The American Dream Destroyed Willy Loman and the Great Gatsby

In the search for the American dream many things can be lost, this is reflected in the novel The Great Gatsby and the movie Death of a Salesman. Both of these works demonstrate the lengths that some people will go to in order to achieve the stereotypical life of a rich, successful and powerful American, which is often referred to as the American dream. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller illustrates how the character Willy will stop at nothing to achieve the American dream, despite the tremendous costs. Willy is unable to achieve his goal, however, due to his stubbornness. The aspects of the novel The Great Gatsby about the pursuit of the American dream parallel Death of a Salesman, Jay

People from all around the world have dreamed of coming to America and building a successful life for themselves. The "American Dream" is the idea that, through hard work and perseverance, the sky is the limit in terms of financial success and a reliable future. While everyone has a different interpretation of the "American Dream," some people use it as an excuse to justify their own greed and selfish desires. Two respected works of modern American literature, The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman, give us insight into how the individual interpretation and pursuit of the "American Dream" can produce tragic

The absolute understanding of the “American dream” is lost by the characters in The Great Gatsby, and by this Fitzgerald illustrates that there is no need for a dream like this. It is a dream with the same name, but with a stark contrast. True happiness is not guaranteed by having a

Dreams are a compelling force in people’s lives. They are what propel them forward each and every day in an effort to reach something better. The American Dream has been sought after by millions all over the world for hundreds of years. This country was founded on the belief that anyone could achieve their dreams. However, in the 1920s these hopes and aspirations began to splinter until they ultimately shattered. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbolism, setting, and theme to depict the unattainability of the American Dream.

While studying F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby, I began to understand the various interpretations of the American Dream based on Fitzgerald’s portrayal of the Dream through his

In 1922, F. Scott Fitzgerald published what is considered to be his most popular novel, The Great Gatsby. Almost thirty years later, Arthur Miller released his play Death of a Salesman in 1949. One of the greatest similarities between these seemingly different works is how their authors portray the American Dream. The American dream, according to author and historian James Truslow Adams, is “…that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” In Death of a Salesman and The Great Gatsby, Miller and Fitzgerald create a critic of the American Dream through the protagonist’s dreams, lies, and their fascination with the past, factors that led to their demise, and then use their protagonists to create a critic on modern day American society.

In the past the American Dream was an inspiration to many, young and old. To live out the American Dream was what once was on the minds of many Americans. In The Great Gatsby, the American Dream was presented as a corrupted version of what used to be a pure and honest ideal way to live. The idea that the American Dream was about the wealth and the possessions one had been ingrained, somehow, into the minds of Americans during the 1920’s. As a result of the distortion of the American Dream, the characters of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby along with many others, lived life fully believing in the American Dream, becoming completely immersed in it and in the end suffered great tragedies.

Willy foolishly pursues the wrong dream and constantly lives in an unreal world blinded from reality. Despite his dream Willy constantly attempts to live in an artificial world and claims “If old Wagner was alive I’d be in charge of New York by now” (Miller 14). As a result, Willy often ignores his troubles and denies any financial trouble when he says “business is bad, it’s murderous. But not for me of course” (Miller 51). Another false segment of Willy’s dream includes the success of his two sons Happy and Biff. Biff was a high school football star who never cared about academics and now that he needs a job says “screw the business world” (Miller 61). Ironically, Willy suggests that Biff go west an “be a carpenter, or a cowboy, enjoy yourself!”, an idea that perhaps Willy should have pursued. Constantly advising his boys of the importance of being well liked, Willy fails to stress academics as an important part of life (Miller 40). Furthermore, Willy dies an unexpected death that reveals important causes of the failure to achieve the American dream. At the funeral Linda cries “I made the last payment on the house today... and there’ll be nobody home” to say that she misses Willy but in essence his death freed the Lomans from debt and the hopes and expectations Willy placed on his family (Miller 139). Very few people attend

Originally, the American dream for the first settlers was for their children, and they would sacrifice everything for freedom of religion, and thought. Although, the American dream in the 1920’s is to live in happiness through financial and social success. For many, this selfish dream is achieved through illegal activity such as bootlegging, and gambling. This dream is mirrored in many novels such as The Great Gatsby. In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses Gatsby’s demise to highlight both the fragility of, and un-attainableness of the American dream in the 1920’s.

