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UNIVERSITY OF GDAŃSK

FACULTY OF LANGUAGES

Anna Śliwa

Field of Study: ……American Studies………………..

Specialty: .....Culture, Media and Communication in the USA........

The Post-Apocalyptic Reality vs. The American Dream

BA written

in the Institute of English and American Studies

under the supervision of

Ewelina Gutowska-Kozielska, Ph. D.

Gdańsk 2023
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Abstract

The American Dream is certainly a topic that excites people and their imaginations. It

has been frequently analyzed in various research and media but rarely in relation to another

thrilling phenomenon - the post-apocalypse. Such scenarios are plentiful and the investigation

of specific components of the American Dream within them provides valuable insight into

the current culture and society of its setting. My thesis analyzes the themes of the American

Dream in both The Walking Dead (Darabont) and Days Gone (Bend Studio.) At first, though,

I produced examples of how other works have portrayed this phenomenon across the ages. I

did this to create a baseline that would help compare how its portrayal evolves after an

apocalyptic event. This also proves how the concept has changed throughout the years, and

that its change is, in fact, possible. After having researched the theory of the American

Dream, I found out that the most commonly acknowledged themes are family, freedom, hard

work, opportunity/social mobility, the financial aspect, and home. I focused on examining

those concepts and concluded that the two works that I picked explore two different fallouts

of the apocalypse – the eventual restoration of the human race in the TV show and its

complete obliteration in the video game.

Keywords: Cultural Studies, American Dream, The Walking Dead, Days Gone, Media

Analysis
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Abstrakt

Amerykański sen niewątpliwie jest ekscytującym tematem, który pobudza ludzką

wyobraźnię. Wielokrotnie był rozpatrywany w wielu dziełach, ale rzadko w połączeniu z

innym intrygującym tematem – post-apokalipsą. Takich scenariuszy jest wiele i analiza

poszczególnych elementów amerykańskiego snu, które zawierają owe scenariusze, dostarcza

cennego wglądu w kulturę i społeczeństwo, jakie przedstawiają. Moja praca bada motywy

amerykańskiego snu zarówno w The Walking Dead (Darabont,) jak i w Days Gone (Bend

Studio.) Wcześniej jednak omówiłam przykłady innych dzieł, które przedstawiały ten

fenomen na przestrzeni lat. Zrobiłam to po to, żeby przedstawić bazę, na podstawie której

możliwe jest porównanie ewolucji amerykańskiego snu po apokalipsie. To udowadnia też

zmienność konceptu na przestrzeni lat i to, że taka zmiana jest możliwa. Po przeanalizowaniu

teorii amerykańskiego snu odkryłam, że jego najpopularniejszymi motywami są rodzina,

wolność, sumienna praca, szansa/ruchliwość społeczna, aspekt finansowy oraz dom.

Skupiłam się na analizie tych konceptów i doszłam do wniosku, że wybrane przeze mnie dwa

dzieła eksplorują dwa różne końcowe scenariusze apokalipsy – odtworzenie ludzkości w

serialu i jej zupełne zniszczenie w grze komputerowej.

Słowa kluczowe: kulturoznawstwo, amerykański sen, The Walking Dead, Days Gone, analiza

mediów
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Spis treści
Introduction.....................................................................................................5
Chapter 1: Necessary Theory...............................................................................5
1.1 The American Dream – The Essentials...........................................................5
1.2 How Media Can Shape the Perception of the American Dream..........................9
Chapter 2: The Walking Dead’s Portrayal of The American Dream..............................12
2.1 Family.................................................................................................12
2.2 Freedom...............................................................................................15
2.3 Hard Work............................................................................................17
2.4 Opportunity/Social Mobility......................................................................19
2.5 The Financial Aspect...............................................................................20
2.6 Home...................................................................................................21
Chapter 3: Days Gone’s Portrayal of The American Dream........................................24
3.1 Family.................................................................................................24
3.2 Freedom...............................................................................................25
3.3 Hard Work............................................................................................26
3.4 Opportunity/Social Mobility......................................................................27
3.5 The Financial Aspect...............................................................................28
3.6 Home...................................................................................................29
Conclusion....................................................................................................31
Works Cited..................................................................................................32
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Introduction

The American Dream has always ignited people’s imagination. It is present in many

modern media, just as well as in older works. This phenomenon is almost as old as the United

States itself, but there is a much newer phenomenon – post-apocalyptic media. This genre

explores the society and the survivors of a recent collapse of entire societies and

governments, very often caused by a monster or an outbreak of some horrible disease. I

wondered, what the consequences of the collapse of the United States may mean for the

American Dream. I decided to analyze two types of media that have proposed an alternative

version of reality with regard to the popular themes of the American Dream. First, I had to

define the American Dream and the importance of media when it comes to shaping our

worlds and uncovering popular contemporary ideas. Then, I had to choose the works I would

For the most popular medium in the post-apocalyptic genre, I picked The Walking Dead

(Darabont) and its spin-off, The Walking Dead: World Beyond (Gimple, Negrete,) as it

explores a wide variety of scenarios and an abundance when it comes to settlements’ sizes.

For another popular medium, video games, I have chosen Days Gone because it presents

many different visions. I believe that there are infinite amounts of visions and perceptions of

the American Dream. This fact is clearly reflected in the various societies in post-apocalyptic

universes, each of them with their own priorities and visions of a perfect life.

Chapter 1: Necessary Theory

1.1 The American Dream – The Essentials

To analyze the American Dream in The Walking Dead, we first must look at what the

American Dream is. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as “a happy way of living that is

thought of by many Americans as something that can be achieved by anyone in the U.S.

especially by working hard and becoming successful.” But what does that really mean? The

idea itself seems to be the fault of James Truslow Adams. While he did not coin the term, he
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did refer to the United States of America as “a land in which life should be better and richer

and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement …

regardless of fortuitous circumstances of birth or position” (qtd. in Gale, “How”). Adams just

wanted to point out that most people coming to the country during Great Depression could

eventually advance their careers and lives and become much richer than they would ever be

in their countries of origin, and eventually started referring to the idea as the American

Dream.

The colonial era also introduced some other ideas to be included in the phenomenon.

