Payal Mathur

American Dream in American sitcom F.R.I.E.N.D.S

The American Dream is a national culture of the United States, the set of principles (Democracy, Rights, Liberty, Opportunity, and Equality) in which freedom includes the opportunity for wealth and success, and an upward social mobility for the family and children, achieved through hard work in a society with few obstacles. In the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in his book “The Epic of America”, published in 1931, "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement" regardless of social class or circumstances of birth. At that time the United States was suffering from the Great Depression.

The philosophy today means an opportunity for Americans to achieve prosperity through hard work. According to The Dream, this includes the opportunity for one's children to grow up and receive a good education and career without artificial barriers. It is the opportunity to make individual choices without the prior restrictions that limited people according to their class, caste, religion, race, or ethnicity.

A lot of American historians say "The American Dream" even has its beginnings in the Declaration of Independence and the first European Settlers because the basic idea is that every man and every woman shall, regardless of their birth, achieve what there are able to do. Everybody shall be treated and seen equally and be recognized by others for what they are and have reached, referring to their position.

For a lot of people "The American Dream" is connected to becoming wealthy and the ability to achieve everything if one only works hard enough for it (From rags to riches). For others, it is much more and is beyond materialism. For them, it is the dream of living a simple, happy and fulfilling life and the most important features being faith and equality. "The American Dream" also is about liberty and America being the country of unlimited opportunities.

Friends is an American television sitcom, created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which originally aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting ten seasons. It revolves around a circle of friends living in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Production, in association with Warner Bros. Television. The original executive producers were Kevin S. Bright, Marta Kauffman, and David Crane.

Kauffman and Crane started developing Friends under the title Insomnia Cafe between November and December 1993. After several script rewrites and changes, including a second title change to Friends Like Us, the series was finally named Friends.

Friends received positive reviews throughout its run, becoming one of the most popular sitcoms of all time. The series was nominated for 62 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning the Outstanding Comedy Series award in 2002 for its eighth season. The show ranked no. 21 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time and no. 7 on Empire magazine's The 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. In 1997, the episode "The One with the Prom Video" was ranked no. 100 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time. In 2013, Friends ranked no. 24 on the Writers Guild of America's 101 Best Written TV Series of All Time and no. 28 Guide's 60 Best TV Series of All Time. In 2014, the series was ranked by Mundo Estranho the Best TV Series of All Time.

Characters in the Sitcom

Chandler Bing

Chandler Bing is administrative in statistical analysis and data reconfiguration for a large multinational corporation. Chandler quits his job and becomes a junior copywriter at an advertising agency when he realizes that he wants to follow his dream of writing. Chandler has an unusual family history being the son of an erotic novelist mother and a gay, cross-dressing Las Vegas star father. He is of Scottish lineage. Chandler is recognized for his sarcastic sense of humour and bad luck in relationships. Chandler marries Monica, one of his friends and they adopt twins when they realize that they are infertile. Before his relationship with Monica, Chandler dated Janice Hosenstein and subsequently broke up with her many times. Chandler was Ross Geller's roommate in college. Chandler met his friend Rachel Green while celebrating Thanksgiving with the Geller family during his first year at college. On a tip from Monica, Chandler later moved to Apartment #19 in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, across the hall from Monica and her roommate Phoebe Buffay. Actor Joey Tribbiani moves in with Chandler, who becomes his best friend.

Ross Geller

Ross is a palaeontologist and has a PhD from Columbia University, frequently referring to himself as "Dr. Ross Geller." Ross is well-known for being charming, lovelorn, witty and shy. Ross has had a crush on Rachel Green since high school and they have an on-again, off-again romantic relationship.

Born on December 18, 1967, and raised on Long Island, New York, Ross is the older brother of Monica Geller. Ross and Monica are Jewish and see themselves as at least cultural Jews with Ross taking a more active role in wanting to teach his son, Ben, which he had from his first wife whom he later found out was a lesbian, about the faith.

The two siblings are extremely competitive as they tell the others that, as children, they used to take part in a football match for the Geller Cup every Thanksgiving. This ended in its sixth year after Monica "accidentally" broke Ross' nose. They also tell Rachel about how they used to wrestle as children and had various complications in their relationship, such as Ross having a recurring nightmare that the then-overweight Monica would eat him. They also came up with a dance in primary school called "The Routine", which later on allowed them to perform in a New Year's Eve TV broadcast.

