Death of a Salesman
“The ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American” (Dictionary.com). The American Dream is “a life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the U.S” (Dictionary.com). The image of America is presented negatively in the novel The Great Gatsby and the play Death of A Salesman because it is depicted as a materialistic lonely place.
In the novel The Great Gatsby loneliness is brought to the reader’s attention when Tom’s mistress, a lower class women known as Myrtle Wilson, is killed, and when his wife is considering leaving him, his façade crumbles away to reveal yet another person afraid of being alone. Tom was explaining to Gatsby, “she does, [love me] though. The trouble is that sometimes she gets foolish ideas in her head and doesn’t know what she’s doing… once in awhile I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time” (Fitzgerald 125). Tom will always love Daisy, but she is considering leaving him resulting in him being alone. Due to the fact that everyone starts leaving, he begins to feel lonely. In addition, Nick relates to the loneliness that accompanies Gatsby’s death. He then thought, “It grew upon me that I was responsible, because no one else was interested, I mean, with that intense personal interest to which everyone has some vague right at the end… I wanted to get somebody for him. I wanted to go into the room where he lay and reassure him: ‘I’ll get somebody for you’ ” (Fitzgerald 165). In some way, if he could get someone for Gatsby it would cure his own desperate need for a person to love in his life. Therefore loneliness is clearly a negative quality that is presented in The Great Gatsby towards the American Dream.
In addition, in the play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller loneliness is clearly shown through Willy's actions which are worse than his words. Throughout the play, Willy
In the novel The Great Gatsby loneliness is brought to the reader’s attention when Tom’s mistress, a lower class women known as Myrtle Wilson, is killed, and when his wife is considering leaving him, his façade crumbles away to reveal yet another person afraid of being alone. Tom was explaining to Gatsby, “she does, [love me] though. The trouble is that sometimes she gets foolish ideas in her head and doesn’t know what she’s doing… once in awhile I go off on a spree and make a fool of myself, but I always come back, and in my heart I love her all the time” (Fitzgerald 125). Tom will always love Daisy, but she is considering leaving him resulting in him being alone. Due to the fact that everyone starts leaving, he begins to feel lonely. In addition, Nick relates to the loneliness that accompanies Gatsby’s death. He then thought, “It grew upon me that I was responsible, because no one else was interested, I mean, with that intense personal interest to which everyone has some vague right at the end… I wanted to get somebody for him. I wanted to go into the room where he lay and reassure him: ‘I’ll get somebody for you’ ” (Fitzgerald 165). In some way, if he could get someone for Gatsby it would cure his own desperate need for a person to love in his life. Therefore loneliness is clearly a negative quality that is presented in The Great Gatsby towards the American Dream.
In addition, in the play Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller loneliness is clearly shown through Willy's actions which are worse than his words. Throughout the play, Willy