American Dream In The Great Gatsby And Death Of The Salesman

The “American Dream” is the belief that through hard work, sacrifice, and wisdom, we can find happiness. In our society, the biggest achievement is living in a big house with a stable job that allows us to live a decent life. The American Dream is usually thought of as a motivation to become better. It is part of human nature to have the desire to prove that we are special for the dreams of success and possession, as shown in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Miller’s Death of the Salesman. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby tries to create a life beyond the common one he is given. In Death of the Salesman, Loman demonstrates the obsession of money and possessions. Gatsby and Willy both demonstrate the common tendency to linger in the past and aim for an ideal goal that sacrificing themselves ultimately ends in tragedy.

When Willy met Dave Singleman, Willy reconsidered his decision of going to Alaska and chose to be a salesman. Dave was “eighty-four years old, and he’d drummed merchandise in thirty-one states”(81). It seems as though Willy viewed him as a father, so he followed his same path hoping to have the same future and success. The Loman family was befuddled by the process of Willy’s fraudulent acts. Biff started arguing with his dad in front of the family and said they “never told the truth for ten minutes in this house!”(131), but that was Willy’s fault because he lied to please them. Willy exaggerates to praise himself so that he appears to be wealthy and powerful. Willy says, “I was sellin’ thousands and thousands, but I had to come home”(34), instead of specifying a specific number. He uses “thousands and thousands” to make his selling seem successful, emphasizing the amount of money he made. Willy’s obsession with the business success dream destroyed himself and his family in the