The idea of freedom expanded to include class equality. Poor people, workers, could confront

the rich people, their employers, in the workplace without fear of drawbacks (Gale, “How”).

Puritans, along with other religions have escaped from their homelands to the New Continent

and found their safe havens there – they were free to practice their religions that had been

illegal in Europe. However, it is important to mention that freedom in the colonial era only

pertained to white males. It was only after the Civil War that black slaves have gained the

rights of citizens – mostly. Jim Crow Laws still limited the freedom of black people, but the

recent climb in societal ranks made it seem like anything was possible, like it could only ever

get better. And eventually, it did – Jim Crow laws have been abolished and even though the

fight continues to this day, there is a belief that everything can be done, everything can be

improved (“The American Dream of the 1950s”).

Women successfully fought for their rights after the wars – the right to vote after

World War 1 and something just as important – personal liberation during and after World

War 2. That was a breakthrough moment for a completely different idea of the American

Dream – the one created for the post-war reality, with the intention to take freedom away

from a group of people – women, who have taken men’s place in the factories while they

fought overseas (McDermott, “How”). Someone had to work, after all. The famous “1950s
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American Dream.” In that version, freedom had meant that men worked for the well-being of

the entire family and women were free to stay at home, taking care of the children and her

husband. They lived in the suburbs (“The American Dream of the 1950s”) and had two cars –

one for the husband to drive to work with and the other for the wife to bring groceries and

drive the kids to school (“The Masculine Provider”). While the Western world had always

functioned with this idea in mind, it has never before been posed as something to strive for, a

sort of an upgrade. What once used to be the norm has been challenged, so it has been named

and hence turned into an “American Dream” to uphold the status quo, one that prevailed for

many years and is present in many conservative circles even today.

Nowadays, people’s idea of what the American Dream is varies widely. When

interviewed by UCLA and asked a question of what that idea is to them specifically, most

people reached for the 1950s version. The video showed the initial answer of “a white picket

fence, golden retriever, two kids [and] a beautiful wife,” like it is the definition they wanted

to share, but this does not seem to be the interviewee’s dream. Later other people have talked

about “giving back to one’s community,” influencing the world, or simply having the same

opportunities as the most privileged as their visions of an American Dream (“What is Your

American Dream”). It is worth noting that this interview has been done on campus, so most

of the respondents were students – people often idealistic, with a bright vision of what the

future will be – always better than the present. The same year as the interview, Sarah

Churchwell released her book that analyzed the phrases “American Dream” and “America

First.” That prompted an interview, where she was asked about the backstory of the phrase

relevant to this thesis, and resulted in a quote I am very fond of:

The original “American Dream” was not a dream of individual wealth; it was a dream

of equality, justice, and democracy for the nation. The phrase was repurposed by each

generation, until the Cold War, when it became an argument for a consumer capitalist
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version of democracy. Our ideas about the “American Dream” froze in the 1950s.

Today, it doesn’t occur to anybody that it could mean anything else. (Diamond, “The

Original”)

Churchwell is talking about the general perception of the American Dream. However, she

was not aware that the new generation, when asked, defined the phenomenon differently.

Their vision was much closer to the original dream – straying away from material goods and

toward a common goal, common good.

The American Dream’s definition is somewhat mythical for researchers, which is why

Clara R. Riggio undertook the heroic task of trying to define it in her article titled “Defining

the American Dream: A Generational Comparison.” Therein, she mentioned an NPR survey

and a Pew Research study, pointing out that “neither of these studies provided a definition [of

the American Dream] for their participants” (3.) Riggio used her experience to define the

phenomenon, and a survey to distinguish common themes. Those themes were: “hard work”

(8,) “freedom” (9,) “social mobility” (10,) “material gain” (11,) “family connection” (12,)

and “individuality” (13.)

However, the most important definition of the American Dream for my thesis seems

to be the one from 2010, which is the year The Walking Dead premiered and which could be

used to analyze the TV show’s approach directly. The common themes of the American

Dream given by the phone interviewees were a surprising mix between the original and the

1950s ones, as shown in a survey conducted by Xavier University. Its strength lies in the

number of people contacted – over a thousand, much more in other studies (Ford, “The

American” 2.) The University offered 10 answers to choose from, including “other” and

“don’t know.” Still, the three most common choices among the respondents were

“opportunity,” “freedom,” and “family,” in that order (13.) Those can be defined either by the

lens of the original American Dream (progressing in the socioeconomic ranks), or by the lens
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of the 1950s American Dream (focusing on the family and the strict social roles within it.)

The only common denominator remains the most American of the Dreams – freedom.

1.2 How Media Can Shape the Perception of the American Dream

Another important factor to consider is how the American Dream has been portrayed

in the media over the years. Three examples come to my mind immediately – Mad Men,

Fallout 4, and A League of Their Own. Despite only one of these three titles, Mad Men,

portraying it traditionally, all of these present the 1950s American Dream. That is probably

due to the fact that this version is the easiest to recognize and recreate. In my opinion, O

Pioneers!, a novel by Willa Cather also portrays the American Dream, but it is the traditional

one – therefore not spectacular enough for media to portray often.

Mad Men is set in the ‘50s era, portraying life during that time more or less accurately

– because it is a drama series, the show is not as jolly as the advertisements or posters

associated with that time. Nonetheless, it still follows the scheme – the show is centered

around a man who works for a big company, while his wife stays at their suburban home and

takes care of the house and the kids (Weiner). It is worth noting that the women did not really

have to take care of the house that much – that was the beginning of various home appliances

that made life significantly easier, thus not leaving much for women to do besides sit at home

and meet up with other housewives in their neighborhood.

Fallout 4 – while the game is set in 2070, it is retro-futuristic. Shown for the first time

explicitly, the game’s nuclear wasteland turned out to have previously been a utopia for the

1950s American Dream. Not only is the family model two plus one but the woman’s life has

been made even simpler – she does not have to clean the house anymore, they own a robot –

true robot – that cleans, cooks, makes drinks, gives the husband the newspaper; it also takes

care of the garden and cleans the car, so the only thing the married couple has to do is work

(man) and take care of the child (woman.)

