Kaleidoszkóp

The American Dream has been an important part of US culture and history for centuries. Because of this, it has been a prominent theme in several literary works, such as The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman, which criticise the myth of the American Dream (Benziman, 2005). In this essay, I argue that Death of a Salesman and The Great Gatsby highlight the failings of the American Dream in the first half of the 20^th century. Both works showcase a tainted American Dream which not only corrupts, but, eventually, ruins those who pursue its promises.

Before the actual analysis, I will briefly define the concept of the American Dream. Originally, the American Dream, coined by James Truslow Adams (Adams, 2012; Benziman, 2005), was the myth that promised that through hard work anybody can earn their freedom, home, and success through upward mobility (Archer, 2014; Cullen, 2003; Benziman, 2005). However, in the 20^th century, the idea of material success was similarly included (Hawkins, 2007; Moseley, 2009), which is a deviation from the original myth (Benziman, 2005). Firstly, I would like to outline two aspects of the Dream which make an appearance in both works: upward mobility and home ownership. Afterwards, I will demonstrate how the American Dream corrupts and destroys those who internalize it.

Firstly, the Dream involves upward mobility for all American residents. Since Gatsby’s story presents this aspect more vividly, I will start my analysis with The Great Gatsby. The tale of Gatsby is essentially a rags-to-riches story, which became a popular fantasy connected to the myth in the 20^th century (Benziman, 2005). After Gatsby had emerged from poverty and became rich, he wished to belong to the elite (Hawkins, 2007). This ties into that major pillar of the American Dream (Roberts, 2006). However, Gatsby has his work cut out for him: because Gatsby is new money, the elite – or “old money” – do not respect him.

Tom, who belongs to the old money, hates Gatsby, labelling him “Mr. Nobody from Nowhere” (Del Gizzo, 2007, p. 88). This is because Tom – like other members of the elite – puts a heavy emphasis on familial heritage (Del Gizzo, 2007). Moreover, because Gatsby was not born into the elite, he completely fails at acting like a gentleman (Roberts, 2006). As a result, he does not truly understand how the elite think, which explains why he moved into West Egg instead of the more prestigious East Egg (Roberts, 2006). In addition, because of his roots and lack of proper education, he occasionally makes factual blunders (Tunc, 2009). Gatsby’s case shows that material wealth cannot lead to happiness (Roberts, 2006). While he has achieved the wealth his Dream required, he is unable to secure the final piece of his Dream to complete his new identity: Daisy Buchanan (Roberts, 2006; Del Gizzo, 2007). In contrast, Willy’s life has stagnated, and unlike Gatsby, who at least became rich, he could not even partially fulfill his dream (Jacobson, 1975). After all, Willy is largely an unsuccessful person, unable to reach the heights his brother had, which leads to his despair and delusions.

Another promise of the American Dream is home ownership: fully owning one’s home. In fact, it is one of its most significant tenets (Archer, 2014), and has a vital role in Death of a Salesman. There are various issues raised in the play regarding the home of the Loman family. Firstly, the house is surrounded by various imposing buildings which suffocate the family (Lawrence, 1964). Additionally, the house does not fully belong to them. Willy complains at the beginning of the play that people must work their entire life to pay off a house (Hawkins, 2007). Furthermore, while Linda believes that they are free of the burden of the mortgage after Willy’s death, Ribkoff (2007) mentions that the family is unlikely to receive financial support due to the fact Willy committed suicide. In a manner of speaking, the house also represents its inhabitants: every family member is a victim of delusions of grandeur when it comes to their position in the business world and society. They wish they amounted to something, but, in reality, they feel smothered by Willy’s Dream (Lawrence, 1964; Centola, 1993). After all, Willy has spent his entire life chasing said Dream: to be a successful businessman, like his brother before him.

On the other hand, Gatsby’s mansion is the polar opposite of the Loman’s family’s home. Throughout the story, Gatsby’s mansion is frequently described as extravagant and luxurious. It is here where he hosts his infamous parties. Through these parties, the corruption of the American Dream is further outlined as it highlights the widespread consumerism of the Roaring Twenties (Tunc, 2009; Cunningham, 2024).

Moreover, the works showcase that following the Dream can lead to moral corruption. The Great Gatsby depicts how the American Dream got corrupted in the early 20^th century. Tunc (2009, p. 67) states that Fitzgerald uses Gatsby to showcase “[…] the rise and fall of the American Dream […]”. This is the case since Gatsby got rich from being complicit in various crimes such as bootlegging, which involves the illegal selling of alcohol (Roberts, 2006). That being said, becoming affluent through bootlegging involved the exploitation of the precarious economic climate created by Prohibition, a period when alcohol was banned in the US (“Prohibition,” 2024). Amassing wealth in this manner goes against the “success through hard work” idea the Dream promotes (Hawkins, 2007). Additionally, despite Gatsby not being an inherently immoral man, his drive for success, which he believes will win the already married Daisy’s heart, twists his morality. His actions are representative of an American society which has created a competitive environment where people are promised success and feel entitled to it. However, this competitiveness breaks people in the long-run (Hawkins, 2007). Lastly, the women of The Great Gatsby are likewise corrupted by the American Dream: both Myrtle and Jordan are dishonest and, while Gatsby views her in an idealized light, Daisy is definitely no angel either (Tunc, 2009).

