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Symbols
One of the most important concepts in the book is the Dream, which is Coates’ own twist on the idea of the American Dream. Traditionally, the American Dream refers to the idea that, due to the freedom and equality of opportunity built into the foundation of the country, anyone can achieve prosperity in the US as long as they work hard enough. Coates’ version of this story is notably different. In Between the World and Me, Coates emphasizes the fact that the US was not built on a foundation of freedom and equality at all, but was in fact constructed through the exploitation and oppression of black people.
Rather than being disconnected from the Dream, however, this exploitation and oppression is deeply implicated within the aspiration for security and material success. White people have profited from the brutal treatment of black people since the slavery era and continue to do so in the present. Coates emphasizes that the Dream does not exist without racist injustice, as material prosperity in the US is inevitably tied to the exploitation of African Americans.
Coates refers to the people who buy into the Dream as “Dreamers.” They are characterized not only by their choice to live in fancy houses in the suburbs and other cultural dimensions of the Dream, but also by their belief in the false myths of American history, including the idea that the country is equal and just and that pursuing the Dream is morally innocent. Although not all Dreamers are white, the Dream is deeply tied to whiteness. In many ways, those who pursue the Dream aspire to a white way of life, even if they are not white themselves.
The Dream Quotes in Between the World and Me
The Between the World and Me quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Dream. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Part 1 Quotes
For so long I have wanted to escape into the Dream, to fold my country over my head like a blanket. But this has never been an option because the Dream rests on our backs, the bedding made from our bodies. And knowing this, knowing that the Dream persists by warring with the known world, I was sad for the host, I was sad for all those families, I was sad for my country but above all, in that moment, I was sad for you.
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Coates has introduced the concept of the Dream, which is his interpretation of the American Dream, emphasizing the extent to which this idea is a willful delusion. Rather than being a morally admirable—or even morally innocent—quest for success and prosperity, the Dream is inherently built out of the exploitation and oppression of African Americans. In this passage, Coates explains that he does not resent the Dream outright, and has even longed to believe in it. All “those families” he mentions are mostly white families who are able to go about their lives within the delusion of the Dream, never questioning Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Veli
The Dream thrives on generalization, on limiting the number of possible questions, on privileging immediate answers. The Dream is the enemy of all art, courageous thinking, and honest writing.
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Coates has been describing his intellectual development while at Howard, much of which took place outside of the confines of the university itself and in the city of Washington DC. He is particularly inspired by the artistic and intellectual work of other black people, and in this passage reaches the conclusion that the Dream prevents “courageous thinking and honest writing.” Throughout the book, Coates expresses a suspicion of false belief and easy answers. For him, life cannot be freely lived without confrontation with the world as it really is, no matter how painful this may be. In many ways, this Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea s
Part 3 Quotes
Perhaps that was, is, the hope of the movement: to awaken the Dreamers, to rouse them to the facts of what their need to be white, to talk like they are white, to think that they are white, which is to think that they are beyond the design flaws of humanity, has done to the world. But you cannot arrange your life around them and the small chance of the Dreamers coming into consciousness. Our moment is too brief.
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Having left Dr. Mabel Jones’ house, Coates sits outside in his car and reflects on the state of black people in America—stuck in a country within which they are perpetually at risk, and unable to change things on their own. He wonders if “the hope of the movement” is that the Dreamers will come to understand that their desire to be right has caused so much damage, even as he also acknowledges the importance of not orienting one’s life around the Dreamers. Here Coates underlines the notion that simply the desire to “think that they are white” is behind white Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad te
Black power births a kind of understanding that illuminates all the galaxies in their truest colors. Even the Dreamers––lost in their great reverie––feel it, for it is Billie they reach for in sadness, and Mobb Deep is what they holler in boldness, and Isley they hum in love, and Dre they yell in revelry, and Aretha is the last sound they hear before dying. We have made something down here.
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Coates has described the moment of joy and vitality he felt when attending Homecoming at Howard. He reflects on the remarkable power of black creativity, which is such a strong force that even “Dreamers”—who refuse to fully acknowledge black people’s humanity—subconsciously understand the beauty of black power. This is a moving and surprisingly optimistic interpretation of a well-known phenomenon—the fact that many people who don’t respect and value black lives still love and consume black art. While this paradox is often cited as evidence of racist people’s hypocritical and exploitative nature, Coates suggests that it may also indicate the possibility Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem no
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The Dream Symbol Timeline in Between the World and Me
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Dream appears in Between the World and Me. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1
...days. He feels sad, and realizes this is because they are living in “a gorgeous dream.” This Dream, which encompasses all the desirable aspects of American culture, such as “perfect houses”...
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...like another planet, it is in fact just the world of white people and the Dream.
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...knew that this fear was connected to the carefree lives of those living in the Dream.
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As a child, Coates is curious about the way in which racism simultaneously sustains the Dream and perpetuates the oppression of black people like himself. However, there are no opportunities to...
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...are irrelevant, because most Americans do not advocate racist violence directly but do support the Dream, which indirectly oppresses black people. Coates brings his concerns to his parents. Paul rarely gives...
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...black people have the right to defend violations to their bodies. Unlike the schools and Dreamers, “Malcolm never lied.” Coates identifies with Malcolm’s life story, and begins to feel hopeful that...
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...DC. He reflects on what it means to lose one’s body, and concludes that “The Dream is the enemy of all art.” Coates is inspired by black artists whose work embraces...
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...Howard, where the faculty assure him that his search for new myths to replace the Dream will not end well. One of Coates’ professors helps illuminate the fact that some black...
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Part 2
...result of phenomena that appear innocent, which explains why racism is inherently connected to the Dream. In order for the Dream to function correctly, the people who buy into it must...
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...slavery existed in the first place. Coates takes this as evidence that “historians conjured the Dream.” He wants Samori to be aware of the fact that it is “heritage” in America...
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...that without the right to “break” black bodies, white people might “tumble out of the Dream.” Only if this happens will it be possible to build a country that is truly...
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...and remade” him, and this kind of rebirth is only possible when one rejects the Dream. Coates admits that Kenyatta let go of the Dream earlier than he did, perhaps because...
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...go about their days seemingly free from fear. Coates concedes that “France built its own dream” through colonization, but that the legacy of this dream plays out differently in France than...
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...nature of the country he lives in, the reality is that the crimes of “the Dreamers” are expansive and relentless, stretching beyond Ferguson (where Mike Brown was killed), across the US,...
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Part 3
...did. Prince attended private schools throughout his life, but even though they were “filled with Dreamers” Prince had no problems making friends. He excelled in school, and Dr. Jones admitted that...
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...house and reflects on his visit. He wonders if it is possible to “awaken the Dreamers” and, in doing so, raise the possibility of ending racist injustice. At the same time,...
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Coates reflects that in the past, the power of the Dreamers was curtailed by the “limits of horsepower and wind.” However, as technology and capitalism have...
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