Americans strive to achieve the American dream, but they fail to realize that it is our own dissatisfaction and anger that prevents us from maintaining the American dream envy. In “Paradox and Dream,” by John Steinbeck, describes these paradoxes that persist in the lives of almost all Americans. Steinbeck shows how Americans believe in these things, but they contradict them by the actions they take or the words we speak. It describes how dissatisfied, angry, and intemperate Americans are. John Steinbeck portrayed a negative attitude toward Americans and their ideals by showing how most are dissatisfied and angry, intemperate and opinionated, and believe certain things about ourselves that are not always true. First, John Steinbeck shows how Americans are dissatisfied and angry about many things in their lives. There is a paradox that “we spend all our time looking for security and hate it when we get it.” This shows that no matter what Americans want, once they get it, they always seek more. When Americans achieve what they aspire for, they always go above and beyond to be number one. Steinbeck also explains how Americans convince themselves that our country has the greatest government in the world, but we find all the little problems there and do nothing to change it. Americans talk about how much they love government, but when people disagree with something, they complain, get frustrated, and become so opinionated that they don't even bother trying to understand the opinions of others. The American dream is sought by so many people. They want the perfect house, the perfect family and the perfect neighborhood. We all want the American dream, but most of us don't even stay in the same house for more than five minutes... middle of paper... one foot outside. These myths that Americans believe show how they create high standards for themselves, but they don't always live up to those standards. They contradict the myths with the actions they actually take. In “Paradox and Dream,” John Steinbeck creates a negative attitude toward the American people and their ideals. He uses paradoxes to show how Americans are unappeased and frustrated with many things, they only focus on their own opinions and are intemperate, and finally Americans believe these fables about themselves which are not always true . Those who read “Paradox and Dream” should understand that sometimes people take things for granted. They also have to notice the actions they take to be on top, which is not okay. Works Cited Steinbeck, John. “Paradox and dream.” Paradox and dream. Np, and Web. November 13. 2013.