Why Americans Are Often So Restless Interpretive Questions 2&5

2. Each person has their own limitations. In an equal world we would all be forced to share everyone's limitations. "the same equality which allows each man to entertain vast hopes makes each man by himself weak. His power is limited on every side, though his longing may wander where they will." (166) Here Tocqueville is explaining how equality may give some people a better chance of getting success than they would have in an unequal society, but others will be held back from reaching their full potential. It's like we discussed in class, if your whole life you are trying to get to the top of the mountain some people are born at the top while most have to start from the bottom. In an equal world, those who start at the top will have to be dragged down and start at the bottom with everyone else. This is bad news for those being dragged down, but better for those who had to originally start at the bottom anyway.
5. Tocqueville thinks Americans are restless because once they get what they want they don't want it anymore. Maybe it's because they don't know what they want so they keep trying to find it in new things. Everyone is searching for happiness, but they don't know what will bring them that happiness. I think it's attainable, but people don't want to work that hard to attain it. Like Tocqueville writes, we don't want the labor in trying to reach our goal take away from the enjoyment we should feel once we reach it. "For as their ultimate object is enjoyment, the means to it must be prompt and easy, for otherwise the trouble of getting the pleasure would be greater than the pleasure when won." (166) So maybe, they know what they want, but they are not willing to try hard enough for it which then makes it unattainable. "Every instant they think they will catch it, and each time it slips throught heir fingers. They see it close enough to know its charms, but they do not get newar enough to enjoy it, and they have fully relished its delights." (168) What he means is as Americans we get so close to what we want, but once we get so close we are almost scared and no longer want to fight for it anymore. Once we stop reaching for it it becomes unattainalbe, because Americans are often so restless.

Peasants vs. Ruling Class

The main difference between the peasants and ruling class would be the fact that the ruling class just doesn’t care. The peasants get upset and demand better treatment, but the ruling class couldn’t care less. Why should they? After all, they are the ruling class. A great example would be when the Marquis kills the man’s child and just throws him some money. Money can’t fix anything. The peasant knows that, so he throws the money back to the Marquis. Later, he gets revenge and kills the Marquis. Now, that may not be the best way to go about things, but in a sense the Marquis got what he deserved. Also, when Lucie tries to free her husband, Madame Defarge just sits there knitting like they aren’t discussing anything important, for all we know she is knitting Lucie’s name into the register. Madame Defarge doesn’t even care about the people whose names are on there where as Lucie begs for her husbands freedom. There are several instances throughout the book where the peasants show plenty of emotions while the ruling class seems to have no emotion at all.