The two texts that this essay will compare and contrast are the novel The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald and the play Death of a Salesman, written by Arthur Miller. Both works are based around the central topic of ‘the American Dream’ and the unceremonious death of it. However, the journeys that the protagonists take to meet their tragic ends are very different though the motives involved are accused murder and adultery. This essay’s aim is to determine whether the novel or the play best is more successful in engaging and provoking the reader. This will be done by analysing characters, plot lines and the main/recurring themes throughout. “I hope she’ll be a fool – that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, chapter one page 22). These words are vacantly spoken by Daisy Buchanan from the novel The Great Gatsby and are in reference to her infant daughter. In some ways this is representative of her character because she is quite child-minded herself and is rather laissez-faire in her attitudes and morals: Daisy wishes that her daughter grows up to be a mirror image of herself; beautiful and ignorant. Of both The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman, they share the major theme which revolves around the American Dream, and the subsequent death of it. Firstly, the dream itself suggests that if you are thoroughly accomplished in your line of work, own expensive items and are socially-well connected, you are likelier to achieve more in life. This lifestyle is extremely materialistic and those who lead it often hold a façade of happiness and success and aren’t as rich as they would have other people believe. This is demonstrated in the novel, The Great Gatsby, as Ja... ... middle of paper ... ...nally linking the reader to the novel. Works Cited Fitzgerald, S. 1926. The Great Gatsby. Penguin Books, England. Accessed all throughout assignment. Miller, A. 1949. Death of a Salesman. Penguin Books, Great Britain. Accessed all throughout assignment. Alejandra Lastiri, P. 2011. Critical Reading: Two Stories, Two Authors, Same Plot? Accessed 10 September 2011 Shmoop Editors. Publishing date unknown. The Great Gatsby. Accessed 10 September 2011. SparkNotes Editors. 2002. SparkNote on The Great Gatsby. Accessed 11 September 2011. SparkNotes Editors. 2002. Sparknote on Death of a Salesman. Accessed 11 September 2011.
“I hope she’ll be a fool - that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” (Fitzgerald 20). This quote is as true now as it was when Daisy Buchanan said it about her daughter in The Great Gatsby. Women grow up in a box of expectations. They are told to act a certain way and do certain things. Daisy knew that this was the world that her daughter was going to be growing up in, and that if she grew up to be a fool then she would fit into the world very nicely. If she grew up and became someone who noticed inequality, or who wanted independence, she would struggle in the world. While woman are no longer put in such a black and white box, there are still many expectations and limitations that woman have to face in their
The novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, deals heavily with the concept of the American Dream as it existed during the Roaring Twenties, and details its many flaws through the story of Jay Gatsby, a wealthy and ambitious entrepreneur who comes to a tragic end after trying to win the love of the moneyed Daisy Buchanan, using him to dispel the fantastic myth of the self-made man and the underlying falsities of the American Dream. Despite Gatsby’s close association with the American Dream, however, Fitzgerald presents the young capitalist as a genuinely good person despite the flaws that cause his undoing. This portrayal of Gatsby as a victim of the American Dream is made most clear during his funeral, to which less than a handful
While everyone has a different interpretation of the "American Dream," some people use it as an excuse to justify their own greed and selfish desires. Two respected works of modern American literature, The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman, give us insight into how the individual interpretation and pursuit of the "American Dream" can produce tragic results. Jay Gatsby, from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, built his "American Dream" upon the belief that wealth would win him acceptance. In pursuit of his dream, Gatsby spent his life trying to gain wealth and the refinement he assumes it entails. Jay Gatsby, lacking true refinement, reflects the adolescent image of the wealthy, and "[springs] from his Platonic conception of himself" (Fitzgerald 104).
“I’m glad it’s a girl. And I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool”(Fitzgerald,21). The quote implied here is considerably similar to Daisy. Daisy accurately implies, she herself is a ridiculous person, an impractical housewife circling a lavish normal life. Daisy concludes in order to revive in a man’s life, a woman preferentially had to detour gender role completely or else never marry. Also become deferential and chaste which no one conceives her authentic nature, on the hand marry her right away. This tells us Daisy’s character is enfolded with enlightens and acquaintance of life. In customary annotation of jubilation for woman, Daisy prays the curse of imposter jubilation against her daughter; as a result it is the only thing she will ever
Everyone has a dream of their desired future, they dream of the one thing that makes them happy that they do not have now. In Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Miller’s Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman and Gatsby are characters dominated by an American dream that destroyed them. Their dream comes from a fantasy past. These dreams were made outside from who they truly are. Gatsby tried to repeat his past, while Willy attempted to create a new past. The lack of control over their goals and dreams lead to their downfall at the end. The two novels show the various points of the American dream; either to pursuit of happiness, or to pursuit of material wealth.