Joey Tribbiani

Joey is characterized as a simple-minded but good-natured womanizer who loves food. He particularly loves meatball sub-sandwiches. When asked if he would give up sex or food he had trouble deciding and kept blurting out sex or food, eventually yelling "I want girls on bread!". He appears to be saving Ross from a putative gunshot when it was actually his meatball sandwich that he was trying to save; it just happened to be next to Ross. He also loves the "Joey Special" — two pizzas. He is something of an idiot savant in general, but capable of good ideas when the situation arises. Joey made up an anecdote referred to as the "Europe story" or the "magic story"; apparently, anyone who hears it will immediately want to have sex with the teller. This is proven to be effective when Rachel successfully uses the story on Ross.

Joey is extremely immoral, often relying on his catchphrase pickup line "How you doin'?". He regularly sleeps with attractive women, but can never seem to get into a committed relationship - judging from a conversation he had with Chandler at the latter's bachelor party he seems to regard marriage as depressing and restrictive. He sleeps with many of the interns and extras on shows on which he works. He has apparently been sexually active for a very long time; he undid a 16-year-old girl's bra when he was nine, slept with his teacher in the seventh grade, and had a "wild spring break" when he was thirteen.

While he is not very bright, Joey is a caring and kindhearted person. He let Rachel live with him when she was fighting with Ross, financially supported Monica and Chandler, and helped Phoebe find work when she was unemployed. He was willing to marry Phoebe and Rachel on the separate occasions he found out that each was pregnant. Joey is also the most physically powerful of the group, being able to easily push Ross over a couch with only one hand, and offering to go to the coffee house to intimidate two bullies into leaving Ross and Chandler alone

Rachel Green

Rachel debuts in the first episode of Friends as a runaway bride who is distraught after abandoning her fiancé Barry Farber at the altar. She locates her high school best friend Monica Geller, the only person she knows in New York City, who agrees to let Rachel stay with her while she attempts to reorganize her life. Rachel meets and befriends Monica’s friends Phoebe Buffay, Joey Tribbiani and Chandler Bing while reuniting with Monica's older brother Ross Geller, who has docked unanswered romantic feelings for her since high school. Having previously relied on her parents' money her entire life with a sole goal of marrying wealthy, Rachel attempts to reinvent herself as an independent young woman by waitressing at Central Perk, a coffeehouse where her new friends regularly socialize.

Later, Rachel finally confesses her love for Ross, having learned of his feelings for her from Chandler, only to find that he has already begun dating another woman, who she resents. However, Ross eventually chooses Rachel over his girlfriend Julie, and the couple dates for the remainder. However, their relationship rapidly begins to deteriorate after Rachel quits her job at the coffeehouse in favour of working in fashion. While Rachel becomes increasingly preoccupied with her new job, Ross grows jealous of her companionship with her coworker Mark ultimately culminating in their break up on their one-year anniversary following a series of heated arguments and disagreements.

Rachel and Ross are initially hostile towards each other. The exes continue to harbour feelings for each other. During a beach house vacation with their friends, Rachel and Ross briefly reconcile when he ends his relationship with Bonnie only to break up once again due to a disagreement. Rachel dates her customer Joshua while Ross dates her boss' niece Emily, to whom he eventually gets engaged. Competitively, Rachel proposes to recent divorcee Joshua, frightening him off. Rachel indirectly contributes to the demise of Ross and Emily's relationship when he accidentally utters Rachel's name while exchanging their wedding vows. Ross ultimately divorces a jealous Emily, choosing his friendship with Rachel instead.

Ross and Rachel drunkenly get married while vacationing with their friends in Las Vegas. Later, their annulment request is denied because of Rachel having levelled unfounded allegations against Ross, forcing the two to file for a divorce instead. Ross and Rachel unwittingly conceive a child when their birth control fails. Rachel gives birth to a girl, naming the baby Emma Geller-Green; the name Emma is a gift from Monica, who had previously been reserving the name for her own child. Rachel and Ross live together as non-romantic roommates.