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O Pioneers! by Willa Cather tells the story of Swedish Americans who traveled to the

States to live a better life. Although there are many other Swedes that emigrated alongside

each other or at a similar time, they all leave the countryside because they are unable to tame

the difficult soil. All but the Bergsons, which is the family we follow in Cather’s novel.

Through perseverance, great business choices, and amazing leadership, they come out on top.

Surprisingly, it is all thanks to a woman – at the end of the 19th century, this was not common

at all, and it is reflected in the book – Alexandra’s brothers do not agree with their father’s

decision. Ultimately, they realize she is the smartest of all of them and the only one who can

continue on the path of victory. An unlikely candidate to rise in social and economic ranks

who does so anyway – to me, that is the ideal, the ultimate American Dream.

A very interesting phenomenon happens when standard American Dream

values (freedom, opportunity, and equality) subvert societal expectations of Americans in

various works. A League of Their Own, a 2022 TV series produced by Amazon Studios based

on the 1992 movie of the same title is a good example of that. The show is set during World

War II and follows a group of women who wanted to play baseball. Their dream is finally

possible because men are away at war (A League of Their Own.) Despite the fact that their

hopes are perfectly aligned with what people consider the main features of the American

Dream, the plot of the show goes directly against the future 1950s version of it, where women

were supposed to be perfectly fine with being at home. However, this draws a direct parallel

between the two – the 1950s American Dream was tailored to project a certain vision to a

group of Americans, specifically women.

The way the American Dream is usually represented in the media should not surprise

anyone. It is mostly shown through the 1950s lens, which makes it the easiest one to

recognize and discern, which consequentially means it is the one that is the most profitable to

present in media, continuing the unbreakable cycle. According to Stuart Hall, representation
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equals giving meaning to various phenomena: “representation is the way in which meaning is

somehow given to the things which are depicted through the images or whatever it is . . .

which stand for what we’re talking about” (“Representation”). Depicting the 1950s American

Dream has given it so much meaning, that other versions have almost lost their own, very

separate meaning. It is difficult to find mainstream media nowadays that do not support the

nuclear family stereotype, even if subconsciously.

In the UCLA “What is Your American Dream” interview, one person said: “the

American Dream has been traditionally understood as dead, but it’s been reinvented in

millions and millions of wonderful ways.” This is a very interesting approach, for it implies

an existence of a traditional American Dream, one that does no longer apply to the world. We

have no way of knowing which version that is. Despite the 1950s one appearing in the media

and public discourse very often, we do not know what kind of media the interviewee usually

consumes. Their vision of the traditional American Dream may be anything because this is

how media representation works – what we consume defines what we see in the world.

While there are no social media, TV shows, or news feeds in a post-apocalyptic

setting that can shape people’s views and ideas, The Walking Dead is not reality TV. It is

itself a medium written by people influenced by various media because that influence is

inescapable. However, while the show is scripted, it has many writers, which offers a

multitude of variety in views and beliefs. Enough that it is possible to extract the most

important common ideas across the seasons, such as freedom, family, or order. I believe that

provides us with enough material to analyze, how the American Dream can change in such

dire times. After all, this is a topic that cannot be studied outside of the hypothetical realm.

The American Dream has clearly evolved across the decades, responding to various

stimuli. The idea of how it would adapt to an apocalyptic scenario is very enticing. The most

popular medium exploring human interactions remains to be The Walking Dead. The main
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show ran for twelve years on cable TV, always at prime time, with millions of Americans

watching it live and on streaming services. Furthermore, The Walking Dead has also

produced many spin-offs, including World Beyond, a show that explores the largest

community within the series’ universe – Civic Republic.

This work will mostly focus on the character that was the show’s lead for most of the

seasons – Rick Grimes. I will also mention other communities across the show and its World

Beyond spin-off, proving that even after the apocalypse, the American Dream lives on and

does so in its many, many forms.

Chapter 2: The Walking Dead’s Portrayal of The American Dream

2.1 Family

The Walking Dead is filled with various characters, but the most distinguishable is

Rick Grimes – we meet him in episode one and follow him for 9 seasons. The viewer relates

to him the most because Rick has just woken up from a coma and is also new to this world.

He has no idea what is going on and must figure it out on his own. When another character,

Morgan, explains the world to Rick, he is actually explaining it to the viewer. (Darabont,

“Days Gone Bye”) Grimes is also a great study of how the American Dream has evolved in

the series because he has lived it fully pre-apocalypse.

Rick is undeniably the protagonist of the show and the token character for the

franchise. He is characterized by the job he used to perform before the apocalypse. As a

sheriff, his traits were strongly aligned with the American Dream – he had to protect the law

and the status quo which allowed the Dream to prosper. Grimes was introduced as a freedom

fighter from the very first scene of the show and continued to serve as a protector all the way

till season 9. In that scene, Rick is part of a police chase and gets shot in his bulletproof vest.

This establishes his main traits of being ready to get hurt and hurt others for what he believes

to be common good and foreshadows many of his actions throughout the show. He was also
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living his own 1950s American Dream before the apocalypse started – he had a stable job, a

wife and a son, and lived in the suburbs. (Darabont, “Days Gone Bye.”)

When Rick wakes up to find a world filled with monsters, his first goal is finding his

family. That is a very popular theme in the show – people are trying to find each other

because when everything is gone, they focus on the most important thing to try and get back.

In the Xavier University survey I mentioned earlier, the third most common answer to “what

is your American Dream?” was “family.” With 1st and 2nd choices added, however, it was the

most-picked answer with 36%, beating “opportunity” by merely one number (Ford, “The

American”, 13.) Additionally, a similar result stems from a Pew Research survey from 2017

– family life was picked by 70% of participants (Smith, “Most Think.”)

It does not seem to matter for the post-apocalyptic American Dream if there is any

blood relation or if the family is found – people do not want to be alone and gravitate toward

others. Both the show and its critics seem to have noticed this particular societal need. As

Ambrosius and Valenzano say:

“the show exhibits an almost conservative, or at least traditional, understanding of

society where family is the enduring central element of a healthy community. The

zombies do not consume us; we consume ourselves if we do not put family, broadly

defined, first. Sometimes this “family first” philosophy physically endangers the

characters (e.g., Rick and Morgan), but their humanity nonetheless requires it.”

