从当幸福来敲门-看美国文化价值观

摘要
文化价值观，就是人们关于文化的利害、善恶、美丑等问题的总看法和总观点，反应文化对人的意义。

整个人类社会都有文化价值观，它是随着人类社会的发展而不断发展，完善。

纵观美国社会，一个高度发达的国家，是什么样的文化价值理念指导它前进，使它从产生之日就开始慢慢强大，至今都是世界的霸主。

本文将从电影《当幸福来敲门》分析美国的文化价值观。

当幸福来敲门影片所反映的整个社会背景是在美苏冷战后期，美国与苏联进行大规模的军备竞赛，消耗了大量的人力物力，财政紧张，失业率增加。

但人们依然为自己的幸福生好好努力着。

这部电影取材于真实故事，主人公就是当今美国黑人投资专家克里斯•加纳。

成功诠释了一位濒临破产的落魄业务员，如何成为知名的金融投资家的励志故事。

本部影片很好地展现了美国当今社会的文化价值观，美国社会为什么会这么发达？因为他们所认同的文化价值观在支撑着他们的生活，在指导着他们前进。

只要人们愿意奋斗，他们都会成功。

美国的文化价值观已经产生了一个强大的美国，他也必定推动着美国继续向前发展。

关键字: 文化价值观、美国、幸福、个人主义、行动、努力和乐观
Abstract
The cultural values, are the total ideas of people caring about the cultural problems of the advantages and disadvantages 、kindness and badness、beauty and ugliness., reflecting the meaning of culture to people. There are cultural values at the society of human beings, developing with the developing of the society. Looking at the American society, one high developed county, what cultural values guide her go forth, making her become strong gradually, and let her become the powerful country. So this paper will analyze the American cultural values from the movie The Pursuit of Hapyness.
The Pursuit of Happyness, reflected the social background at the last period of the cold war between the America and the Soviet Union which they competed with each other on arms race at large dimensions, expending much manpower and material resources, resulting the financial strain and unemployment rate increase. However, people still did everything hard for happy life. This movie based on a true story, and the actor is the black American investment expert-Chris Gardner. Successful annotating an inspirational story of how a nearing bankrupt salesman became the famous investment expert. This movie showed the American cultural values well. Why the America is so developed well? Because the cultural values of they identified support their life and lead them go forth. Only if they are willing to do their best, they are able to success finally. The American cultural values have born a strong America, and these cultural values will promote the America develop sequentially.
Introduction
The American cultural values were formed and developed gradually after the European emigrants arrived in America, proposalling the freedom、equality、individualism, promoting people do their best for their happiness. The American cultural values drive the development of the USA. These values are deserved to study for us.
The American cultural values have emerged the powerful aspects, and there are a lot of modes of transmission, for example: TV、movie、book……, and so on. The movie The Pursuit of Happpyness told a story about how a almost bankrupting salesman became an investment expert through his own hard-work. The Pursuit of Happyness explained the American core value-individualism, and the values of orientation to action、effort and optimism, also the spirit of hard-working for one’s own happiness through the struggle of the actor-Chris Gardner who were not afraid of the difficulty and held an optimistic attitude at the difficult circumstances. The American cultural values backboned the life of the actor, when the medical instruments were stole, the wife was gone, he could not afford the rent, he just thought the writings of the declaration of independence about the happiness. What we can learn is no matter how the life is hard, we should strive for our happy life by our all power and pursuit the happy life constantly.
Chapter 1
The Movie The Pursuit of Happyness
The movie the pursuit of happyness was a true story, finished shooting at 2005 in San Francisco and Auckland. The American cultural values in this movie is deserved us to learn.
1.1 The Social Background
At the last period of the cold war, the America and the Soviet Union competed with each other on arms race at large dimensions, expending much manpower and material resources, and the USA had pushing Keynesianism in the economic field(the government intervenes the economics) in the last of 70s could not catch the trend in time. In addition, the west Europe and Japan had rised sharply,making the tendency strengthen gradually . So the America lost the overlord status slowly.
1.2 True Story
Chris Gardner known little about the knowledge, he just graduated at high school, but he was a diligent salesman, and he was hard-working. so he took care of his wife and child well. However, he could not let the family live happily, so Linda could not stand the pressure of poor and left him, leaving the 5 years old son with him live together. Fortunately, he got a internships at Dean Witter, but there were not salary and he could not be hired by other complies. Thus, he did not have the money to pay the rent, so he slept at hospice、subway station、bathhouse、park in which he could rest; and he queued up at relief center, ate the awful food, lived at an inferior
person's life. But in order to give the son a beautiful future and his religion, he sent his child to school, then he went to work in industriously. For saving time, he never drank water, and he never put the telephone receiver down. After he finished his work, he needed to pick his son up, then he ran crazily to line up at the penitentiary. Day after day, where there is a will, there is a way. When then internship finished, he was hired. So he began to do his business, then he opened brokerage company and became a millionaire, finally he was an investment exert successfully.
Chapter 2
The American Cultural Values in The Pursuit of Happyness
The American cultural values in the pursuit of happyness lead the America go forth.
2.1 the definition of the cultural values
The values, are the principles of the social members evaluate the behaviors、objects and from choosing one’s fitful goals of all the possible. It is the core of the world outlook and the inner driving force of making people act, through the behavioral approaches of people and the evaluation or attitude of things reflect out. And the cultural values, are the total ideas of people caring about the cultural problems of the advantages and disadvantages 、kindness and badness、beauty and ugliness., reflecting the meaning of culture to people.
2.2 the American cultural values and the contents
American cultural values oriented from 300 years ago, when the British Puritan went across
