Similarities Between Willy And Jay Gatsby

It is often the case that things may not really be as they seem. When a man such as Jay Gatsby seems like he has his whole life figured out, he is really at the starting line trying to fulfill his American dream. However, when things are not looking so bright in Willy Loman’s business and family situations, Willy is looking for all the negatives instead of focusing on the positives. Willy Loman from Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” is a more successful character compared to Jay Gatsby from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby in their family situations, their business conditions, and the fulfillment of their American dreams.
From a perspective of family, Willy is missing the good that he has but Gatsby has no close family to rely on at all. Gatsby tells the story of how he left home at a young age in the pursuit of
money and “doesn’t talk to home” anymore at all. Gatsby has no family to rely on and it shows when his father comes out for the funeral and Nick finds out that neither knew much about the other since Gatsby left home. Willy, on the other hand, has a family that loves him and is on his side, but he is too caught up in his salesman life to even realize it. Throughout the story, Willy’s wife, Linda, keeps trying to reassure Willy that she and the boys love and care for Willy, yet it does not seem to register in Willy’s mind. Right before Willy’s death, Biff, Willy’s son, comes down crying right in front of Willy, and Willy cannot understand why until Linda has to tell him “Because he loves you, Willy.” Willy is really much better off with his family situation than Gatsby is, but Willy just blatantly fails to realize it.
From a business perspective, Willy’s was again unable to realize his success just as he was unable to realize his success with his family, but Gatsby had a blanket of success masking his real failure.
Willy Loman was much more successful than he thought he was; he had paid off all his family debt with hiss low wage job as Linda mentions after Willy’s death “we just paid off the last of the debt,” but Willy was again too foolish to realize it. Linda also mentions how immense Willy’s potential was to be a skilled craftsman as a profession. Willy would “refurbish the house wonderfully” and if he took the one opportunity that Ben had given him to do manly work, then there was no telling how big Willy’s fortune and success could have been. Jay Gatsby, on the other hand, was a bootlegger who was tied up in illegal business. His huge fortune and his nice shirts and seemingly successful status was masking what he really did with his “pharmaceutical and drug” business. While Gatsby masked his illegal business with a vast success, Willy could not realize that his business situation was just fine and that he had enormous potential to be a master
craftsman.
Although both characters did not fully complete their American dreams, Willy definitely came much closer to fulfilling his dream. Gatsby’s dream was simply to get the girl, in this case Daisy. Although Daisy and Gatsby began talking again and the relationship was reignited, Daisy was never back with Gatsby for good. After Gatsby had died, Nick had sent a telegram to Daisy in Chicago in hopes that “at least Daisy would care,” but he did not even get a telegram back in response, showing that she was with Tom and that Gatsby was no longer a big part in her life. Willy’s American dream, however, was to be well liked and wealthy and for his sons to also be well liked and achieve success. Apparently, Willy did used to be well liked back in the day just as a salesman should be, and he was selling enough figures to pay off debts for his family, not exactly wealthy but on the right track. His son, Biff, was extremely well liked in high school for his football skills, and with such “confident and gracious” postures, Willy’s two sons should be at least somewhat successful in the future. Willy’s American dream was partially fulfilled through his steady paying job and the success of his sons, yet Gatsby never really got the girl, so his American dream was not completed at all.
Overall, Willy Loman was a more successful character than Jay Gatsby was because of his success with family, his situation in business and work, and his fulfillment of his American dream. Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby had no family to rely on, his business endeavors were of illegal bootlegging, and he never fulfilled his American dream of getting Daisy Buchanan. Willy Loman from “Death of a Salesman,” however, had a great family that loved him and cared for him, and he was earning a decent wage with an opportunity to earn even more and be more successful, but his downfall was not being able to realize it. His American dream was partially fulfilled with his business success and the future successes of his two sons. It’s a real shame that both these characters eventually died.