Out of Class Essay #1: Images of the Dream in Music

A Dream with a Price

            The song that I have chosen is “Sinaloa Cowboys” by Bruce Springsteen. I want to do a close reading for this song because it interprets a different point of view towards the California dream. The lyrics of “Sinaloa Cowboys”, tells a story about Miguel and his brother Luis come to California to search for a better life. In the end, Luis passes away from the exploder acids, and Miguel buries him and leaves with ten thousand dollars that they had made. In the second stanza of the lyrics, their father says, “My sons one thing you will learn; for everything the north gives it exacts a price in return” and the “price in return.” In this case is Luis’s death. This quote is the most important part of the song, because it predicts the future for Miguel and Luis that there is always a “price” that they have to pay in order to live their dream come true. The main purpose for this song is that people has to make sacrifices in order to achieve their dream goal. People who want attend top colleges have to sacrifice their time to study hard instead of spending time with family and friends; international students move to California, they have to be independent and apart from their family. For people who want to achieve their dream, there is always a trade-off that they have to make, because in order to get what they want, and for the dream that they want to accomplish, something has to be given away

“Sinaloa Cowboys” is a song with the broken dream, and for Miguel and Luis, their California dream is incomplete. The song starts off with “Miguel came form a small town in northern Mexico; he came north with his brother Luis to California three years ago; they crossed at the river levee when Luis was just sixteen; and found work together in the fields of the San Joaquin.” The lyrics gives the audience an image of two young teenagers from Mexico who crossed the river, come all the way to California when they are only sixteen, and now they are working in the fields. Everything seems fine for these two brothers until they start working in a factory in Sinaloa. Luis passes away from the exploder of the acid inside of the factory, he and his brother Miguel’s dream breaks just in that moment. Through out the U.S. history, there were many immigrants who moved to California in the late 18^th century, they became farmers or factory workers. Even though they belong to a different nationality, they have one thing in common, is the “California Dream.” Just like Miguel and his brother, they left their hometown and came to work in California, all they want is to make more money and have a better life in the future. But unfortunately, Miguel and Luis were not lucky enough to carry out their dream.

            Irony has also plays its rule inside of the California Dream.In end of the “Sinaloa Cowboys”, the author mentioned that “There in the dirt he dug up ten thousand dollars all that they’d saved; kissed his brother’s lip and placed him in his grave.” Miguel and Luis have saved ten thousand dollars from all the hard works that they have done. But, does Luis’s life only worth ten thousand dollars? Does he have to offer his life as an exchange to his dream? He does not have to, but it is too late for him to recognize the reality. The author has used the quote of the father with “Price in return” in the beginning of the song, it foreshadows Luis’s death and it has also creates an ironic feeling for the audience towards the end of the song. The author of “Hotel California” has used the similar strategy, instead of mentioning the irony in the first two stanzas; he puts it in the end. “Hotel California” is also a very interesting song. It has formed a great imagery for the readers begin with “On a dark desert highway; cool wind in my hair; the warm smell of Colitas; Rising up through the air.” The song starts with a girl who is stuck on a dark highway; she feels cold and tries to find herself a place to stay over the night. She sees the shinning lights and the warm smell of Clolitas coming out of from “Hotel California”, the girl gets in to the hotel, and she is surrounded and also experienced with all the wonderful things, but in the end, she becomes a prisoner of “Hotel California”, who will never get chance to leave. “You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave.” This girl has enjoyed her life in “Hotel California”, and as a “price in return,” she has to stay in the hotel forever. People always have this California fantasy in their mind, and they just forget about the harsh reality and this is the sad part of the California dream. People made their decisions to move in to California, and when they are ready to achieve their dream, suddenly everything turns out completely different compare to what they thought it would be and they were just lost inside of the California dream.

            My father is one of the lost California dreamers. He had his California dream when he was young, and has always been dreaming of the Californian life style, the gold, the beach and sunshine. My father moved to California about nine years ago. Like all the immigrants, my dad did not know English, and had a hard time finding jobs. As a “price in return”, my father has sacrificed a lot of things for his California dream. He has stayed in California by himself for six years to get his green card, and within six years, he cannot go back to China, and my grandmother passed away two months before he got his green card. My father has made a huge sacrifice, and he was really lost in his dream and he did not know what to do in his life after my grandmother’s death. But everything got better after me and brother moved in with him. Just like Miguel has lost his brother Luis, my father has lost his mom.

            “Sinaloa Cowboys” is a song that would make people feels depress towards to the California Dream. However, most of the California dream stories are very positive; they are always very motivating, and tell people to work hard and never give up. “The Silicon Boys” has starting the story with “The meek didn’t inherit the earth- the geeks did.” (Pg 13) This quote motivates the audience and makes them want to be the “geek” who inherited the world. But “Sinaloa Cowboys” was totally different; it brings people out off their Californian fantasy and sees the cruel reality. “Of Cholos and Surfers” has made some similar interpretations comparing to “Sinaloa Cowboys”. In the story, Lopez’s father had a difficult time finding a job, he has suffered because he was an immigrant from Mexico and does not speak English very well, and he could not find himself a good career. Parents like Lopez’s father really has sacrificed a lot of things, because they have to work really hard and only received the minimum wages, they moved to America not only for themselves but also for their next generation, they wish their children could have a better future compare to themselves. So people really do make sacrifices in order to live their dreams. 

            People migrate to California from all over the world, and the California dream still exits for most of them. But there is one thing they have to remember, that there is always be a “Price” they have to pay as an exchange of their dream. A lot of the immigrants still believe that California is place of opportunities and dreams but only a minority of them has achieved that dream. People should not live their California dream inside of the fantasy, instead moaning the harsh reality, people have to face failures and overcome obstacles. Although different people have different interpretations and perspectives on California dream, but as the California dreamers, we must keep our strength and faith inside of ourselves. Even though we know that our dreams could be broken down at any monuments, we do not to give up; the pressure to succeed has become our motivation and kept us overachieving.