The Great Gatsby And Death Of A Salesman Analysis

Throughout the years numbers of both many plays and novels have dealt with the theme of searching for the self invented standard of the American Dream. Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby share one fact, in addition to being acclaimed literary works: they examine the collapse of the American Dream. While Miller’s work scrutinizes it by showing what becomes of those who fall short, Fitzgerald probes into a scenario where his character accomplishes it, yet fails to reach his true desire. The two literary works mirror explorations of the American Dream and how society views it. The use of the main characters reflected the theme of the American Dream in both pieces of literature. Although they lived very different …show more content…
At one point there was enough space around the house to grow a garden, except the recent population growth boxed in WIlly’s house through the creation of new apartment buildings. This added to the feelings of confinement and desire to escape. This is a allusion to how Willy’s dream is affected by the American Dream. The entire setting is a metaphor to how society at this time was starting to confine the American Dream, trapping those caught behind, such as Willy Loman. The American Dream mislead people that to accomplish it, you had to do it a certain way. Willy believed being a man in business was the way to attain it, ignoring his brother’s offer of Alaska and his potential success of being a handyman. He was aware of this except the American Dream confined him to this while others around him found success in what they wanted to do, such as Bernard. Both settings demonstrates the treatment of the American Dream through their settings, with the Valley of Ashes, the two Eggs, and Willy Loman’s neighborhood being symbols of what became of those who could not achieve it and those who tried to reach for