A man who has clearly achieved the American Dream, Chris Rattner, had to work hard through certain situations to achieve his American Dream. He first had to escape an
abusive home without much opportunity and no means to get a good education. He then had to gradually work his way upwards in his job in order to get a better salary to support himself and his young son. Rattner was deep in poverty, having no place to live, no material possessions, and often not knowing where his next meal was coming from. However, with diligence and hard work, he acquired a good position with his
firm and began steadily making enough money to support himself and his son. From his descriptions in his autobiography, one can understand what he was feeling when
he went through certain situations in his life. When he was growing up with a violent, abusive stepfather and when he was struggling against poverty, he felt extremely insignificant. Sometimes Rattner felt as though he was not smart enough to pull his way out of the situations he was in; he felt hopeless. However, he managed to achieve the American Dream by pulling himself out of those mindsets and being properly motivated to achieve his goals.