The American Dream

The American Dream To people all around the world, America is known as the land of endless opportunity. However, what society does not know about America is that it enables a greedy, corrupt and overachieving way of life. Both F.Scott Fitzgerald and Arthur Miller saw this side of America when writing The Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman, respectively. Both men expose an underhanded America that is driven by the pursuit of power, happiness and wealth, as well as disloyalty, and misrepresentation. Therefore, in the novel, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald’s vision of America is that it is depicted as unattainable and corrupt. Similarly, in Death of a Salesman, Miller’s vision of America is that it is depicted as unattainable and dishonest. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald’s vision of America is depicted as an unattainable life of luxury and happiness. Gatsby’s entire life is a quest for a happy ending. Everything he does is in hopes of one day achieving pure happiness; which in this case is wealth and Daisy’s love. Nick describes Gatsby’s longing for unattainable happiness by describing a scene in which, [Gatsby] stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way and, as far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily, I glanced seaward- and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock (Fitzgerald 25).

Ultimately, this display of Gatsby's hopeful desire shows that he is reaching out towards Daisy, as the green light is from the end of her dock. His trembling arms show an uncertainty in his thoughts, proving that even a part of him must think Daisy’s love is unattainable. Further, Daisy’s satisfaction is another unattainable trait found in Fitzgerald's novel. No matter what it is that Daisy desires, she receives it almost instantly. However, because she does not have to work for anything she obtains, she has no appreciation for it, thus