Hey, it's Amy!
Death of a Salesman sharply contrasts the ideas we have been discussing in class of how America has been seen as the land of opportunity for immigrants as well as the people already here. In Death of a Salesman, the ideas that life is not always fair and that even though you work to the best of your abilities, you can still end up jobless are portrayed through the narration of the life of a father who loses his job due to competition in his old age. The importance of school (which we were discussing a while ago) is also illustrated in the novel, as Biff cannot have a successful life all because he failed out of math class and did not attent summer school. Because he didn't go to a university to continue his education, he was only a farmer "reduced" to manual labor rather that a job that paid well. Due to this lack of education, and therefore lack of a "respectable job," he was also lacking a wife.

However, education isn't the only ingredient for success described by the book. You had to be liked by the right people. Willy could not hold onto his job because the people who used to give him special treatment were retired and out of the business, bringing in young people who prefered to trade with younger salesmen. The reason why Biff was held in such high regard was because he was well-liked, athletic, and had some street smarts, compared to Bernard who is always depicted as the annoying bookworm whom nobody is very fond of. Towards the end the bookworm ends up better-off than Biff, showing the triumph of education in the real world.

And then for the Great Gatsby, Gatsby was great because he could make his dreams realities, by whatever means, the symbol of the American dream. However, Nick begins to dislike the competition in New York because the American dream becomes more of an American scam as the desire for wealth and personal gain drives all other dreams to the sides. The American dream of New York is no longer freedom and the ability to succeed, but a competition of who can become the richest. All virtues and morals are pushed to the back as desire drives the actions of both the new rich and the established rich. The Great Gatsby also shows contrast from the American dream and is more the American nightmare, but in a different way than the contrast with Death of a Salesman, which lacked hope in success of a family. In The Great Gatsby the story follows the diminishing of American ideals and virtues in the hope of succeeding to a higher position of wealth and personal desire with the multiple affairs between members of the established upper class and the new upper class.

Both novels show the other side to the opportunities in America, the nightmare to the American dream, and show that hard work and motivation cannot always get you what you want in the end.