T.K. Murphy’s American Nightmare shows how quickly one’s life can change from the American Dream to the American Nightmare through the story of Bob, a man living the American Dream until he lost his job and his life quickly segued into the American Nightmare. Initially, Bob’s American Nightmare is much like the nightmare that many Americans have faced since the subprime mortgage crisis of 2008: unemployed and left without job prospects, insurance, or retirement benefits. The resentment and powerlessness that he feels after having his life turned completely around morphs into something sinister, becoming the true embodiment of an American Nightmare.

 Bob’s evil tendencies take control of him as he attempts to revive his ruined American Dream, and his disillusionment with and disappointment in the promise of this elusive dream is one to which many can relate. Although he believed that he had attained what every American strives for, it was peremptorily taken away from him, leaving him struggling to make sense of why he was being deprived of something that we are all ostensibly owed or capable of reaching, taught that if we do not attain it, it is as a result of our own failings. Bob knows that he has not failed, living his life as a dedicated, honest, and hard-working employee. Consequently, he is enraged at the inequity that has befallen him—in that he has been denied the American Dream, while those who were responsible for killing his dream are allowed to live out their dreams.

 Many readers can relate to the great injustice that Bob feels at having his dreams stolen; but the actions that Bob takes to balance the score are drastic and shocking. T.K. Murphy’s rendering of a man who spirals out of control after he faces a similar situation to that of many Americans during the recession is deeply unsettling, revealing how disappointing our nation’s promise of success can be.

Contact: T.K. Murphy–karthik0114@yahoo.com.