Examples Of Misfits In The Great Gatsby

In society, people that deviate too far from the norm are often ostracized and are doomed to fail. In the book The Great Gatsby, an example of an outsider is Gatsby. Gatsby devotes his life to fitting in, yet as an outsider he never truly does. Another example of an outcast would be Willie from Death of a Salesman. In the story, Willie is just too old and lacks the skills to acclimate and be successful in this world. Through their stories, both Miller and Fitzgerald illustrate how “misfits” in their societies were doomed to fail due to an inability to let go of the past. In the novels of The Great Gatsby and The Death of a Salesman, both Gatsby and Willie can be considered misfits, as they did not really fit into their specific time

An example of how he is not right for his time is “If that old man Wagner was alive I’d been in charge of New York by now. That man was a prince, he was a masterful man, But that boy of his, that Howard, he don’t appreciate.” (Miller, 4). This quote shows that while Willy could have been successful back in the day, he is not as useful as he use to be. His age has stopped his ability to adapt, which is why he is not as vital to the companies success as he once was when his friend was in charge. Research that would prove that age can be a factor in the deviation from society is that “ As the brain ages, it loses cognitive speed, making decision making slower, and in some cases impairs the mind from what it use to be”(Peters). I think it's clear that this is happening to Willie, and in addition to that, he lives in an unhealthy environment which will act as a catalyst for his mental degradation. Even the people around Willie understand that he is not fit for this age and they realize this and state that they need to “Stop making excuses for him! He always, always wiped the floor with you. Never had an ounce of respect for you. “ (Miller, 40). Biff makes a great point, because Willy does not treat his wife that well, which leads to all his problems at home. He really has no home, as he is not truly welcome anywhere in

What separates him from most, is in order to make himself happy, like Gatsby, he creates these lies that help him think that he is successful. An example of this is when he paints the illusion that his son was a big shot salesmen “ Well, Bill Oliver- very big sporting goods man- he wants Biff very badly…” ( Miller 70). In order for Willy to be a successful father, he needs to feel that his kids are respected and accomplished. However this shows that Willy is such an outsider, because Biff is quite the opposite, as the Bill Oliver that is references has no idea who Biff is. Another example that shows how Willy’s goals and dreams turn him into a misfit is when he asks for a promotion “ Well, tell you the truth, Howard. I’ve come to the decision that I’d rather not travel anymore.” ( Miller 59). In this instance Willy, under the delusion that he will get the promotion, and his kids will be getting their deal with Bill Oliver, tries to take the final step in becoming a successful father, which is partial retirement to full retirement. Since his whole premise of asking his boss is not reality he fails, which is why it is possible that both Gatsby and Willy failed because they were unwilling to forget the past. Another point that shows that Willy aspires to be what he cannot is that “Loman's dreams