‭"Imbolo‬‭Mbue's‬‭novel‬‭"Behold‬‭the‬‭Dreamers"‬‭presents‬‭a‬‭unique‬‭study‬‭of‬‭the‬‭American‬

‭dream‬‭through‬‭the‬‭eyes‬‭of‬‭an‬‭immigrant‬‭family‬‭endeavoring‬‭to‬‭achieve‬‭it‬‭and‬‭a‬‭white‬‭American‬

‭family‬‭that‬‭seems‬‭to‬‭embody‬‭it.‬‭Initially,‬‭the‬‭immigrant‬‭family‬‭sees‬‭America‬‭as‬‭a‬‭place‬‭with‬

‭unlimited‬‭opportunities‬‭for‬‭success‬‭but‬‭as‬‭they‬‭grow‬‭closer‬‭with‬‭the‬‭Edwards‬‭family,‬‭that‬‭view‬

‭slowly‬‭shifts.‬

‭In‬‭the‬‭novel,‬‭the‬‭Jonga‬‭family,‬‭consisting‬‭of‬‭Jende,‬‭Nen,‬‭and‬‭their‬‭children,‬‭strive‬‭to‬

‭create‬‭a‬‭better‬‭life‬‭in‬‭America.‬‭In‬‭their‬‭eyes,‬ ‭America‬‭is‬‭the‬‭gateway‬‭to‬‭a‬‭life‬‭free‬‭of‬‭poverty‬‭and‬

‭securing‬‭a‬‭prosperous‬‭future‬‭for‬‭themselves‬‭and‬‭their‬‭children.‬‭Jende‬‭continuously‬‭believes‬‭the‬

‭idea‬‭that‬‭“anything‬‭is‬‭possible‬‭for‬‭anyone‬‭who‬‭is‬‭American”(Mbue‬‭46).‬‭As‬‭an‬‭immigrant,‬‭Jende‬

‭only‬‭sees‬‭the‬‭good‬‭in‬‭America.‬‭He‬‭has‬‭big‬‭goals‬‭he‬‭wants‬‭to‬‭achieve‬‭and‬‭is‬‭unquestionable‬‭about‬

‭the‬‭fact‬‭that‬‭living‬‭in‬‭America‬‭and‬‭becoming‬‭an‬‭American‬‭citizen‬‭will‬‭reward‬‭those‬‭goals.‬‭His‬

‭struggle‬‭with‬‭being‬‭poor‬‭back‬‭in‬‭Cameroon‬‭fueled‬‭these‬‭ideas.‬

‭Jende‬‭and‬‭his‬‭wife‬‭might‬‭see‬‭America‬‭as‬‭a‬‭country‬‭without‬‭fault‬‭however,‬‭Cindy‬‭does‬

‭not,‬‭as‬‭she,‬‭an‬‭American‬‭living‬‭the‬‭American‬‭dream,‬‭struggles‬‭every‬‭day.‬‭Cindy's‬‭son‬‭Vince‬

‭reveals‬‭to‬‭them‬‭that‬‭he‬‭is‬‭leaving‬‭to‬‭move‬‭to‬‭India,‬‭she‬‭finds‬‭herself‬‭arguing‬‭with‬‭her‬‭husband‬

‭and‬‭after‬‭a‬‭few‬‭drinks,‬‭she‬‭opens‬‭up‬‭to‬‭Neni.‬‭She‬‭came‬‭from‬‭a‬‭poor‬‭family‬‭and‬‭had‬‭to‬‭work‬‭her‬

‭way‬‭up‬‭to‬‭the‬‭top‬‭to‬‭achieve‬‭what‬‭she‬‭has‬‭now.‬‭Her‬‭main‬‭focus‬‭is‬‭to‬‭keep‬‭her‬‭family‬‭close‬‭but‬

‭even‬‭her‬‭American‬‭dream‬‭wasn't‬‭going‬‭to‬‭last‬‭forever.‬‭The‬‭Jonga‬‭family‬‭saw‬‭the‬‭Edwards's‬

‭negative‬‭experiences‬‭as‬‭well‬‭as‬‭faced‬‭their‬‭own,‬‭this‬‭eventually‬‭changed‬‭their‬‭thoughts‬‭on‬

‭America‬‭and‬‭how‬‭achievable‬‭the‬‭American‬‭dream‬‭is.‬

‭In‬‭conclusion,‬‭being‬‭American‬‭might‬‭seem‬‭easier‬‭than‬‭it‬‭is.‬‭America‬‭is‬‭in‬‭a‬‭better‬

‭position‬‭than‬‭places‬‭most‬‭immigrant‬‭families‬‭come‬‭from‬‭but‬‭this‬‭does‬‭not‬‭stop‬‭the‬‭struggles‬‭that‬

‭many‬‭Americans‬‭face‬‭daily.‬‭In‬‭"Imbolo‬‭Mbue's‬‭novel‬‭"Behold‬‭the‬‭Dreamers"‬‭the‬‭view‬‭of‬
‭America‬‭being‬‭a‬‭land‬‭of‬‭endless‬‭possibilities‬‭undergoes‬‭a‬‭transformation‬‭as‬‭an‬‭immigrant‬‭family‬

‭witnesses‬‭the‬‭disintegration‬‭of‬‭an‬‭American‬‭family‬‭they‬‭had‬‭believed‬‭to‬‭be‬‭living‬‭the‬‭American‬

‭dream.‬