The Fallacy Of Success In The Great Gatsby

In the essay The Fallacy of Success, by G. K. Chesterton, the concept of “success” is explored in great detail. Chesterton argues that “there is no such thing as success” (Chesterton 1) and that books that attempt to teach about success contain empty words that will not assist readers in becoming “successful.” Chesterton’s essay strongly connects to The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, as all three works focus on the concepts of the American Dream and success. One aspect of The Great Gatsby that is captured by The Fallacy of Success is Gatsby’s image of Daisy. In his essay, Chesterton criticizes books about how to be successful due to the fact that they do not truly give the reader any worthy advice

In The Fallacy of Success, Chesterton does not believe that success exists, but he explains, “That a thing is successful merely means that it is; a millionaire is successful in being a millionaire and a donkey in being a donkey” (Chesterton 1). Conversely, in The Great Gatsby, success plays a significant role in social status, as success is considered by many characters to be wealthy. Residents of West and East Egg view Gatsby as successful because of his grand mansion, extreme wealth, and ostentatious parties, yet Gatsby does not view himself as successful since he is without Daisy. Additionally, Gatsby’s path to wealth aligns with Chesterton’s view of achieving success. Chesterton states that “there are only two ways…of succeeding. One is by doing very good work, the other is by cheating” (Chesterton 1). In order to gain enough wealth to win over Daisy, Gatsby turned to bootlegging and working with Meyer Wolfshiem. Instead of taking the conventional route and working hard to make money, Gatsby “cheats” the game of life through

However, he cannot accept change, which leads him to experience flashbacks throughout the play of his family. An instance that illustrates Willy’s inability to tolerate change is when Linda buys Willy American cheese instead of Swiss, Willy’s usual cheese. When Linda says this, Willy erupts, “Why do you get American when I like swiss? I don’t want a change! I want Swiss cheese. Why am I always being contradicted?” (Miller 16-17). Even with a meaningless, simple item like cheese, Willy is unable to cope with change, leading him to resort back to the past. Following the theme from The Fallacy of Success and The Great Gatsby, Willy’s inability to let go of the past and accept change may lead to his demise.
Based on Chesterton’s essay, it can be predicted that Death of a Salesman will explore the downsides of chasing success and the American Dream. The play has significantly focused on social class, income, and occupation, as the men in the Loman family all encounter issues with their jobs early on. Willy desires to be a better salesman, Biff’s work situation is unapproved by Willy, and Happy believes he is worthy of a higher position. All of these characters face severe obstacles in achieving these goals, which may lead to their