Rachel eventually finds a job opportunity in France, but has second thoughts when Ross eventually forfeits stubbornness and says "I love you". Rachel ultimately decides to stay and reignite her relationship with Ross, getting off the plane at the last minute

Monica Geller

A hardworking Chef, Monica is introduced in the first episode as one of five close-knit friends who live in New York City, including her older brother Ross, neighbours Joey and Chandler, and former roommate Phoebe. When her privileged, inexperienced childhood best friend Rachel with whom she had long lost contact, suddenly arrives in her neighbourhood unannounced as a runaway bride after abandoning her own wedding, Monica allows her to move in with her while she attempts to reorganize her life, and the two reconnect.

Monica begins dating Dr. Richard Burke, a significantly older man who is also one of her father's best friends. However, the couple mutually agrees to end their long-running relationship after realizing that Richard does not want children, while Monica aspires to eventually raise a family of her own one day. While in England attending Ross' second wedding, to Emily, Monica sleeps with Chandler. Initially supposed to have been a casual, one-time thing which grew more recurrent, Monica and Chandler eventually develop feelings for each other, but attempt to conceal it from their friends for as long as possible. After finally revealing their relationship to their friends, who are delighted by the news, Monica proposes to Chandler, and they marry.

After trying to conceive a child of their own several times to no avail, Monica and Chandler discover that they are both infertile, and decide to adopt as an alternative, choosing to adopt the unborn child of single mother Erica.

Phoebe Buffay

Phoebe is an animal lover, vegetarian and is from France. She hates the idea of fur clothing (although ends up wearing a fur coat because she likes it too much). Having not experienced a normal childhood, Phoebe is sometimes childlike, innocent, and considered the "weird one" of the group. But she is also known in the group for having the best street smarts. Although usually friendly, Phoebe, when sufficiently infuriated, reverts to a harsher persona, noting that "Street Phoebe" would never have befriended the others. Phoebe can often be seen ridiculing the other friends (especially Monica and Chandler), and doing things for self-gain but always maintains her good heart. Phoebe is the most promiscuous girl of the show, highly preferring casual sex (and it is hinted that she enjoys very kinky sex). When she first met Mike, she was in her very early thirties and had never been in a relationship that lasted longer than a month. Although she and Joey are debatably equally promiscuous, Phoebe will not avoid monogamous dating and was very eager to get married after Ross pointed out that she has never had a serious relationship.

Phoebe is eccentric, to such extent that her friends do not hesitate to say it out loud. Even her husband Mike acknowledged that in his wedding vow. Phoebe herself is aware of it. On occasions, when Phoebe has offered to help her friends in their business, they saw it necessary to remind her that it entails her being "normal". Phoebe's eccentricity is chiefly a comical device.

Phoebe, in addition to being a musical performer at Central Perk, worked as a masseuse. Except on a few occasions, she kept professional relationships with her customers. She worked at many different spas, including a place called Healing Hands, but was fired for kissing a client. She went on to work at a more upscale massage clinic for the benefits and higher pay, despite it clashing with her liberal ideals.

Characters and their Dreams

The concept of the American Dream is not only followed by the natives of American but also by the natives of other countries. People came to America just to fulfil their dreams of becoming rich and happy by earning more and more money. Here in this sitcom, the American resident was Rachael Green and the rest were Scottish, Italian or Jewish. They came to America to accomplish their dreams of becoming successful and rich in some way or the other. All the six characters in the sitcom had their aims and wanted to reach there no matter how much hard work they have to do.

Monica Geller always wanted to be a head chef in a big restaurant and so become one with all her hard work and sweats that she put. She wanted to be loved by everyone and therefore, she chooses this profession as it would provide her money, status as well as love from everyone around her. She loves to host party and get-togethers. She was a big fat girl in her college days but after hearing an insult from Chandler she decides to lose all her weight and become slim so to attract people’s attention and especially Chandler’s. She always wanted to have kids as she is a big-time kids-lover. Monica could not have kids with Richard so she broke up with him. She chooses a dream over love. She even could not have kids with Chandler and therefore to fulfil her wish they went for adoption. In a way, she achieved all her desires, her love, her passion and ambition. Her American Dream was fulfilled in all the ways.

