Everyone sets his own goals in life, but in the process of achieving what he considers most important, he loses the people who were closest to him. This is basically what John Steinbeck's essay, “Paradox and Dream” is about. It's about the American dream and the American people. It shows how the American dream that everyone seeks is no longer what it once was. Nowadays no one can really achieve their dreams because they constantly change their minds. This causes the dream to be modified an infinite number of times. It shows how Americans are always looking for more and are never satisfied with the decisions they make. Steinbeck also talks about the paradoxes he finds in our society. In his essay, he portrays Americans negatively by saying that they are dissatisfied, in a state of constant turmoil, and how people cannot determine what is important and what is not. First, Steinbeck shows how Americans are restless, dissatisfied. and look for people throughout their lives. It is rare for people to stay in the same place for more than five years. The reason for this is because some jobs force them to move to a new place. This could result from the company relocating or the company believing the employee would be more useful in another location. Another reason they don't stay in one area may be that they are put off by the size and location of the house. Americans tend to want the next new thing, and that includes the desire for a huge, exceptional home. Additionally, they may not care about the neighborhood they live in because of the people or how all the other houses look. People are restless because they feel the need to constantly move from house to house. They also search because they can never really find a home or in general anything in life that satisfies them. Americans aren't just restless and curious