the Atlantic Ocean by mayflower to America- this “Pure Land”for escape persecution. The Puritanism thought began to root in the America, so the Puritanism thought had deep effects in American cultural values. So the mainstream cultural values are the Puritanism thought, also the traditions of white nation of Anglo-Saxon. the values of the Puritanism expressed are orientation to action、work and play、time and money、motivation and measurable achievement、effort and optimism、man and nature、individualism and equality、obligation、confrontation、informality, formality and friendship、material well-being and humanitarianism、competition and desire for success、cooperation and “fair play”. These cultural values have permeated every aspect of the American life. and the core of the American cultures is individualism, also the main part of the American spirit. According to the explanation of the American scholar-Samuwa, the individualism includes autonomous motivation、autonomous chose、self-dependence、respect for people、freedom of personality、respect of privacy, and so on. In the culture, it emphasizes the Personal independence, creativity, and stressed the personal development of freedom not or a little influenced by the society、the force of the politics and religion. It is the philosophy of life in the center of person, the human beings are the main body of the values, believing everyone has his own values, attaching importance to personal self control and personal self development. We can see individualism is the essence and core of the American cultural values, it motivates America go fort
2.3 The American Cultural Values in The Movie
In the movie the pursuit of happyness, there were some American cultural values. What the audiences need to do is to learn the American cultural values.
2.3.1 Individualism
In the American cultural context, the notion of individualism has a powerful strength. The individualism has emphasized the American as a self-reliant, self-dependent individual, controlling his own life, and responsible for anything he dose. Also, it put stress on his insistence on his rights as an American- his right to challenge government in the courts, through organization and electoral activity, through referendum, initiative, and recall. At least, there are three essential elements in individualism: its opportunity for the individual, its grant of freedom, and its encouragement of diversity. The portrait of individual tries to convey the message that it was the collective efforts of numerous individuals like this one that America has been created as it is now. In this movie, when the Chris Gardner were at the desperate circumstance of the wife was gone，the selling was failure, the money was short for rent, and there is a child needed to be cared. But he still insisted on his beliefs and pursuit the goals and happiness of his own. When he got a dream, he tried his best for it, and he never gave up anyone chance of selling and showing himself. During the period of the internship of Dean Witter, he also worked very hard. In this mo vie, its’ showed up spirit was the perfect interpretation of the American core value.
2.3.2 Orientation to action
For anyone who has been to the United States, or who has worked with Americans, one thing he cannot fail to notice about Americans is their orientation to action. Orientation to action is one of the American values, also the key point of the American. Phrases such as “on the run,”“on the move,”“on the go,”and “on the rode”may well explain the fact that American have an undeniably strong inclination toward action. The orientation to action is not meant to do something just for the sake of action. It is frequently conceived of as decision making. This concept has two meanings in American culture. In everyday life, the idea of decision making is used to justify a wide range of behavior, like casual conversations about goals, summer jobs, or extended travel may all be justified as part of efforts to make a decision about one’s career. In this movie, after Chris Gardner heard about the stockbroker said the job is easy, he wrote an application form. And he took the taxi with the manager. Then he got the success. This revealed the orientation to action well in America.
Chapter 3
T he enlightenments of the American values in The Pursuit of Happyness The movie the pursuit of happiness demonstrated a true story. Through this true story, it spread the main American cultural values for the audiences, hence it gave a lot of the enlightenments to audiences,. Thus, this is what the audiences should learn.
3.1 Pursuit the happyness bravely
In this movie, no matter how the life of Chris Gardner was poor, the pressure of life was so heavy and the burden of life made them not breathe, but he still insisted on his own beliefs and pursued his dream and happiness. When he faced the difficulties, he would remember the passages of the pursuing of happiness in the declaration of independence. Finally, he got his own happiness.
3.2 Hold the high spirit an do the best in the difficulties
In this movie, when Chris Gardner marketed his instrument unsuccessfully and he was kicked out the house for no money to pay, also he sold his blood because of no money. While he was in this bad situation, he yet did his best at work and was optimistic to the future. Finally, he defeated the difficulties and succeeded. What the audiences need to learn is we should hold the optimistic spirit to face the bad time. This is the valuable spirit.
Conclusion
The movie The Pursuit of Happyness told us a real story that happened at Chris Gardner. The story happened at 1981 in San Francisco, at that time, the America was at the period of economic depression. The actor was a losing salesman who open selling failure and wife abandoned him, could not afford the rent, but he was hard-working and positive. Finally, he set up his own brokerage firm.
Through the actor, this movie expressed the main American cultural values, and the core value-individualism-it proposals self-hardworking and diligence to change one’s life letting them become the actor of one’s own life. And the orientation to action、effort and optimism. These values guide the America become strong, making she get overlord status. So our audiences should learn the American cultural values, and then get the positive energy. What we should do is do our best for one’s life better! Everyone should pursuit the happiness belonging to him, everyone should live well!
[摘要] “美国梦”文化是被大多数美国人所敬仰的信念。

