Theme Of Death Of A Salesman And The Great Gatsby

The Death of A Salesman by Arthur Miller and “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald share a common theme of the American Dream. The main character, Willy Loman from The Death of A Salesman, pretends to be well liked in order to impress his two sons, Happy and Biff. This is just like Jay Gatsby from “The Great Gatsby,” who also pretends to be well liked and makes it look like he is. Both Willy Loman and Jay Gatsby go from rags to riches in their own way to make something out of themselves. In the end, their journey to achieve prosperity and success does not work out in their favor. In order to achieve their American Dream, they had to start from something. For Jay Gatsby, he chose a rough road. In “The Great Gatsby”, it is said by Gatsby’s …show more content…
Both Jay Gatsby and Willy Loman became rejected by society. For Jay Gatsby, many found out that he was a fraud and used illegal money to build his house and throw his parties. Towards the end of “The Great Gatsby,” it was said by Gatsby’s friend during a fight, “He looked — and this is said in all contempt for the babbled slander of his garden — as if he had “killed a man” (Fitzgerald 134). When Jay Gatsby was accused of being a fraud by his enemy, he got out of control and was ready to kill him, just so he could keep his identity. For Willy Loman, when the firm he worked for fired him. He lost it. He yelled at his boss, demanding that he be kept as a salesmen in the city. Willy Loman had no idea what to do, he couldn’t keep lying to his family. For Jay Gatsby and Willy Loman, they lost control of their American Dream. Throughout The Death of A Salesman and “The Great Gatsby”, both Willy Loman and Jay Gatsby make the struggle from poverty to wealth. They have used it to impress people and to make people care for them. The American Dream has been a part of Willy Loman and Jay Gatsby’s life and has made a detrimental impact on them. A Dream that was supposed to make their life great, made their life