(“People,” 88)

The authors of this article argue that society cannot be prosperous without family, something

they consider “traditional,” even though they also claim their definition is broad, suggesting

that they include found families in their definition. That is indeed proven throughout the

show’s portrayal of family and the relationships among those communities that are

considered good and healthy. This is even further underlined by the relationship that this
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show’s villains have with their families, or lack thereof. Another great example of this

particular American Dream value prevailing is the show’s last frame: two young Grimes

children looking out at a field, filled with hope of their father’s return, showing that the theme

motivates not only the early seasons of the main show, but its very end as well (Kang, “Rest

in Peace.”)

Actions of villains in the show can also be traced back to their family life and/or

issues. The most-known villain of the show, Negan, used to be a school teacher. His turn to

the evil side is studied in Here’s Negan, an additional episode of season 10. That episode tries

to justify Negan’s change by convincing the viewer that Negan did something awful at the

beginning to save his dying wife. The tragedy is magnified by the fact that when he was

getting her medicine, she committed suicide. The show suggests that grief combined with

Negan’s pre-apocalypse loose approach to monogamy directly correlated with him becoming

emotionless, verbally, physically and sexually abusive, and ruthless (Johnson-McGoldrick.)

While such writing choices propagate toxic masculinity and remain under heated debate in

the community, it is undeniably possible for a person to change completely when faced with

the loss of a loved one, especially if that loved one is the only family they have.

Furthermore, family is the main theme of The Walking Dead: World Beyond. The

main plot of the spin-off is two teenage sisters, Iris and Hope, leaving their safe community

to search for their father, Leopold, as soon as he has stopped sending them messages. I

believe this show argues that family is the most important American Dream value, without

which all actions become meaningless. The main proof is the fact that every other member of

the group is directly or indirectly motivated by the themes connected to family. Elton wanted

to “see the world outside” (Gimple and Negrete, “Brave”), motivated by his love of nature

that his deceased mother passed down to him. He even took her unfinished book about nature

and tried to finish it. Silas wanted to follow Elton, whom he considered his only family and a
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brother, even though they were not related. Throughout the show he also tries to cope with

the abuse he suffered from his father’s hand. Felix, one of the two adults in the group, was

tasked with taking care of the sisters, so he follows along to protect them. Additionally, he

considers their father to be his father figure as well. Furthermore, his boyfriend is part of

Leopold’s security detail and Felix wants to make sure he is safe as well. Initially, the only

exception to this motivation seems to be Huck, the other adult, who turns out to be a spy for

the extremely secretive community that serves as the show’s antagonistic force. However, she

was tasked with this mission to redeem herself after she chose to protect her husband. She is

also spying for her own mother who is a high-ranking military official, bringing the family

rule back and proving it to be one of the biggest themes of the show.

2.2 Freedom

Another important theme of the American Dream is freedom. It is the one theme

present in all variations of the phenomenon, even though the meaning of it changes based on

an era’s climate. In the post-apocalyptic climate of The Walking Dead, freedom can be

separated into two sections. Freedom to move around and freedom to live a peaceful life.

Both similarly unattainable, and both threatened by humans and undead alike. Those two

ideas may seem like a downgrade from the modern view of “freedom to do as [one pleases]”

(Riggio, “Defining” 10.) In this post-apocalyptic reality people’s dreams have been reduced

to wanting the basics of life.

In the main show, we are immediately met with a juxtaposition in the “Days Gone

Bye” episode. At first we follow Rick through abandoned streets, suggesting that the freedom

to move around has been increased compared to the pre-apocalypse. Then we are met with

the dangerous reality of undead-infested streets. The episode ends with the protagonist
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trapped in a tank, completely surrounded by a large horde of walkers, seemingly with zero

chances of ever breathing the fresh air again (Darabont.)

Throughout the show we see many instances where characters are brutally interrupted

when enjoying the beauty of nature or looking for supplies. Rick’s group eventually stumbles

upon a beautiful farmland. They feel free there and they move around without reservations,

sometimes forgetting about the state of the world. However, the show is structured in a way

that leaves the viewer in a perpetual state of alert, even if the characters forget themselves. In

an episode titled "Cherokee Rose”, two survivors go to gather water from the well for the

entire group. One of them, Dale, notices a hole in the wooden planks covering the well and

approaches to investigate. He quickly realizes that the water has been contaminated when a

zombie fell inside and quickly stops the other survivor from drinking it. The viewer, just like

the characters, is constantly reminded that the world is not free yet. And while individual

walkers become less of a threat to the survivors in later seasons, that is only because they

accepted their reality and keep a high level of awareness. The reality of The Walking Dead is

that the world will never belong to people again. One character remarks about it in the

episode “Try”: “It’s their world, we’re just living in it” (Kang.)

Advanced communities like the Commonwealth, Campus Colony, or the Civic

Republic present a version of life where freedom seems possible. People can move around

them, children go to school and even media such as newspapers or news broadcasts are

published. But in this version of the post-apocalyptic world, personal freedom is limited. The

inhabitants cannot leave their communities unless they are trained soldiers on a mission and

many of them would die outside of their protective walls (McClendon, “Exit Wounds.”)

Behind the scenes, the military dictates their lives and even selectively eliminates whole

communities. Civic Republic presented a military-centric vision of survival, and when the

general realized that other communities will never become self-sufficient, he ordered the
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execution of two other settlements: Omaha and the Campus Colony (Martin, Reynolds,

“Death and the Dead.”) The military covered their betrayal with lies about a walker horde

that they tried but could not stop. The people had no reason to not believe them and moved

on with their lives, grieving the tragic loss of over nine thousand survivors to the mythical

horrors outside their walls.

Other communities, such as the Kingdom, find freedom in their self-sufficiency. They

are a fantasy-themed society led by the King, Ezekiel. They live in a US military fort

repurposed as a settlement. They ride on horses, create their own armor, and grow their own

food. At one point they were attacked and subdued by the Saviors led by the aforementioned

Negan, who forced them to give away a part of their food to the villain community (Negrete,

“The Well.”) Ezekiel agrees to this deal to save his subjects, believing that he could never

fight off the enemy without many casualties. After the Saviors are defeated, the Kingdom

returns to its self-sufficient existence, only trading with its allied communities for essentials

they cannot produce (Guzelian, “Who Are You Now?”)

