ABSTRACT

Trinia Suciyati, 2024 : The Failures of The American Dreams in
The Drama August: Osage County by
Tracy Letts
Supervisor I :Yenti , S.S, M.Pd
Supervisor II : Putri Ayu Lestari, M.Hum

The American Dream is the American concept of opportunity, freedom,
and prosperity, often associated with the possibility of limitless
achievement and a better life. For many people around the world, America
is the epitome of big dreams and opportunities to achieve personal goals
and better lives. In the context of the American dream, “failure” refers to
failure to achieve goals such as a better life, prosperity, and success. In this
research, the method used is a qualitative method, the researcher uses 2
theories, namely the American dream theory put forward by Adams (2017)
and also the American dream failures theory put forward by Putnam
(2015) in this research. The research objectives are to: 1) explain how the
American dream is depicted in the drama August : Osage County, 2) to
describe the causes of the failures of the American dream in the drama
August : Osage County. August Drama: Osage County is deeply concerned
with the American dream and its failures. In this drama, each individual
has their own dreams and challenges. The results of this research are that
researchers found 5 types of American Dreams, namely, Opportunity for
success, A free and happy life, Balance between individual rights and
social obligations, Moral and ethical values, and Collective dreams. There
were also 4 types of failures found in this drama, namely, Educational
disparities, Health and family stability, Social change and loss of social
solidarity, Decreased social mobility.
Keywords: The Failures, American Dreams, August: Osage County