American Dream

Through this theme, the author explores how the ideals behind the American dream were on the wane during the late 1940s, early 1950s, as soldiers returning from World War II, and the Korean War found their opportunities extremely limited, and the tactics of McCarthy's House Un-American Activities Committee sowed divisiveness. Walker himself is suffering from PTSD and therefore unable to truly engage with life and pursue success and prosperity, but he is more concerned with documenting the troubles of others than he is with battling his own demons.

Billy is the primary voice speaking out against the treatment of the soldiers returning from war, and he inspires Walker to capture their stories. “We came back to somewhere different,” Billy explains, “...every place full of people, all chasing something, but no jobs for us, the guys who fought” (46-7). These men are forced to solicit free...