2.3 Hard Work

Another common American Dream theme is hard work, which is the belief that

anyone can reach their goal if they just put enough effort into making it come true, as

observed by Riggio in her “Defining The American Dream” article. In that same article, we

can observe this quote:

One older participant stated that the entire basis of the American Dream was, ‘the idea

that you can pull yourself up by your bootstraps. That you can be a self-made man or

a self-made woman.’ This is often the precursor to achieving the American Dream and

is one of the most recognized aspects in literature and other narratives. (Riggio,

“Defining” 9)
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Interestingly, in The Walking Dead the theme of hard work is significantly more difficult to

find than in most media. Even when characters put in hard work to try and achieve their

goals, their success is not guaranteed. A good example of that is the hard work that

Alexandrians put into rebuilding their community and repairing the bridge between them and

their allies. That resulted in the presumed death of Rick Grimes, who sacrificed himself to

blow up the bridge in the middle of its repair to prevent the horde from getting to Alexandria

(Gimple, Negrete, “What Comes After.”)

Another possible example of hard work can be seen in the villain community of

Saviors, although here it results only in survival. Its inhabitants live in a place called the

Sanctuary and can either earn their living by becoming soldiers or by getting points. This

point system is dependent on the labor a given worker completes. The currency can be spent

to obtain necessary supplies or comfort benefits. There is a possibility to go up in the system,

as did Eugene Porter by becoming Negan’s lieutenant after being a serf. This is not a fair

system though, since lieutenants can cut in lies and avoid the point system altogether, and so

can women that Negan finds attractive (Johnson-McGoldrick, “Hostiles and Calamities.”)

They can become his “wives” – coerced sex slaves, which he uses as a reward for some of his

soldiers if they do exceptionally well (Kang, “The Cell.”)

In “Foothold”, an episode of The Walking Dead: World Beyond, the viewers are

introduced to a Decontamination Center facility, in which young people work in processing,

hoping to be noticed by their Master Sergeant and introduced into the Civic Republic

Military. The workers there believe that if they show initiative and put effort into their work,

they will move up in the social structure (Moore.) That proves to be correct when Webb, one

of the workers, becomes a cadet after being taken into basic training (Martin, Reynolds,

“Death And The Dead.”) The Civic Republic proves to be one of the few communities that

stayed true to the American Dream, allowing people to climb social ladders if they are bright
 Ś l i w a | 19

enough or work hard, like Leopold Bennett. There is even a chance for retribution for some

characters, like Jennifer Mallick who had a chance to undergo a special operation to gain

back CRM’s trust and privileges (Gimple, Negrete, The Walking Dead: World Beyond.)

The citizens and leaders of the Kingdom and Alexandria struggled to rebuild their

communities after the Whisperers War. Kingdom fell first, with no hot water and broken

pipes they had to be relocated to Hilltop and Alexandria, which caused food shortages for

those two communities. Additionally, the wall around the latter community has started falling

apart, and even though everyone tried their best to keep everything running, they failed and

had to be integrated into Commonwealth (Darabont, The Walking Dead, seasons 10-11.) In

this universe, hard work does not always mean success, although it is important to note that

someone’s prior occupation did not matter. The leaders of communities could have just as

well been notable politicians, like Pamela Milton, as well as a zookeeper, like Ezekiel “The

King” Sutton (Darabont, The Walking Dead.) What distinguished them from their followers

were the choices they made after the collapse of the world and the work they put into

becoming leaders.

2.4 Opportunity/Social Mobility

For the purpose of this thesis, I decided to consider “Opportunity” as seen in the

Xavier University survey in the same category as “Social Mobility” that Riggio defined:

[It] is another key component of the American Dream that involves ending in a better

social or economic position than where you began. This notion was expressed in many

interviews, especially when discussing familial history. The idea of doing “better”

than the generations before you and hoping future generations share the same

improvement. (“Defining”)

The reasoning behind this is that opportunity also stands for the increased chances of a future

generation as compared to the previous one, just like in the definition above. The one
 Ś l i w a | 20

important difference is that social mobility is often unachievable without opportunity.

However, in this case if one phenomenon is dependent on the other, I believe it is safe to put

them in the same category, for purposes of analysis.

Even though most people got reduced to the same mundane existence of just trying to

survive in the early days of the apocalypse, this theme is driving many post-apocalyptic

media, The Walking Dead included. Everything that the protagonists are doing is with future

generations in mind. This theme is closely connected to the Family one, with the token

example of Rick Grimes. Rick was looking for his son, Carl, but during the apocalypse two

more of his children were born. The next generation is repeatedly mentioned as Grimes’s

driving force for the future, and he dedicates his achievements to his son in a letter he wrote

to him (Gimple et al. “Wrath.”) Especially after the death of his son (Negrete, Powell,

“Honor”) we can see that his desire to build a better world for generations to come increases.

Opportunity and Social Mobility is the supporting theme of The Walking Dead:

World Beyond. Closely tied to Family, it permeates many people’s dreams and hopes. Civic

Republic Military is primarily focused on providing a better future with no walkers roaming

the streets (Farahani, “The Tyger and the Lamb.”) Singular characters are also concerned

with their future and base their actions on the dreams they have. A good example is Will

expressing his reason for going on: “I have this dream of my future. One with Felix. We're

older. We've got a beautiful family. That's what I live for. Everything that I do is in service of

that” (Guzelian, “Returning Point.”) He states without hesitation that the driving force behind

his actions is a dream, one where he provides a better future for himself, the man he loves and

their family.

2.5 The Financial Aspect

The subject of money and currency is rarely explored in The Walking Dead, even

though it is a common theme of the American Dream. Its most prominent economical system
 Ś l i w a | 21

is trade, and it occurs between communities. Within a single community there seems to be

only one currency – contribute to the society in a meaningful way and you will get a safe

place to sleep, basic equipment, and food.

