Many people associate the American Dream with success. This association is exactly what F. Scott Fitzgerald made in The Great Gatsby and what Arthur Miller made in Death of a Salesman. Gatsby and Daisy's relationship never worked out, mostly because Gatsby did not have much money, and Daisy came from a wealthy family. Now that Gatsby has achieved what he calls success and has bought a lavish new house he feels Daisy can finally be his. "He hadn't once ceased looking at Daisy and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes" (Fitzgerald 96-97). Gatsby worked his entire adult life to acquire his enormous house and all the tra

All through The Catcher in the Rye Holden refers to almost everyone he meets or knows, despite a select few, as a phony. "You know, one of those stories with a lot of phony, lean-jawed guys named David in it, and a lot of phony girls named Linda or Marcia that are always lighting all the goddamn Davids' pipes for them" (Salinger 53). Holden likes people who are real and authentic, but he holds everyone around him to impeccable standards that almost no one could possibly reach. The irony is that at some points in the novel Holden himself is guilty of being a phony. This quote also shows what a cynical world Holden has created for himself. He looks down upon others so much that he forces himself to shut them out. Holden is an idealistic young man who has a strict opinion of how he thinks the world should be and does not want to conform to how society truly is. This view sets Holden apart from most of those around him and his stubbornness isolates his from the rest of the world. Holden's love for the innocence of children is probably the reason Phoebe and Allie are the only two people he can stand. Holden becomes obsessed with this innocence and gets the idea in his head that he can somehow help preserve their innocence. "What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff...I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That's all I'd do all day. I'd just be the catcher in the rye and all" (Salinger 173). Holden has this vision of him being the only one that can save the children from growing up and losing their innocence. He believes all that is wrong in the world is comes from everyone's eventual fall from innocence.

Willie Loman, the main character of Death of a Salesman, always strived to be the most successful and well-liked salesman in New England. His dream was to make money to support his family well and be revered by all his colleagues. Willie's fault was that he did not know how to achieve his goal. He thought that all it took was to be well liked by everyone and then success would come to him. "Because the man who makes an appearance in the busines

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Approximate Word count = 1431
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)