The American Character When visitors from abroad undertake to describe the American character, the results are frequently puzzling to Americans. “ All Americans are Puritans; that’s what’s wrong with them, ” says one. “ They’re always thinking about enjoying themselves, ” says another. “ They spend too much time at work, ” a distinguished visitor tells us. “ They don’t know how to play. ” “ Natural as little beasts. They have no manners, no respect for their elders. ” There is, of course, no single pattern of American character any more than there is a single English or Turkish or Chinese character. Personality in America is further complicated by our diverse racial and origins, by successive waves of immigration from all parts of the world, by our regional diversities. It is complicated by several hundred varieties of religious beliefs with their varying impact on the believers. It is further diversified by the generation to which the person belongs—first generation immigrant, second generation child of immigrants, and on down the line. The temptation is strong to lump all Americans together. Yet those who look a little deeper are puzzled by the seeming contradictions in American life. It is true that Americans as a whole work hard. But they also play hard. They spend more time and money in traveling, camping, hunting, watching sports, drinking, smoking, going to movies, watching television and reading newspapers and magazines than any other people in the world. Yet they also spend more money on churches, social services, hospitals and all kinds of charities. They are always in a hurry, yet they spend more time relaxing. Success as a Goal One thing almost everyone is agreed on, including Americans, is that they place a very high valuation upon success. Success does not necessarily mean material rewards, but recognition of some sort—preferably measurable. In history, there was the richness of opportunity in a land waiting to be settled. There was the lack of a settled society with fixed ranks and classes, so that a man was certain to rise through achievement. So not to strive, not to take advantage of the opportunities in such a world, not to succeed where success was so available—these things naturally became a sort of crime against the state. To develop the resources of a new country required energetic people, bent upon using their energies—not only for the rewards that would result to themselves, but even more important, to the community. Therefore, material success in the United States is not looked upon as selfish. Its results are seen to have commercial value. A society which values competition so highly is inevitably an aggressive one, even though the laws carefully limit the forms aggression may take. It has a toughness which is good for the development of the economy. Since high respects are given to the successful, the rewards are high. Money is rarely cherished for itself in America; it is rather a symbol and a tool. As a man’s status rises, the demands upon him also increase. He is expected to give generously to the hundreds of voluntary associations, which serve the community. Look at the Who’s Who entry for any prominent businessman, and you are likely to find him involved in an amazing number of committees and associations organized for the public good. Since there are no limits of class, there are, in theory, no limits to what he can achieve. As any boy can become President, striving is a moral obligation. Achievement, not class, is the standard by which men are judged. The real test is how far you climb from where you started. Americans love work. It is meat and drink to them. In recent years they have learned how to play, but they make work of that too. If it’s skiing, they throw themselves at it with an effort that would kill a horse. If it’s a vacation, they travel at sixty miles an hour, pause only long enough to snap pictures, and then discover what it was they went to see when they get home and look at the photographs. Americans like to be handy at all things. Nearly everyone knows how to use tools, make repairs to plumbing or electrical fixtures, refinish furniture or paint a wall. Far from being thought a disgrace if he performs these "unskilled" tasks, a man is thought ridiculous if he does not know how to perform them. Along with this urge to be jack-of-all-trades goes a willingness to change from one occupation to another. It surprises no one in America when the banker’s son becomes a farmer or vice versa. Or when a college professor shifts into industry, or a young man who starts out with a truck purchased on credit ends up running an enterprise with fleets of trucks spanning several states. What is an American? "I can’t make you out," Henry James has Mrs. Tristram say to the American, "whether you are very or very deep." This is a dilemma, which has often confronted Europeans. Usually they conclude that Americans are childish. But one cannot accurately call one society mature, another immature. Each has its own logic. What is it then that makes Americans recognizable wherever they go? Free from the social restraints which would make them act very differently at home, they are bent on the most of this . Americans carry with them an appearance, which is more a result of attitude than of clothing. This attitude combines a lack of class consciousness, a somewhat cheerful optimism and an inquisitiveness( 好打听别人的事情 ) which look to the European like ty. Also a liking for facts and figures, and above all a desire to be friendly. To sum up, American characteristics are the product of response to an unusually competitive situation combined with unusual opportunity. Americans are a peculiar people. They work like mad, then give away much of what they earn. They play until they are exhausted, and call this a vacation. They love to think of themselves as tough-minded businessmen, yet they are pushovers( 易于征服的人 ) for any hard luck story. They have the biggest of nearly everything including government, motorcars and debts, yet they are afraid of bigness. They also have the most traffic deaths, the most waste, the most racketeering( 敲诈勒索 ). There is, of course, no typical American. But if you added them all together and then divided by 226,000,000 they would look something like what this essay has tried to portray.