More advanced communities have an economic system in place; however, it is not

explored much. In Commonwealth’s case it is safe to assume that it works similarly to the

pre-apocalyptic world because they continue to use the American dollar and the structure of

life and the bureaucracy are akin to those of 2010 USA (Barnes, Kang, “Acheron: Part II.”)

The Civic Republic is also said to use currency, as stated by Elizabeth Kublek in “The Tyger

and the Lamb”: “We have . . . currency, an economy” (Farahani.) This is never explored in

the show or mentioned again.

In the less advanced communities, which the viewer observes for the majority of the

time, economy is only mentioned in relation to trade. Most notably, in “Knots Untie” a

character named Jesus introduces his role in the Kingdom – he is to search for other

settlements and attempt to establish trade routes with them (Negrete, Powell.) Kingdom is the

place that is focused on self-reliance and the leader of this encampment decided to trade their

surplus of food for commodities to increase everyone’s standard of living.

In other cases, within the communities themselves, there is a curious lack of a

capitalistic system, very closely associated with the American Dream. In The Walking Dead

we can see places that seem to thrive on very non-American values, with groups structured

almost like in an idyllic and yet communist way. The smaller the group, the less need there is

for an economy – people work together for a common goal and everyone knows each other,

so they just decide to help everyone to the best of their abilities (Darabont.)

2.6 Home

Home, on the other hand, is a common theme in The Walking Dead universe. Either

immediately after the outbreak or a while later, everyone eventually loses their home and
 Ś l i w a | 22

becomes homeless, forced to either embark on a search for another safe haven, or taken to

another, bigger community. People are united by their common experiences of loss, both in

the sense of losing their homes full of memories and personal items and the loss of their

loved ones.

In the very first episode of the series, we follow Rick’s first moments in the new post-

apocalyptic world. The character’s first instinct after getting out of the hospital is to go home.

What matters to him the most is his family, though. When he realizes that his wife and son

are not there, he soon moves on to another location that he is familiar with – his job, the

sheriff’s department. He dons the sheriff’s attire, trying to cling to a reality long gone. Upon

finally finding his family, he joins the community they are a part of and they remain together

(Darabont, “Days Gone Bye.”) This introduces a very important concept in the show’s

universe – a home is the people we love and surround ourselves with, not the buildings.

Those merely provide shelter and safety.

Even though people move across various communities, their identity remains

connected to each of their previous ones. It is visible throughout the show, in the example of

Eugene. First, he is a part of a group with another two survivors – Abraham and Rosita

(Negrete, Powell “Inmates.”) Later, they join Rick’s group on the road, and eventually

Alexandria and Commonwealth (Darabont, The Walking Dead.) In the last location, he works

a separate job from everyone he has met before, but he is still friends with Alexandrians and

close friends with Rosita (Kang, The Walking Dead season 11,) a friendship that has lasted

his entire appearance in the show and dictated his alliances. During his brief participation in

Negan’s community, the Saviors, he sabotages their ammunition supply, directly impacting

the result of the ongoing war between this community and Alexandria (Gimple et al.,

“Wrath.”) Even though he found a new shelter, a safer one, he still stood on the side of his

home – his friends and people whom he loved.

 Ś l i w a | 23

Survivors of the apocalypse do not fear changing locations as long as they keep

whatever is the most important to them. In the case of The Walking Dead, most value is

attributed to freedom, family, and opportunity. This version of the American Dream seems to

put interpersonal relations and arbitrary philosophies above material gain. Unlike many other

versions of this phenomenon in various media, there is no value placed on gender roles or

becoming a “self-made [person]” (Riggio, “Defining” 9.) Instead, the ability to achieve one’s

dream depends entirely on various circumstances that are mostly out of their reach. This is a

reality in which death lurks around every corner and it does not matter if you are an innocent

pregnant woman or a skilled soldier, no one controls death.

The only theme that increases someone’s ability to progress and helps make their

post-apocalyptic American Dream come true is one’s morality. Throughout both shows we

are introduced to ideas such as “my mercy prevails over my wrath” (Gimple, “Mercy”) and

“the world we know is gone. But keeping our humanity? That’s a choice” (Kang, “Judge,

Jury, Executioner.”) The latter has been echoed in a future season, where another, separate

character monologues:

You step outside, you risk your life. You take a drink of water, you risk your life. And

nowadays you breathe, and you risk your life. Every moment now you don’t have a

choice. The only thing you can choose is what you’re risking it for. Now I can make

these people feel better and hang on a little bit longer. I can save lives. That’s reason

enough to risk mine. (Kirkman, “Isolation”)

Those quotes capture the essence of this universe. People come and go, sometimes tragically

and far too soon, but the ideas of what is good and wrong remain. And in a medium like this,

what is morally good matters significantly more than what is the most profitable. That does

not mean that every good person will reach their American Dream, but their collective trying

brings humanity closer to normality and safety.

 Ś l i w a | 24

Chapter 3: Days Gone’s Portrayal of The American Dream

Days Gone is a video game developed by Bend Studio for Sony Interactive

Entertainment in 2019. It portrays another vision of the post-apocalyptic reality, with a rich

world located near the fictional city of Farewell, Oregon. Players follow the story of Deacon

St. John, a former marine and member of a motorcycle club called Mongrels. As a character,

he is in many ways in direct opposition to Rick Grimes. The former is a criminal, while the

latter a sheriff. Deacon is self-oriented and reluctantly joins the Lost Lake Settlement at the

very end of the game, while Rick is oriented on keeping a group together almost from the

very beginning (Eglee, LoGiudice, ”Tell It to the Frogs.”) One is selfish, the other one

selfless. One is opportunistic and the other one righteous. But what matters are the

similarities between those two characters. Both are constructed as the good protagonist,

standing in the defense of the weak even if it costs them their safety or resources. In many

ways, as Soraya Murray observes, Deacon is more similar to Daryl Dixon instead

(“America.”)

3.1 Family

The theme of family as a component of the American Dream is also very prominent in

Days Gone. The protagonist (the player) moves through the presented world and characters

only through Deacon’s family. Boozer is his best friend, repeatedly referred to as his brother

and he is the reason for half the story’s progression. First Boozer gets attacked and requires

medical assistance and later he becomes depressed, losing the purpose of life because he

cannot ride a motorbike anymore. The other half of story progression is because of Sarah,

Deacon’s wife that he has considered dead before learning some additional information. The

player is led along with Deacon on a journey through beautiful yet dangerous landscapes,

riding from one settlement to another.