励志电影《当幸福来敲门》取材自美国著名黑人投资专家Chris Gardner的真实故事。

该部影片成功地展示了一个普通美国业务员濒临破产、妻子出走的悲惨遭遇，主人公并不气馁，凭借着过人的行业知识和天赋最终成为一名出色证券经纪人，实现了自己的“美国梦”。

影片是以现代“美国梦”文化为主题展现的，其中的人物个性特性、天赋的发挥以及对机遇的敏锐发现是值得我们当代青年学习的。

[关键词] 励志电影；《当幸福来敲门》；“美国梦”文化在美国，大多数入都信仰“美国梦”，尤其是奥巴马再次当选美国总统使得这个古老的“美国梦”话题又被人们重新拾起、讨论。

曾经不计其数的美国青年受到了“美国梦”的激励而奋发图强，逐渐走向事业的最高峰，“美国梦”也无数次吸引全球各地人士来美国发展落户。

在“美国梦”向全世界人民传播和展示过程中，也为以“美国梦”文化表现为主题的电影兴起起到了一定的催化和加速作用。

被称为电影梦工厂的美国好莱坞曾无数次打造了“美国梦”的典型电影，电影中的美国人具有坚忍不拔的战斗意识、具有勤奋聪明的处世品德，他们各个走向事业的成功，他们各个实现了“美国梦”。

“美国梦”文化曾经是非常真实的，随着社会的发展，现在看来“美国梦”却越来越难以实现。

电影《当幸福来敲门》就是一部典型的展现现代“美国梦”文化的影片。

一、“美国梦”文化解读
“美国梦”文化是被大多数美国人所敬仰的信念。

它发展于19世纪，是源于美国成为英国殖民地时期的文化。

美国人相信，只有在本国通过人们自身的决心、创意、勇气以及勤奋工作才能迈向国家的繁荣昌盛，也就是说，美国人要通过不懈的奋斗和努力才能过上更加
美好的生活，并非依靠他人和社会阶级的救助，以至于后来，很多抱着“美国梦”的欧洲移民陆续来到美国实现他们的理想。

