The Great Gatsby And The Death Of A Salesman - 1328 Words

Within these two stories, The Great Gatsby and The Death of a Salesman, there are numerous similarities and differences amongst the protagonist characters in the stories: Jay Gatsby, a well-off, aristocratic man who throws immense parties in order to satisfy his desires of finding the girl and Willy, a father who has flashbacks that distort his vision of the truth and his vision to success. The â€Å"American Dream† is the â€Å"dream† that all Americans are granted the same chance to attain their life goals whether is it success, a perfect family, or wealth through hard work, willpower, grit and initiative. These two men though, have dissimilar American Dreams. Willy’s dream is financial success for himself in addition to his children; on the other†¦show more content†¦On the other hand, you have Willy who is constantly looking at the past and the great things he had in the past. A good example of this is when Willy mentions the car that he worked on an d was basically in love with because those were the days. He said,†Chevrolet, Linda, is the greatest car ever built.†(Miller. ) This is showing how Willy is living in the past thinking about the him building the car. These differences could be a key component of why Gatsby became so successful and why Willy is still â€Å"living in the past†. In addition to looking at the past, Willy, until the end of the play, believes that his son doesn’t love him which causes him to look at Biif (his son) in a rather negative way. â€Å"WILLY: Don’t you want to be anything? BIFF: Pop, how can I go back? WILLY: You don’t want to be anything, is that what’s behind it? [†¦] WILLY: Are you spiting me? BIFF: Don’t take it that way! Goddamnit! WILLY [strikes Biff and falters away from the table]: You rotten little louse! Are you spiting me?† (Miller.113) This is showing the harsh and interesting relationship between the two. Finally, after stepping back, you realize the since Willy killed himself, he must not view his life as valuable and important. Before the story of Willy life begins, his life seems good, although after awful salesShow MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby And Death Of A Salesman1241 Words   |  5 Pagesambition has been so prevalent in literature. It is the dominant theme in The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald, William Shakespeare s Macbeth, Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller and The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort. In this essay, I will discuss the two ways over ambition can cause an individual s downfall. The first is setting unattainable goals which we can see in The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman. The second is trying to achieve your goals unethically, seen in Macbeth andRead MoreThe Great Gatsby And The Death Of A Salesman1427 Words   |  6 Pages 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 descentRead MoreThe Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman913 Words   |  4 Pagesand success of the men she is with. She floats to wherever the money is. Her happiness comes from money which is why she left Gatsby for Tom when Gatsby could no longer support her financial needs. 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Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller illustrates how the character Willy will stop at nothing toRead MoreThe American Dream in Death of a Salesman and The Great Gatsby1238 Words   |  5 PagesSociety once was based on truth, passion, and liberty for all but now is a mere illusion, focusing on money, power and how to reach it; portraying materialism and wealth as the â€Å"American Dream† and self-actualization, as portrayed by Miller in Death of a Salesman. The American Dream came to mean fame and fortune, instead of a promise that shaped a nation. (David Kamp, Vanity Fair) This so- called dream has done incredible damage to our companies and corporations in America. As economic success andRead MoreSurvival Guide : The Great Gatsby, And Death Of A Salesman1796 Words   |  8 PagesChristine Powroznik English Final Exam: Survival Guide Pursuit of Happyness, Dead Poet’s Society, The Great Gatsby, Death of a Salesman 1) The American Dream The Great Gatsby: The American dream is a chance to start a new life in a new setting. In this book, Gatsby’s American dream was Daisy. Once he met her, he devoted his life to pleasing her: he bought the mansion across the bay from her, had extravagant parties, etc. He always held onto his hope, or the green light, that he would win herRead More Comparing the Perversion of Values in The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman1642 Words   |  7 PagesPerversion of Values in The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman      Ã‚   Throughout History there are many examples of perversions, from sexual, social to the very morals themselves. One of the greatest examples is the continuous corruption of the American Dream. As the Dream evolves, it tends to conform to the illicit dealings of the time and immortals of society. No longer is an individual interested in working hard to achieve goals, it is desirous of the quick fix. Society wants its wishesRead MoreAmerican Dream Derailed in The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman1486 Words   |  6 PagesScott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, and Arthur Miller’s drama, Death of a Salesman, both protagonists, Jay Gatsby and Willy Loman, are convinced that the way to achieve a better life is by living the â€Å"American dream†. However, the dream does not end up successfully for these two characters. In fact, their ideals and hopes of rising to success cause their American dream to take a turn into a nightmare. Although it may seem as if F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is portraying a romantic