The Disillusion Of American Dream In The Death Of Eden, Gatsby And Loman

This thesis aims at the discussion of the death of three fictional characters, namely Martin Eden in Jack London's Martin Eden, Gatsby in Scott. F. Fitzgerald's and The Great Gatsby Willy Lowman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.On the basis of the analysis on the causes and processes of the deaths of the three characters, the thesis finds that though they belong to different periods in the 20th century, there is a common point in the reason of their death—the contradiction between their ideals and the harsh reality. Martin's idealization of comfortable and elegant upper-class society and beautiful Rose is only a fantasy and Gatsby's love, Daisy, who stands for a symbol of the ideal and romantic life Gatsby seeks for at any expense, is a selfish and vulgar woman. Similarly, Willy Lowman's wish for being liked by everyone is destined to collapse in the indifferent society. Their only choice is to die, when the ideal is broken by the reality. This is a choice made by the three characters. After such a discussion, the thesis attempts to associate their death with the theme of the "American Dream". The "American Dream" originated in the Colonial Period of America when Benjamin Franklin was famous for his success through his persistent self-improvement. His words "God helps those who help themselves" generalize the essential theme of the American Dream. The American Dream becomes a complex of American people and consists of a genuine and determined belief that in America, all things are possible to all men, regardless of birth or wealth; if you work hard enough you will achieve everything. . However, the "American dream" is fatal in its fantasy, that is, when the Dream is confronted by reality and broken by the harshness, disaster will come.The deaths of the three characters actually illustrate the inevitability of the collapsing of the American Dream. Their seeking for ideals is the reaction of the theme of "the American dream" in the literary context of the 20th century American Dream.The thesis is principally divided into three parts. In the first part, the author makes a comparison between the deaths in order to find their similarity. In addition,the authors' background and life experience will be mentioned due to the fact that they are closely related to the characters in the novels. The second part will be devoted to the thorough analysis of the antipathy of dreams and realities in the three books. A proposal will be put forward about the inevitability of their failure and death. In the third part, the author will make a systematic study on the American Dream, including its origin and various forms of manifestation in different times, in relation to the deaths of the three characters that has been discussed in the second part.