The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman - 913 Words

The American Dream Throughout history the American dream has been a fantasy that everyone wanted to achieve. The american dream focuses on opportunity, equality and overall achievement that includes both tangible and intangible objects. The american dream came from the early settlers in America who were striving to achieve equality and opportunities for everyone. The american dream appealed to everyone because it was possible for everyone to achieve. It wasnt all about how much money a person could achieve, but more about how everyone had the ability to achieve it. The american dream is still trying to be achieved today and is an ongoing process that many people are working hard to attain. The advertisements of the american dream are focused a lot on what people are capable of becoming as well as the material part part of the dream and how much they can own. Although the American dream seemed like a reality for most people living in the 1920s and 1950s because of the economic prosper ity, it was actually unattainable because of the corrupted values of people living during this era. The american dream can be thought of as a broad subject, but each decade in history focused on a different part of the dream. In the 1920s, the dream focused on wealth and how much material products people had. Wealth was something that everyone yearned because it gave them a sense of power and made them feel like their life was a success. The 1920s was a time of change with unbelievableShow MoreRelatedThe Great Gatsby And The Death Of A Salesman1328 Words   |  6 PagesWithin 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 Dreamà ¢â‚¬  is the â€Å"dream† that all Americans are granted the same chance to attain their life goalsRead MoreThe 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 Salesman1834 Words   |  8 Pagesthe three excerpts The Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, and Death of a Salesman could interpret this. The three excerpts have been shown to be a base for â€Å"the American Dream,† or basic â€Å"Alienation,† but to look deeper into the source at hand and their distinct features; the clear status of showing the reader how corrupt society can be. The way these three novels have set the stages for c orruption and it s ongoing timeline that leads to either death or being pushed into a mental hospital. Of courseRead MoreComparing The Great Gatsby And Death Of A Salesman915 Words   |  4 PagesIn both, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, the main characters Jay Gatsby and Willy Loman manifest themselves in their illusions of success and popularity and are unable to face their bitter realities. Within both texts, this idea of false perceived success is portrayed. First, the character Gatsby creates an illusion of success by lying about his source of wealth. He does not want anyone to realize that he is not actually successful and has reliedRead MoreDeath of a Salesman Compared to the Great Gatsby Essay613 Words   |  3 PagesComparing Death of a Salesman to 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 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 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 romanticRead 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 wishes