This previously described competitive environment is also criticized in Death of a Salesman, as it destroys Willy (Hawkins, 2007). Because of his lack of success, Willy feels inferior, but still yearns to be viewed as someone who is beloved by everyone (Ribkoff, 2007). This is what led to his affair with The Woman, as she made him feel like the accomplished salesman he wishes to be perceived as (Ribkoff, 2007). Furthermore, Willy has become a compulsive liar because he wanted people to believe he was living the Dream (Moseley, 2009). Unfortunately, Willy’s actions also affected those around him negatively, especially Biff (Ribkoff, 2007; Lawrence, 1964).

However, if people strive to achieve the American Dream long enough, they start to internalize its promises, which leads to obsession and the loss of identity. Gatsby himself followed the American Dream to such an extent that he started to represent it (Hawkins, 2007). He created, as Del Gizzo (2007, p. 79) puts it, a “split personality” by giving up his original name, James Gatz, becoming the rich and larger than life James Gatsby. This obsession becomes literally self-destructive since Gatsby loses his original sense of self.

Willy likewise embraces the American Dream (Hawkins, 2007). His approach to being a businessman is similar to the principles of the American Dream: hard-work, charisma and persistence (Williams, 2022; Hawkins, 2007). This also leads to his loss of identity, which is most noticeable in the small pauses he makes when referring to himself (Ribkoff, 2007). Furthermore, his vision also ruins his sons’ life to a certain extent (Ribkoff, 2007; Lawrence, 1964). After all, at the end of the play, Happy promises that he will carry on Willy’s legacy, planning to live life the exact same way which caused his father’s demise (Lawrence, 1964). As for the other son, it takes the entire play for Biff to fully realize that he does not want to lead a life like his father (Centola, 1993). While Willy does not want to accept it, Biff represents what Willy truly wishes to become deep within.

After everything I have analysed, it is obvious that the American Dream is, for the most part, unattainable. That being said, the two protagonists cope with this differently.

Gatsby for one cannot notice the errors of the Dream, just like he is unaware of Daisy’s faults. In fact, the real tragedy of The Great Gatsby is that Gatsby never realizes that the Dream is unattainable, thus he cannot be with Daisy either. Before he can reach this epiphany, he is murdered. (Tunc, 2009)

Unlike Gatsby, Willy starts to realize that the Dream is unobtainable for the likes of him, but he remains on the fence regarding the realities of the American Dream (Hawkins, 2007). As Hawkins (2007) and Lawrence (1964) argue, Willy could have led a happy life if he had worked in a field that was more suitable for him; likely where he could use his hands, as that made him the happiest. Instead, Willy spent his whole life chasing after what he perceives to be the American Dream: the success of accomplished salesmen such as his brother and Singleman (Hawkins, 2007; Jacobson, 1975).

In addition, Biff used to subscribe to Willy’s dream (Hawkins, 2007), which is best seen with his attitude to sport and his plan to attend college, which can be viewed as part of the Dream (Riess, 1980; The Cornell Daily Sun, 2012). He also says he wants his father to give up his dream (Moseley, 2009). Therefore, Willy, and later Happy (Lawrence, 1964), represent the old generations who believed the American Dream was about material success (The Learning Network, 2019). Conversely, Biff represents the newer generations, who are disillusioned with the myth and have started redefining it by focusing on freedom in lieu of the importance of wealth (Hawkins, 2007; The Learning Network, 2019).

This begs the question: why did authors care about the American Dream in the 20^th century? As mentioned in the essay’s introductory paragraph, the American Dream was viewed as a myth corrupted by the materialism and consumerism of the 20^th century (Archer, 2014). This is reported by both Benziman (2005) and Del Gizzo (2007), the latter of whom confirming that Fitzgerald was worried about how this corruption impacts American society. It is safe to say that given the themes of the other work, Miller likely shared this sentiment. Their worries are more relevant than ever as more and more Americans are losing faith in the American Dream today (Archer, 2014; The Learning Network, 2019). Therefore, these two authors felt inclined to depict the alarming signs of the decline of one of the most significant pillars of the American experience (Archer, 2014; The Learning Network, 2019; Williams, 2022).

In conclusion, The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman illustrate that the myth of the American Dream was starting to unravel in the 20^th century. The works tackle the most important aspects of the American Dream deteriorating, such as homeownership and the impossibility of upward mobility. Above all, the analysed works highlight that those who choose to chase this warped form of the Dream will be destroyed by it, which was a warning issued by the two literary figures to their fellow Americans.

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Works cited:

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