 Ś l i w a | 25

In those settlements, however, the theme of family is not as important. Individual

characters care for each other and dedicate some of their actions to specific people, but the

vast majority of them seem to be working toward some greater goal. All of the leaders have

lost someone and dedicated their people or ideologies. Tucker has lost her husband, Iron

Mike and Kouri have lost their wives, and Copeland lost his son. It can be argued that they

mobilized for a better future they envisioned because of the family they have lost, but it is

never directly stated.

3.2 Freedom

The aforementioned Copeland has definitely been influenced by his son’s death. He is

a dedicated anti-federalist, whose American Dream was always absolute freedom, but the

passing of his only child has made his dislike for the government even stronger. He started

broadcasting a radio from his van right before the outbreak. During his auditions in Radio

Free Oregon, he repeatedly underlines that the pandemic which caused the apocalypse was

made in a lab. It is important to note that the game came out in April of 2019 and was

developed even earlier than that, so there is no connection between the Days Gone pandemic

and Covid-19. The apocalypse and the complete collapse of the government and society have

made his desire to live on his own, free from the constraints of any governmental body even

stronger.

Deschutes County Militia has a slightly opposite approach to the American Dream

when it comes to freedom. While the end goal of Colonel Garrett was the eradication of the

Freakers (this universe’s version of undead) to eventually reclaim the world, in his mind the

end justified the means. As the name suggests, his camp is heavily militarized, with little to

zero personal freedom. After approaching it for the first time, Deacon has to give up all of his

belongings (besides weapons.) That way, he loses his signet rings. Everyone is supposed to
 Ś l i w a | 26

give away their jewelry – it is implied that it gets melted down and used for something

important.

Of course, similarly to The Walking Dead, survivors in Days Gone above all else

crave the freedom to live their lives in a world that has once belonged to them. Both Militia’s

and Copeland’s actions continuously lead them toward that goal. The Militia is

simultaneously leading research that would help cure the infected and research to eradicate as

many of them as quickly as possible, while Copeland’s Camp focuses on becoming as

independent as possible. On the other hand, Iron Mike’s camp is made up of people who,

more than other groups, simply want to survive. He opened his door to everyone, not just

those who are body-abled, have rare useful skills, or agree with him on everything. He

believes that there is good in everyone and attempts a truce with the villain group called

Rippers, one they eventually break. It is also ultimately the camp that Deacon sides with,

recognizing it as the least manipulative or authoritarian option.

3.3 Hard Work

Hard Work is definitely the American Dream value that Ada Tucker runs her camp

with. Because of the location of this settlement, it is called the Hot Springs camp. Tucker

used to work in a prison as the head of a female ward, and she runs her camp with a similar

mindset. Everyone who lives there has to work from dawn until dusk only for a bunk bed to

sleep in and the bare minimum of food. She constantly remarks to Deacon about how she

needs more people because they keep running away, and the protagonist repeatedly refers to

this place as a work camp, like in this interaction with Lisa: “I’m not gonna lie to you, it’s a

work camp and to eat, you have to work. Life is gonna be hard, but at least you ain’t gonna

starve” (Days Gone.) Lisa was Tucker’s neighbor and a 17-year-old girl. Despite the warm

welcome she received, the leader of the camp did not treat her kindly, causing her to want to

run away from this work camp just like many other people. Tucker seemed to have no
 Ś l i w a | 27

remorse or empathy for those who did not want to work for her well-being while she drove

around the camp in a golf cart.

Similarly, the Deschutes Militia conscripts people and quickly groups them into two

categories: soldiers or workers. While soldiers function just like regular army recruits that can

ascend to higher ranks, workers are again placed in a work camp. Because of Deacon’s

placement as a corporal, the other option does not get explored in the game, save for an

encounter with yet another woman, Crystal, that escapes the harsh conditions of forced labor.

Deacon and Boozer are what is called a “drifter” in the game’s universe. Those are

motorbike-riding mercenaries, who do various jobs for different camps, trying to steer clear

from allegiances. Despite that, sometime before the beginning of the game, Deacon and

Boozer were kicked out of Iron Mike’s camp when he found out that St. John has been

sending people to Tucker’s slave camp. The protagonist justifies his actions and choices by

claiming he did those things to survive. He did extremely difficult tasks for each community

to earn some money and resources to help him continue working toward his goal. Before

Boozer is attacked, they talk about going north, to escape the ever-growing numbers of

Freakers and locations that remind them of their lost loved ones.

3.4 Opportunity/Social Mobility

These drifters’ American Dream was undoubtedly an ascension to a better life. While

they enjoyed the life they had before, with the club and their loved ones, their lives have been

shattered with the beginning of the apocalypse. What they were concerned with, though, was

the betterment of their lives, not everyone’s. For most of the post-apocalyptic reality, they

only had each other to take care of, so they did not focus on making the world a better place

or trying to bring back the old life. The only reason they settled down was because Boozer’s

arm had to be amputated and he could no longer drive a motorbike, ruining their well-crafted

dream quickly and effectively.

 Ś l i w a | 28

In this universe, the group that strives for some sort of a societal and generational

upgrade, or simply a work promotion, is the Deschutes Militia. The goal of its leader, Colonel

Garret, is to eradicate the infected from the planet. He believes that he is the god-appointed

leader of an ark that is supposed to save humanity. He has stored valuable books and

important data in the camp and organized personnel to look for either a cure or the most

effective way to defeat the infected. Garret’s intentions are to collect the best people in the

ark and eventually rebuild humanity that way. At the same time, soldiers who did well on

their assignments could become higher-ranking officials, granting them some privileges that

they did not have before, encouraging them to work for the betterment of their status.

