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The Rise of Silas Lapham · Theme
The American Dream
How The Rise of Silas Lapham develops The American Dream.
Lapham's rise from a poor Vermont farm boy to a wealthy paint magnate embodies the American Dream, but his fall questions its sustainability and the moral costs of ambition.
Where it surfaces
- I
Lapham's rise from poverty on a Vermont farm to a successful paint manufacturer exemplifies the American Dream narrative.