“美国梦”文化的灵魂是“机会均等”。

只有坚忍不拔、勤奋、聪明的人才能实现“美国梦”。

因此，“美国梦”表现出来的最显著特征是下层阶级至上层阶级的流动以及幅度巨大的社会纵向流动。

二、电影《当幸福来敲门》梗概
好莱坞著名演员威尔·史密斯凭借《当幸福来敲门》中的出色表演获得了第79届奥斯卡影帝提名。

该片中，威尔·史密斯扮演的克里斯·加特纳已近而立之年，他是一名黑人医疗器械推销员，只有高中学历。

随着美国经济危机的到来，克里斯的妻子琳达终于无法忍受如此艰难的生活，毅然决然离开了克里斯和他5岁的儿子托弗，此后，主人公克里斯靠这份推销员工作和儿子相依为命。

然而，妻子的离开并不是克里斯父子二人悲惨命运的终点，房东因克里斯交不起房租而将他们轰出了家。

自此，克里斯父子便和大多数流浪汉一样在地铁站卫生间里过夜、在地铁上打盹、去教堂祷告。

医疗器械推销失败后，克里斯费尽周折获得了一个在当地著名证券投资公司实习的机会，而正式证券经纪人的位置只有一个，再加上实习工作不发薪水，使得父子二人的生活难上加难。

克里斯没有气馁，他鼓足勇气克服当前的困难决定走向幸福之路。

流浪汉般的日子并没有将克里斯父子二人的信念和亲情击垮，他们抱着一个“美国梦”，坚信幸福一定会降临在他们头上。

功夫不负有心入，克里斯凭勤恳的努力和过人的智慧成为所有实习生中的佼佼者，以第一名的成绩被证券公司正式录用。

此刻，幸福敲开了克里斯的大门。

三、透析《当幸福来敲门》中的现代“美国梦”文化
(一)超乎寻常的个性特征
与以往单调的个人成功和个人自由的美国励志电影不同，《当幸福来敲门》人物之间的浓烈亲情中蕴涵着主人公优秀的个性特性，也使电影更加贴近于美国大众所追求的“美国梦”。

该部电影抛弃了以往美国商业电影不食人间烟火、高高在上的虚无空想，而注重于平民化的“美国梦”表达。

本片仍然延续了好莱坞刻画人物的老套路，将平凡的主人公性格刻画得非常夸张，进而将个人成功完全摒弃了外部条件的制约，但是本片值得关注的是小人物克里斯对亲人和家庭所包含的责任及深切的爱。

而这种表达方式下，也恰恰使主人公克里斯顽强的性格摆脱了好莱坞一贯的傲慢与自负，不但使剧情充满了令人为之动情的人文关怀，也帮助克里斯实现了个人“美国梦”。

一直以来，美国人认为传统“美国梦”得以实现的必要条件是坚忍不拔、勤奋、聪明。

随着美国的发展，使其从传统的英国土地殖民社会进入了美国工业社会，传统“美国梦”文化中“肯干就遍地是机会”的思想也逐渐退出现代“美国梦”舞台。

影片中的流浪汉就是盲目相信只要通过努力就能实现“美国梦”的而成为泡影的人物，他相信只要努力就能实现利用骨密度扫描仪穿越时空。

而主万方数据人公克里斯·加特纳曾经也是这样的人，他幻想通过推销骨密度扫描仪来实现自己“美国梦想”，因此，他将全部的积蓄都投入进来。

可是，在资本经济强势下个人努力显得如此渺小，克里斯错误判断了市场使其货物积压成堆，他从此失去了生活保障。

儿子的学习压力、一家人生活的拮据使得妻子琳达最终离家出走，种种困境使得克里斯不得不反思自己，畅想他所有想要的“美国梦”。

儿子托弗成为接连不断挫折和困难中克里斯勇敢面对挑战的精神支柱，激励着他承受生活和社会所施加的各种磨难。

在这个精神寄托中，克里斯最终成为著名的证券经纪人。

该片中，克里斯所表现的信念和传统的以鼓吹个人主人为核心的“美国梦”不同，主人公并非完全相信所谓的机会均等，其个性特征也并非是大众鼓吹的“美国梦”信仰。

克里斯奋斗动机是源于寻常美国百姓对亲情的信仰与执著，这也是该片所展示的现代“美国梦”文化一大特点，也是和传统“美国梦”区别最大的地
方。

(二)对某种行业的知识天赋
广大的美国土地从独立战争到19世纪末期都无人拥有和居住，任何欲望者都可以随意开垦和投资。

正是如此，导致了以农业经济为主的传统“美国梦”并不在乎人们在行业中的知识天赋。

直到美国进入工业革命的工业融合及资本转型期才具有明显的贫富差距。

从社会基础角度来说，广泛的社会纵向流动和机会均等两个实现“美国梦”的必要条件逐渐站不住脚，当今美国社会难以再现传统“美国梦”的辉煌。

《当幸福来敲门》在人物天赋特征运用方面具有很大的创新。

它审视了美国社会历史的变迁，开始着重强调传统“美国梦”不重视而现代“美国梦”重视的天赋。

该片中，主人公克里斯和证券公司人力经理的偶遇，使他长期从事推销工作的人际交往能力和数字处理天赋得以发挥，并获得了人力经理赏识，以至于在后来的证券公司实习中表现卓越，以第一名的骄人成绩成为公司的正式员工。