"I hope she'll be a fool-that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool." Daisy admits this to Nick on page 17. This short statement reflects a great deal on what the society of that time thought about women. They were supposed to marry money and be happy the rest of their lives. This represents a theme in the Great Gatsby that many people believe that money can buy you happiness and love.
The American Dream is a concept that has been wielded in American Literature since its beginnings. The ‘American Dream’ ideal follows the life of an ordinary man wanting to achieve life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The original goal of the American dream was to pursue freedom and a greater good, but throughout time the goals have shifted to accumulating wealth, high social status, etc. As such, deplorable moral and social values have evolved from a materialistic pursuit of happiness. In “Advertising the American Dream: Making Way for Modernity”, Roland Marchand describes a man that he believed to be the prime example of a 1920’s man. Marchand writes, “Not only did he flourish in the fast-paced, modern urban milieu of skyscrapers, taxicabs, and pleasure- seeking crowds, but he proclaimed himself an expert on the latest crazes in fashion, contemporary lingo, and popular pastimes.” (Marchand) This description shows material success as the model for the American Dream. In his novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald reveals the characterization of his characters through the use of symbols and motifs to emphasize the corruption of the American Dream.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby demonstrates what Marie-Laure Ryan, H. Porter Abbott and David Herman state about what narratology should be. These theorists emphasize the importance of conflict, human experience, gaps and consciousness, among many other elements, in order for a story to be considered a narrative. The Great Gatsby shows these elements throughout the book in an essential way. This makes the reader become intrigued and desperate to know what will happen next. The Great Gatsby is unpredictable throughout the use of gaps, consciousness and conflict.
The American Dream, “a life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the U.S.” (Dictionary.com) In both the Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman, the American dream is a key concept throughout the book. Although the American dream is not the same for everyone, it still has the same result every time. It is truly just a dream. It is unrealistic and clouds your judgment, yet some still try to achieve it.
Comparing the two novels ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘Death of a Salesman’ reveal the similarities between their two main protagonists, Jay Gatsby and Willy Loman. They both dedicate their entire life to chasing the ‘American Dream’, they both live in the world they wish they were in as opposed to the world they are actually living in and are dishonest to those around them. Because of these flaws they both share, they inevitably self-destruct.
Through the use of symbolism and critique, F. Scott Fitzgerald is able to elucidate the lifestyles and dreams of variously natured people of the 1920s in his novel, The Great Gatsby. He uses specific characters to signify diverse groups of people, each with their own version of the “American Dream.” Mostly all of the poor dream of transforming from “rags to riches”, while some members of the upper class use other people as their motivators. In any case, no matter how obsessed someone may be about their “American Dream”, Fitzgerald reasons that they are all implausible to attain.
“The Death of A Salesman” by Arthur Miller and “The Great Gatsby” by Francis Scott Fitzgerald are both tragic illustrations of inevitable failures of capitalistic ambition. Though the play and the novel were both produced during times of economic prosperity, one in the Jazz Age of the Roaring 20s and the other in “the Affluent Society” during the post-World War II boom, both relentlessly denounce the vanity in material pursuits. The two pieces demonstrate differently, however, the two distinct stages of achieving ambitions. Although both writers focus on the disasters that can ensue when pursuing the American Dream, the torture of solitude that follows, and the complexity between illusion and reality, Miller primarily criticizes the first stage
The American Dream is sought after by many. The goal to find love, wealth, power, and even fame lurks through their minds. Thus, individuals think it was the way to ameliorate their life, but is it really? Achieving riches may bring joy temporarily, but not permanently. In The Great Gatsby, even with all the money in the world, Gatsby is not truly content with his life.
The American dream has an inspiring connotation, often associated with the pursuit of happiness, to compel the average citizen to prosper. In Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby’s infatuation for Daisy drives him towards wealth in order to respark his love. Due to Daisy’s rich background, the traditional idea of love became skewed because of the materialistic mindsets of people in the 1920s. In the novel, the wealthy are further stratified into two social classes, creating a barrier between the elite and the “dreamers”. Throughout the novel, the idea of the American dream as a fresh start fails.
During the 1920s in America, it was a time of economic growth. After World War 1, the economy shifted. Transitioning production to peace production. Fashion, architecture, innovation and businesses were thriving. Consumerism came in on its own throughout the 1920s as a result of mass production, new products, and improved advertising techniques. Because of those Americans was eager to own the latest items. This is when the American Dream came into play which, is the idea for obtaining one's goal if they work hard enough, although it is tainted by greed and wealth. In the Great Gatsby, the story took place during this time period. Several characters in the Great Gatsby spend their lives pursuing wealth and a high social status. The novel tells me about how the desire for wealth and status impacts people, like Gatsby, Tom, and Myrtle both negatively and positively.