Dreams Deferred: A Critique of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman and The Great Gatsby

This paper examines the disillusionment with the American Dream through a comparative analysis of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Despite differences in genre and historical context, both works critically portray the human cost of chasing this idealized dream, exposing its inherent contradictions and unattainability. Willy Loman and Jay Gatsby, iconic figures in American literature, embody the relentless pursuit of success and social validation, yet their journeys end in personal and societal rejection. Using a Marxist lens, the study delves deeper into the capitalist underpinnings of the American Dream, highlighting how it perpetuates systemic inequalities, alienation, and false consciousness. Miller’s depiction of Willy Loman reveals the plight of the working class, reduced to economic surplus in a system that values productivity over humanity. Similarly, Fitzgerald’s portrayal of Gatsby critiques the illusion of meritocracy, illustrating how wealth cannot erase class boundaries or guarantee social acceptance. Both works underscore how capitalism commodifies human relationships, presenting material success as the ultimate measure of worth while obscuring its dehumanizing effects. By bridging the temporal and formal gaps between the texts, this paper argues that Death of a Salesman and The Great Gatsby collectively critique the ideological framework of capitalism that sustains the American Dream. Ultimately, the study offers insights into the enduring tensions between aspiration and disillusionment, materialism and morality, and individual ambition and societal constraints.