"Those who dare to fail miserably can achieve greatly.
Those who are willing to endure a tremendous risk of failure and loss in order to achieve something greater for themselves and the people they love and care for all while attaining the fullest stature of which they are innately capable of despite their position in society, acquiring something from nothing . . . now that's the American Dream. The American Dream is one that can consist of many themes, good and bad, such as friendship, love, lust, greed, betrayal, loss, and broken relationships. Despite the motive for one achieving the American dream, the goal is universally equivalent amongst all those who strive towards it, and that is to achieve something greater for themselves in which they weren't able to before because of circumstance. Dr. Martin Luther King's dream was for his four young children to be able to live in a nation that judges them not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Angered by the gap of the American Dream and his own reality, Al Capone's dream was to achieve success any way he saw fit, which was the start of him engaging in criminal activities in a land in which he deemed as an "unjust society". As many can see, various people from many backgrounds sought-after the American dream for both selfless and selfish purposes. One unique case of an individual's ordeals in acquiring the American Dream however, would be that of Chris Gardner's and his tribulations in The City By The Bay.
The "American Dream" of Chris Gardner's is one that is beset on all sides by the inequities of the many unruly circumstances in the world. However, though requiring a great deal of effort, Chris Gardner's case is one that is proven to be very rewarding once overcoming these strenuous ordeals. Chris Gardner's idea of the "American Dream" is one that most importantly involves going to any lengths necessary to protect his son Christopher, and shelter him from having a life with an absent father, while also being able to provide for himself as well as Christopher financially.