invaded our personal relationships: today it’s as important to be “successful” in marriage or parenthoods as it is to come out on top in business.
我们国家的传奇故事中随处可见美国人成功创业的事迹。本杰明·富兰克林正是自我教育和自力更生的典范。他出生于贫寒之家，却成为了著名的科学家，哲学家和政治家。19世纪受年轻男孩子推崇的小说家翟雷肖·阿尔杰，通过写穷人变富人的故事成为了美国畅销书作家。我们时时刻刻都想着成功：我们每年都花费数百万美元，阅读关于富人或名人的书籍，学习如何“在房地产方面白手挣大钱”，如何“通过穿着赢得成功”。成功的神话甚至已经侵入了我们的私人关系：如今，在婚姻和担当父母方面取得成功与在事业中取得成功一样重要。
But dreams easily turn into nightmares. Every American who hopes to “make it” also knows the fear of failure, because the myth of success inevitably implies comparison between the haves and the have-nots, the stars and the anonymous crowd. Under pressure of the myth, we become indulged in status symbols: we try to live in the “right” neighborhoods, wear the “right” clothes, eat the “right” foods. These symbols of distinction assure us and others that we believe strongly in the fundamental equality of all, yet strive as hard as we can to separate ourselves from our fellow citizens.
但是梦想很容易变成噩梦。每个希望成功的美国人也都害怕失败，因为成功的神话意味着不可避免地会对富人和穷人，名人和普通人进行比较。在这些神话的压力下，我们沉浸于自己身份的条条框框之中：我们努力生活在“适合自己身份”的社区，穿“适合自己身份”的衣服，吃“适合自己身份”的食物，这些各式各样的条条框框向我们和其他人表明，我们在坚定地信奉所有人基本平等的同时，也会尽可能地努力把自己和其他人区分开来。