Essay Comparing The Great Gatsby And Death Of A Salesman

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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.

Jay Gatsby and Willy Loman have dedicated their entire lives towards chasing the ‘American Dream’ but they both have different ideas of what the american dream means to them personally. For Gatsby, he was already living the dream that millions of americans can only wish they were living, aside from his participation in criminal activities such as smuggling liquor, but that wasn’t what Gatsby wanted. What he wanted was Daisy, he wanted to win her back from Tom. This is shown from his purchase of an extravagant mansion on West Egg and the numerous luxurious parties he has thrown, this was all …show more content…

He doesn’t provide anything for his family, he doesn’t raise his children properly, he cheats on his wife by having affairs and he doesn’t even focus on career. This is what leads him to committing suicide, because he felt that at the end of the day, the only way to give his family something is by killing himself and giving his family his life insurance.

Willy lived in his own world because he was unable to face the truth about himself. He talks about how well liked he is by all his customers, how he is extremely vital to the New England territory and should be receiving a promotion soon, he even lies about how much money he makes because he is trying to convince himself that he is this popular, successful man. This is shown when he attempts to brag to his family,

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