The American Dream is the belief that anyone, regardless of race, class, gender, or nationality, can be successful in America if they just work hard enough. The American Dream gave hope to all Americans that they have a chance to be successful despite their backgrounds. Although the American Dream inspired many, several people took a more negative view on it. Both F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Steinbeck criticize the American Dream in their novels: The Great Gatsby and Of Mice and Men. In these two novels, Gatsby and Lennie both have dreams they so desperately want to achieve. The green light on the end of Daisy’s dock is symbolic of Gatsby’s dream to repeat the past and be reunited with Daisy. On the other hand, Lennie has the dream to buy a patch of land with George where he can tend the rabbits. Although these dreams may seem harmless, Gatsby and Lennie made some big mistakes that led things to take a bad turn. By analyzing both Gatsby’s and Lennie's dreams, it will become obvious how the American Dream ultimately fails them.

When one thinks of the American Dream, it never is the same as the first. One could dream of making it big in Hollywood while another just wants to be able to provide enough money for their family. Everybody has a different dream that they want to accomplish in life and everybody faces some kind of road block while trying to reach it. The Great Gatsby is a great example of the American Dream and the struggles one can face while trying to achieve it. In the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald argues that the American Dream is difficult to achieve because old relationships and social status can interfere. He argues that the American Dream is difficult to achieve through Myrtle Wilson’s want for a new life full of riches and luxury, Daisy Buchanan’s complicated relationship with her husband and dream of reliving an old romance, and Jay Gatsby’s idea that the past can repeat itself and win him his first real true love.

The American dream is an ideology, a vision that’s form varies from individual to individual, based upon one’s own experiences. Although the one thing that remains constant in every single definition is that this ideology, just as the name states, is only a dream. It is meant to merely drive people to unlock their hidden potential and become their best self, for the sole purpose of living one’s out one’s own definition of success. In “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the American Dream is Jay Gatsby’s inspiration and his opportunity, however, as the book progresses it becomes more evident that not all people share the same opportunity.

In both The Great Gatsby and The Death of a Salesman, the pursuit of the American Dream is a destructive force that is evident throughout the texts because neither Gatsby nor Willy understand their own limitations. Willy Loman and Gatsby are characters fascinated and easily dominated by the American dream that destroys them. Their dreams come from an illusionary past and that are both based outside of their own selves. Gatsby wanted to rewind to his past, while Willy attempted to create a descent one. The lack of control for their dreams caused a huge downfall for Loman and Gatsby in their roles as characters in their respective stories. Almost everyone has dreams once in their lifetime to be successful and great. As it is almost human nature to have or be something that they are not.

For generations many have immigrated to this great nation know, as the United states of America, all seeking for their share of the American dream. The American dream is the philosophy that anyone can become successful through hard work and perseverance. The 1920’s embodies this concept like no other decade in American history. It is also during this time frame that one sees the perversion of this dream. F. Scott Fitzgerald suggests in his novel, The Great Gatsby that there is a right and wrong way to obtain the American dream. Throughout the novel, Gatsby is symbolic for the materialistic nature of the American dream and its corruption in the 20th century.

Prominent American writer and historian James Truslow Adams once wrote, “The American Dream is that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement." In both The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, the main characters search for the achievement of the American dream in themselves and the world around them. While the American dream is defined differently for the main characters in each novel, both Willy Loman and Jay Gatsby struggle to achieve their view of these dreams in their respective societies. The main focus of the prominent characters remained the same; the attainment of wealth. Gatsby seeks wealth to attain the love of the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, while Willy strives to have wealth in order to care for his family. With this in mind, it can be said that both works offer a cruel and pessimistic view of the American dream, in conveying that both characters will never achieve their dreams. While one could argue that the treatment of the dream varies in the works, the untimely passing of Jay Gatsby and Willy Loman at the end of each novel serves as an indictment of the American dream as an unrealistic fantasy that only comes true in children 's stories.