3.5 The Financial Aspect

Days Gone is one of those post-apocalyptic media that established an economy in

their universe. This choice definitely stems from the type of medium – open-world video

games require some sort of economy to keep the player engaged and challenged. There is a

universal currency that everyone adheres to and it is still the American dollar. A drifter can

obtain money through various tasks completed for a given camp, like bounty-hunting or

taking down marauder settlements that threaten one of the main encampments. It can also be

obtained by selling meat, herbs, and Freakers’ ears to the cook and trophy collectors

respectively. Whatever money is received, however, can only be used in this one place. Even

within Deschutes Militia, a faction that has two separate bases, money does not move

between them. This leads me to suspect that there is no physical money involved, just some

tally of accomplishments and wins.

While currency is not a vital part of the Days Gone universe, it seems to be vital for

mercenaries and drifters. If you are a member of one of the camps, you complete some work

for it, but you get a place to sleep, food, and medicine when needed. If you try to survive on

your own, you may have to eventually reach out for help and supplies if you cannot get them
 Ś l i w a | 29

yourself and to receive those, you must prove yourself worthy of them. There are no people

who amass large quantities of currency in various camps to become rich, but the merchants

definitely seem to be of more renown than regular settlers, given their separate booths with

merchandise and the way they are addressed by Deacon.

With that in mind, there are three groups of people that are definitely the most

influential economically in each camp. The first one is cooks, who are important because

everyone likes to consume well-prepared food and their ability to not waste resources is

greatly appreciated. The second group is mechanics, who are non-expendable in the

motorbike-centric reality of this post-apocalyptic world, their repairing skills necessary for

guards, soldiers, and drifters alike. Additionally, if they could repair bikes, they could

probably work with other machinery, as Rikki is shown to have more extensive knowledge

about engineering thanks to her degree. Lastly, gunsmiths are a staple of the American Dream

in which everyone can fight their way through the hordes of enemies, in this case –

monstrous infected humanoids. Without the help of gun-savants, the eventual Freedom

obtained through everyone’s Hard Work would not be possible to achieve, so it is obvious

that they would be held in high regard.

3.6 Home

Copeland makes an incredibly interesting observation during one of his many Radio

Free Oregon auditions.

Who remembers the skid rows of this great country? People living on the streets in

boxes and tents because they couldn't afford the "American Dream." Some of those

good people fought for this very country, only to have the Feds forget about 'em as

soon as they were done with 'em. PTSD — doesn't stand for Post Traumatic Stress

Disorder — it stands for Put Them Soldiers Down. Well, we're all homeless now.

Living in the wilderness in the way of our forebearers. The Fed used to think we
 Ś l i w a | 30

needed their welfare and handouts to survive, we showed 'em how wrong they were.

What we need now is a strong will, determination and trust in each other. The Feds

were never gonna give us that. And you? You want our trust? You gotta earn it. (Days

Gone, “Home of the Free.”)

Similarly to all other post-apocalyptic media, in this game the survivors have to leave their

homes behind. Some of them, like Tucker or Iron Mike, had to leave their houses during the

outbreak to seek shelter somewhere else. Others, like Kouri or Rikki, have been on vacation,

far away from their homes. The latter had to travel many miles to return to Oregon, only to

find out her home got destroyed and her family is gone (The Art of Days Gone, Dark Horse

113-114.)

Lisa manages to stay in her house during the outbreak for two years, but the isolation

and loss of her parents cause her to lose her sanity, making her traumatized by the world

outside and loneliness. From there, she moves into the Hot Springs Camp, where she

struggles to endure the harsh conditions of the work camp and is soon kidnapped by Rippers,

a ruthless cult that worships the Freakers. When rescued, she refuses to go back to Tucker’s

camp and is moved into Iron Mike’s, where she cries herself to sleep before running away. At

the end of the game, it is revealed that she becomes a drifter, similarly to Deacon. Unable to

trust anyone and without her family, she abandons all hope of finding a new home, echoing

Copeland’s speech about homelessness.

In Days Gone, the American Dream is overshadowed by the struggle to survive and

remain safe. There is no higher goal for the characters in this medium, with the notable

exception of caring for one’s family and closest friends. The theme of morality makes a

return here, with the good people winning (aside from a few casualties,) and the bad people

losing. Despite that, there is no permanent change for the better in any of the camps. The
 Ś l i w a | 31

cultist land becomes almost completely flooded and Colonel Garret’s island is burned during

the last fight, never really regaining its prior flair.

Conclusion

The American Dream remains alive even when America is no longer. In both

universes, every person has a different view of the future and different priorities, often

connected to the life they lived before. Both mediums present a unique vision of the world

after the apocalypse. However, the most important feature of them is the biggest difference

that The Walking Dead (along with its spin-off) and Days Gone have between them. It is the

future they both try to present their audience with. The former inspires faith in a better

tomorrow, ending after the Commonwealth has been reclaimed by the survivors and led

toward something good (Kang, “Rest In Peace.”) World Beyond promises a victory over the

Civic Republic Military as Silas infiltrates it from the inside while the remaining Endlings

reach Portland (Goldsmith et al., “The Last Light.”) Days Gone, on the other hand, presents a

vision of the post-apocalypse where all hope is meaningless when the post-credits scene

informs Deacon and the player that the infected are evolving, and everyone is infected, about

to turn into a Freaker. This news is brought forth by a National Emergency Response

Organization (NERO) operative that has helped Deacon throughout the entire game. As he

takes off his helmet, we can see that he is slowly turning into a Freaker as well, as he

struggles to stay in control.

This is why the visions of the American Dream in those universes are different. If

there is still hope for a better, safer future, this is something worth fighting for, a deliverance

for the entire humankind. But if the hope is gone, all actions become meaningless in the end,

and only individual dreams are worth fighting for. This is a very realistic approach to this

phenomenon, phenomenon that exists purely to give people hope, to make them believe that

they can strive for something more, and if they do it will result in success and a better world
 Ś l i w a | 32

for everyone. The American Dream could never really change because it means something

else to everyone, and the post-apocalyptic media effectively convey that message when they

focus on the individual. Each American Dream value I touched upon in this thesis was

viewed differently by separate communities or individuals because it has always been. The

post-apocalyptic media exist in a sense similar to gothic media, they take something and

make it grotesque. The most important difference is that gothic was a genre meant to cause

fear, while post-apocalypse tries to convince people that in the worst-case scenario, there is

still hope and something better to strive for.

 Ś l i w a | 33

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