Analysis Of The Causes For The Popularity Of Steve Jobs From The Perspective Of American Dream

The expression "American dream" was introduced by historian James Truslow Adams in1932. Since then, it has been a topic of keen interest in American cultural studies, as well as an important carrier of American culture."American Dream" is the symbol of American national spirit, which originated from Europe Puritan religious ideals, this is the United States is "the land of opportunity", and later evolved into a widely accepted concept for many Americans, including the opportunity for prosperity and success, an upward social mobility, the freedom of religious belief, which can be all achieved through hard work, regardless of social class or circumstances of birth.However,, the "American Dream" has been questioned in the21st century, as the gap between rich and poor became wider, and the sick social phenomena are more apparent, including the worship of money, the damage of family relationships, and the rigidity of social mobility. Against this background, Steve Jobs, an abandoned child who dropped out of college, achieved great success and created "Apple myth" through personal hardworking, once again has demonstrated to the world that the "American Dream" exists and Steve Jobs has been a cultural ambassador for the U.S.This paper aims at determining the causes that account for the popularity of Steve Jobs from the perspective of American Dream, and arguing that the national wide popularity of Steve Jobs is not a coincidence but closely related to the social conditions. The research is conducted by examining the text of Steve Jobs. Firstly, the paper provides an overview of the popularity of apple products and a brief introduction to Steve Jobs as a cultural icon. Next it tries to explore the role that family, education, religious belief, the spirit of entrepreneurship and hardworking ethic playing in affecting economic mobility, which to some extend contributes to alleviate social contradictions and problems in family, education and religious belief in American society.