影片这段情节所体现出的是现代和传统“美国梦”追求者在不同经济、社会背景下所具备的个性特征差异。

随着美国知识经济时代的推进，搜索包括文化、经济以及政治领域内的正在发生或已经发生的现代“美国梦”，从中发现，各种“美国梦”实现者都具有一定的行业天赋，这对其梦想的实现产生了巨大的影响。

我们不难看出，奥巴马实现美国历史上首位黑人总统的“美国梦”是因其具有过人的法律行业知识和优秀的演讲天赋；全球占据垄断地位的前微软公司董事长比尔·盖茨如果不具备超人的软件天赋和知识也难以实现他的“美国梦”。

随着美国时代的变迁，社会发生着巨大的变化，传统的以卡耐基和洛克菲勒式的仅靠个人奋斗和创业激情就能实现“美国梦”的时代一去不复返。

现代“美国梦”文化的全新表现符号为注重行业天赋和知识的主体个性特征，这也适合当代人的发展。

(三)对机遇的敏锐发现
纵观历史，现代“美国梦”较之传统而言，所突出表现的是对机遇的把握与发现。

美国一直把“完全自由的经济市场”当做保护的目的，在经济发展中把政府所起的行政调控作用，通过法律的武器进行严格的控制。

从表面上看这种鼓励是在自由经济中完全被市场所主导的，在社会中容易导致基层由下至上发生纵向流动。

在当代，对于在美国取得成功的机会是在除美国以外任何国家都是找不到的，具有这样观点的美国人占绝大多数。

美国与世界多数国家存在的差异就是，从某种意义上讲其经济自由度促成了国家各个阶层的流动性非常迅猛。

心怀“美国梦”的绝大多数人都拥有通过自身努力即可迈向成功的信念，但是较之现代“美国梦”而言，过去忽视了其家庭环境所造成的影响，所以现实当中的美国社
会与美国人的理想背道而驰。

在此前的几十年当中，贫富差距日益增大的美国，导致了日益增多的社会问题。

就教育而言，因为美国教育基金改革越来越倾向富人家庭与教育基金日趋减少的形势，导致教育机构成为了富裕家庭的工具。

《当幸福来敲C-j))这部影片当中，克里斯出生于一个贫寒家庭，对于只读过高中的他来讲在行业竞争当中处境非常不利。

如果没有他在机遇面前出色发现与敏锐洞察力，甚至没有面试的机会，更不用说成为实习生了。

电影中他告诉妻子想要面试的工作是证券公司经纪人时，他妻子极具讽刺意味地反问：“经纪人，不是宇航员吗。

”实际上妻子所代表的是处于他们这个阶层所有人的看法。

他们认为一个只读过高中的人根本没有能力成为证券公司的经纪人。

别人的看法并没有影响他，他迎难而上为自己创造并把握住了这次机遇。

克里斯利用与证券公司人力资源经理一起乘坐出租车的机会，把魔方的技巧娴熟地展现在人力资源经理的面前，所以有幸得到了这次去实习的机会。

他又很好地把握了实习的机会，将自己的处理人际关系与数字的运用能力展现得淋漓尽致，最终获得了第一名而被证券公司录取成为经纪人。

在任何一个地方想要获得成功，发现和把握机遇的能力都是一个重要因素。

随着美国现代社会的发展，贫富差距越来越大，要想从根本上摆脱社会制度的不公平，．要想从竞争劣势实现“美国
梦”，发现和把握机遇是必不可少的。

四、结语
“美国梦”曾经真真切切摆在每个美国人眼前，随着社会的发展“美国梦”却愈发难以实现。

以“美国梦”文化角度来看，电影《当幸福来敲门》展示了一个普通美国人想要实现“美国梦”要具备发现和把握机遇的能力、过人的行业知识和天赋、超乎寻常的个
性特征，同时，这三点也激励我们年轻人要具有为事业而奋斗的精神。