Failure of American Dream in Lynn Austin’s All She Ever Wanted

Abstract

In All She Ever Wanted, Lynn Austin pictures the modern Euro- American society and provides the mirror of social circumstances. She unearths the bourgeoisie domination upon the proletariats and presents that the wealth, name and fame are guided by superiority complex, whereas poverty, suffering and failure are guided by the inferiority complex. The novel deals with the experiences of failure in the life of the characters. Kathleen is the central character acting as a role model protagonist. She narrates the whole story and reveals Euro-American socio-economic and socio-political scenario of the post war period. Austin depicts vividly the social panorama, in which the bourgeoisie exploit to the proletariat through the means of social apparatus by imposing hegemony, gradually to rule upon them. American wealthy people exploit the inferior who run to achieve the honey of American dream, to be fuller, richer, better, prosperous and higher in wealthy society. Despite this, every character becomes the victim of the bourgeoisie monopoly system and exploitation. In this research, Fiona gets victimized by the wealthy banker Arthur who has married her only for enjoyment purpose. His fake marriage makes Fiona identity less woman. Her dreams to be richer, fuller and better fade away suddenly after the death of her selfish husband Arthur. All those characters that run after fantasy and depend on fate are faced the same condition as Fiona.