Willy Loman, Jay Gatsby, and the American Dream Essay

Gatsby and Loman My own life’s dream is to have a career in which I can surround myself in music. I will not let anything stand between my dream and I; however, I will never allow my dream to come between myself and my loved ones, or my reality. Many have already fallen victim to the pursuit of the American Dream – a fantastic projection of life that varies based upon its dreamer. However, the road to the American Dream, if followed blindly, can lead to nothing more than a dead end. In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, respective protagonists Jay Gatsby and Willy Loman are blinded by the pursuit of the American Dream, and both meet their downfalls at the hands of their own ignorance.†¦show more content†¦However, since he has been working for so long, most of his acquaintances have already left his field of work and stranded Willy with young strangers. His techniques as a salesman are very antiquated an d, therefore obsolete. His dreams of success are thusly bound to come to nothing. Loman spends most of his time dreaming about the financial success that he will never attain, which blinds him from seeing the futility of his actions. Anguished by several failures that resulted from his constant dreaming, Loman commits suicide, ending the road to his American Dream. The American Dream is the ideal daydream, promising an abundant happiness. Whether its dreamer sees a millionaire, a successful businessman, or a simple musician at the end of the road to the American Dream, the road must always be planned with caution. For Gatsby and Loman, who were taken astray by lust, or by the mere thought of the dream, the fruits of the American Dream were just out of reach. But, if pursued with a clear mind and plentiful tenacity, the propitious road to the American Dream is a worthwhile trek. Revision Reflection I have always been better at writing drafted essays. The revision process of the Loman-Gatsby essay, however, is one of the most efficient essay processes I have undergone. Though the first, in-class draft of the essay was especially difficult to write, it was easy to edit. When writing essays, I like to be able to step away from the text for a while inShow MoreRelated Willy Loman, Jay Gatsby, and the Pursuit of the American Dream798 Words   |  4 PagesWilly Loman, Jay Gatsby, and the Pursuit of the American Dream Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby, and Arthur Miller, author of Death of a Salesman, both tell the stories of men in the costly pursuit of the American dream. As a result of several conflicts, both external and internal, both characters experience an extinction of the one thing that they have set their sights on.... The American Dream. Jay Gatsby, a mysterious, young and very wealthyRead MoreThe American Dream By F. 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