The Pursuit of Happyness': The Pursuit is Possible, not Just Probable

Movies based on true stories are always captivating. Movies based on true stories that also exemplify positive aspects of society are even more captivating. The Pursuit of Happyness, a film about the story of Chris Gardner, exemplifies a feel-good story that many individuals yearn for, and promotes ideals of American culture that can inspire and benefit many people. Chris Gardner was impoverished, evicted from his home, and in need of a job in order to provide for him and his son, Christopher. Despite endless adversity, Gardner never lost focus of his goal of improving his family’s quality of life. With perseverance and diligence, Gardner secured an unpaid internship at Dean Witter, separated himself from his competition, and became employed by the company as a stock broker, from which he would later leave and create his own business. The film encapsulates all of the struggles that Gardner experienced, between caring for Christopher and finding shelter on a daily basis, as well as the significance of his success despite the endless adversity. The Pursuit of Happyness acts as a cultural text by manifesting the idea of the American Dream, specifically through elements of self-reliance and equal opportunity.

The American Dream is a major aspect of the national culture, and it is a major reason why many people believe that the United States is truly a ‘free world’. The American Dream is the belief that individuals are able to ‘pursue their own idea of happiness’ with the protection of the government (Amadeo). In The Pursuit of Happyness, Chris Gardner embodies an individual who seeks fulfillment and is able to improve his quality of life strictly due to his own hard work and determination. In the film, during the portion of Chris’s life where he is working as a salesman, he expresses to his son the basic idea of the American Dream:

Don’t ever let somebody tell you… you can’t do something. … [If] you got a dream, you gotta protect it. [If] people can’t do somethin’ themselves, they wanna tell you you can’t do it. If you want somethin’, go get it. Period (‘Quotes from ‘The Pursuit of Happyness”).

Chris Gardner applies this statement to his own life by refusing to listen to those who doubt him, including his wife who leaves him and Christopher to support herself financially. The two aspects of the American Dream that enable Gardner to succeed are self-reliance and equal opportunity. Both ideals are expressed in the Declaration of Independence, the document which laid the foundations of how the United States of America would operate. Thomas Wolfe interpreted the statements regarding ‘the pursuit of happiness’ as ‘anyone, no matter what his origin is, … has the right to live, to work, to become the person he wants to be through his own terms’ (Ren). Some people do not agree with the accuracy of theses ideals; however, the actions of Chris Gardner purely validate this interpretation.

A primary aspect of Gardner’s story is that he only relied on himself to improve his financial situation, without seeking help from any outside sources. People in the United States debate on whether the poor should be truly self-reliant to improve financially, or they should receive aid from the federal government. Nonetheless, self-reliance is a key aspect of American culture. In the film, Gardner takes extreme measures on a daily basis to stay afloat and provide for his son. Between spending a night in a train station bathroom, and constantly running in order to get to work on time, recover stolen bone density scanners, and find shelter, Gardner displays that he knows the value of hard work and believes that he can improve his life on his terms. By illustrating a real story of someone as self-reliant as Gardner, the creators of the film intended to prove the argument that individuals possess the ability to manifest their dreams into realities. In a time where America is torn between advocating for government support and individualism, The Pursuit of Happyness reiterates that anyone can accomplish his or her goals with enough dedication and belief.

Another highly debated topic in America that appears in the film is the idea of equal opportunity. Many disagree on whether or not equal opportunity exists in the United States. People who refute the idea believe that there are certain economic and social factors that hinder the impoverished and minorities in the country from receiving the same opportunities to improve their quality of life, compared to those who are wealthy. With as little as twenty-five dollars at one point in time, Chris Gardner never lost hope that he would improve his situation. He truly believed that he had an opportunity to escape poverty and provide Christopher and himself the life he always dreamed of living. The social factors that could have lead Gardner to lose faith include race, lack of education, and an unstable family. Gardner is an African American who did not receive a college education, did not have a father, and was placed in foster care after his mother was imprisoned twice (Ewing). With these conditions, many would be convinced that they had no opportunity to succeed in America. Yet, Gardner remained hopeful and trusted himself to improve his situation. His hope was centered around the belief that America is ‘a meritocracy rather that [a country] defined by racism or class struggle’ (Ballor). In the film, the wealthy individuals working for Dean Witter (the company offering the internship), were initially skeptical of Gardner due to his appearance, in which he was dressed improperly and had paint on his skin and in his hair. However, once Gardner proved that he was willing to work hard for the company and he truly cared about the job, they took him seriously and treated him with respect. Despite being a minority and in poverty, Gardner became successful and achieved his goals, primarily due to his merit. This concept can inspire many Americans to work for what they want to achieve and is already prevalent in society, as many individuals have similar stories to Gardner, in regard to success being a product of hard work and dedication in order to realize a goal or dream. The film can be seen as a social commentary on the validity of self-reliance, and a message to those who do not believe they can succeed on their own.

Altogether, The Pursuit of Happyness serves as proof that anyone can accomplish his or her goals and aspirations if he or she is fully committed to working hard enough. Many people come to America in search of opportunity, and Gardner’s story reiterates the fact that nearly anyone can capitalize on this opportunity. The idea that individuals can manifest their dreams on their own terms is a fundamental principle in American culture, and it can motivate many people to pursue their own idea of happiness. 

Works Cited

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2. Ballor, J. J. (2007). Reconsidering the Pursuit of the American Dream. Acton Institute.
3. Ewing, C. (2017). The True Story of The Pursuit of Happyness. Biography. https://www.biography.com/news/pursuit-of-happyness-true-story-chris-gardner
4. Goldberg, M. (Director). (2006). The Pursuit of Happyness [Film]. Columbia Pictures.
5. McLeod, S. (2020). Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
6. Ren, X. (2018). American Dream in the Declaration of Independence. Boston University Journal of Philosophy and Religion.
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10. Zhen, X. (2019). The Pursuit of Happyness and the American Dream. The Film Spectrum.