Mad men: Still Birth of the American Dream summary that includes a paraphrase and quotation. HW

In Mad Men: Still Birth of the American Dream, Heather Havrilesky relates the story and plot lines of Mad Men to Americans desire for improvement and growth in their lives. She analyzes the relationships and behavior of the characters using them as examples of the type of behavior that represents the type of “dissatisfaction with the ordinary that’s instilled in us from childhood.” Havrilesky makes the point that in the 50’s and 60’s advertisers made a thorough effort at getting consumers to associate their products with the solutions to their problems and also as means of fulfillment to their dreams. She also points out that the show’s creator Matthew Weiner tells the story of Mad Men with the beginning of the advertising era aligning directly with the time in which the concepts of the false “American Dream” was gaining momentum (175).