George Takei’s family stories represent the American Dream by showing how people can prevail in society even when they are being discriminated against. Another thing he shares is how the 442nd regiment fought. In the 442nd regiment, the Japanese-American soldiers persevered and won back their identities through hard work and labor. When Takei’s parents returned to Los Angeles, they had no money. Through lots of hard work they eventually acquired a house. In his TED speech, he said, “They worked their fingers to the bone, and ultimately they were able to buy a three bedroom home…” (Takei 2014). This shows that his parents, despite all odds, were able to get a house. This house would serve as the ground zero for their kids to get a better life. The concept of working hard to live in a house follows the concept of the American Dream.
Back during the war, many Japanese-Americans tried to join the American armed forces, but were denied due to their ethnicity. WHen they were finally allowed in, they did their job amazingly and contributed greatly to the Allies’ win. He shared that “... the 442nd returned to the United States as the most decorated unit of the second World War” (Takei 2014). Due to their commitment and patriotism, they worked incredibly hard and succeeded. Even while being discriminated against, they prevailed as some of the best American soldiers. Overall, in the 1940s and 50s, the American Dream was still possible to achieve and was quite effective.