Date of Publication
4-2026
Document Type
Bachelor's Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts in Literature major in Literary and Cultural Studies
Subject Categories
American Literature
College
College of Liberal Arts
Department/Unit
Literature, Department of
Thesis Advisor
Antonette T. Arogo
Defense Panel Member
Kathrine D. Ojano
Mary Harmony I. Guevarra
Abstract (English)
Coined in 1931 by American historian James Truslow Adams, the American Dream, once defined as one’s pursuit of freedom and equality between man and woman, was later altered due to the Great Depression and the Cold War. Both events became the catalyst to the restructuring of the Dream, shifting the focus from a liberal aspiration to a financial and capitalist one. As part of their Manifest Destiny, the American Dream, and most of the American spirit, has spread throughout the world, and the Philippines too was subjected to that Destiny. Through a comparative and critical analysis of Carlos Bulosan’s 1946 novel America Is in the Heart and Elaine Castillo’s 2018 novel America Is Not the Heart, the stance of this thesis views the American Dream as a fantasy of the US that has been unmade and remade by Filipino immigrants. Neferti Tadiar’s framework on fantasy-production will be used as the foundation for analysis of Bulosan and Castillo’s novels to further critique the American Dream. In addition, Alice Guillermo’s framework on Philippine social realism discusses the literary transformation of reality, portraying Bulosan and Castillo’s novels as grounded and connected to social reality.
Keywords: American Dream; Filipino immigrant; Fantasy-production; Social realism
Abstract Format
html
Abstract (Filipino)
Ipinakilala noong taong 1931 ng isang Amerikanong historyador na si James Truslow Adams ang tinatawag na American Dream, na tumutukoy sa pagkakamit ng kalayaan para sa babae’t lalaki, ngunit ang kahulugang ito ay nag-iba dahil sa Great Depression at Cold War. Dahil sa dalawang pangyayaring ito, ang kahulugan ng American Dream, na nagsimula sa liberal na mithiin, ay pinalitan sa pinansyal at kapitalistang mithiin. Kasama sa tinatawag na Manifest Destiny, ang American Dream, at ang iba pang aspeto ng buhay Amerikano, ay naikalat sa buong mundo, at kasama na rin ang Pilipinas sa Manifest Destiny. Sa paghahambing at kritikal na pagsusuri ng 1946 na nobelang America Is in the Heart ni Carlos Bulosan at ang 2018 na nobelang America Is Not the Heart ni Elaine Castillo, ipinapakita ng tesis na ito na ang American Dream ay isang pantasya ng Estados Unidos na sinira at muling binuo ng mga Pilipinong imigrante. Ang ideyang fantasy-production ni Neferti Tadiar ang gagamiting batayan ng pagsusuri ng nobela nina Bulosan at Castillo upang idagdag sa kritika ng American Dream. Maliban dito, ang ideyang social realism sa Pilipinas ni Alice Guillermo ay tumutukoy sa transpormasyon ng realidad gamit ang panitikan, at upang ipakita rin na ang mga nobela nina Bulosan at Castillo ay konektado sa panlipunang realidad.
Keywords: American Dream; Filipino immigrant; Fantasy-production; Social realism
Abstract Format
html
Language
English
Format
Electronic
Keywords
American Dream; Immigrants--Philippines; Social realism--Philippines
Recommended Citation
Maceo, L. L. (2026). In search of the heart's dream: The depiction of the American Dream in Carlos Bulosan's America Is in the Heart and Elaine Castillo's America Is Not the Heart. Retrieved from https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdb_lit/5
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Embargo Period
4-10-2026