Ross Geller who is an intelligent, emotional and a passionate lover achieved his dream of becoming a successful palaeontologist. He always had a connection with dinosaurs and Science. Ross who is an elder brother to Monica always had and ambition in his life and a focus to achieve it. He claims that he had “given up a career in basketball” to become a palaeontologist and has mentioned on several occasions that he wanted to pursue a career in music. The Jewish lad with his family came to America to fulfil his dreams and earn money. Ross might not have his luck in his love life as he was three-time divorced but his career was there beside him. But he faced singlehood with phenomenal reluctance. Ross trained for a career in palaeontology, completed his PhD and later works at the New York Museum of Prehistoric History. Later, Ross begins working as a professor at New York University.

Rachel Green is a spoiled yet adorable and courageous girl. She wanted her name to be famous in the industry of fashion. At first, she started working at Central Perk as a waitress to earn some money when she decided to leave her house and start a new life with her friends. Later, she started working for Bloomingdales as an assistant and with hard work she joined Ralph Lauren as merchandise manager.

Joey Tribbiani is a handsome, macho, smug who lives across the hall of Monica and Rachel. He wants to be a successful actor. Actually, he wants to be Al Pacino. He started his career as a stage performer but later he also appeared in a porn film. Joe becomes an actor-cum-model when he appeared in a poster ad for the NY free clinic. Joey gets his big break when he lands his first major role as Dr. Drake Ramoray on the soap opera Days of Our Lives. Joey was later shut out of the show when during an interview he said that he makes up his own lines. In between, he did some small role in the plays. Joey lands a starring role as Detective 'Mac' Machiavelli in a very short-lived and very bad cop show called Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E, which is cancelled halfway through its first season. He was also offered the main role in a movie which was shut because of financial problems. Joey did a lot of roles but could not become what he wanted to be: a great actor. He always tried his best to do but could not achieve his dream. The Italian actor who came to America to fulfil his dream was failed.

Chandler works as an IT procurement manager with the specialization "Statistical analysis and data reconfiguration," which he takes up as temporary work and, despite working in the industry for years, thoroughly loathes. It is seen in many exterior shots that he works at the Solow Building. His friends do not understand his profession; during a trivia game Monica and Rachel cannot remember what his job is, with Rachel calling him a "transponster". He had mentioned his job title which inspired Chandler's oft-referenced office slang word "WENUS" (Weekly Estimated Net Usage Systems), as well as the "ANUS" (Annual Net Usage Statistics). Despite disliking his job, Chandler is unable to quit his job as it is his nature to avoid ending anything forcefully, be it his job, a relationship, or even his membership with a gym. Chandler later quit his job and works as a freelance writer, specializing in comics which he always wanted as he loves making people laugh. When he started working for the comic, he begins as an intern, which leaves him in the awkward position of working alongside people who are significantly younger than he is. However, his more mature approach eventually pays off, and he secures a full-time job in the business as a junior copywriter, even though he only expected to receive an assistant position. Chandler, in the end, fulfils his American Dream. He might be able to earn more money as he used to earn in his office but he is happy as an intern at least he loves what he is doing.

Phoebe is a sweet, flaky and Monica’s former roommate. She plays the guitar in the subway and later used to perform in the Central Perk. She was a masseuse by the profession. She wanted to become a professional singer but could not because of her financial condition and her poor past.

“The American dream” has become a widespread way of expressing the American Way of Life. The American Dream" always has something individual. That is, why till today no one succeeded in giving a universally acceptable definition of the term.

To make "The American Dream" come true all Americans have to work together. "The American Dream" is supposed to be for each American, despite all social groups. According to Adams, too many Americans have built mistrust towards "The American Dream" because they did not reach what they hoped for and also had expected.

American Dream is what each and every person dream of- a perfect life with no worries, but that’s not how it goes. American Dream is just not what an individual wants, the society too plays a big role in it. Everyone wants to achieve but they might not because of the interference of society. That’s why we see, in the sitcom, no one is blindly following their dream and even if they are going towards it blindly, only few can achieve success not all.

In this sitcom, Joey and Phoebe could not fulfil their American Dream but the rest, Chandler, Ross, Monica and Rachel could somehow or the other achieve it and make their life successful.