The American Dream began when immigrants came to America seeking new opportunities and a better life. At the beginning of the 1900s the only thing you could do was dream; however, those dreams gave many different meanings to the phrase “American Dream,” and in most cases, wealth and hard work play a very important role in the pursuit of the “dream.” In F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, and in Arthur Miller's play, Death of a Salesman, both protagonists, Jay Gatsby and Willy Loman, are convinced that the way to achieve a better life is to live the "dream American". However, the dream does not end successfully for these two characters. In fact, their ideals and their hopes of achieving success cause their American dream to turn into a nightmare. Although it may seem that F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby is depicting a romantic relationship between Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan, a woman he meets and falls in love with in Louisville while training to become an officer, the novel portrays wealth and culture materialism of the 1920s. The more luxury and things a person can show off, the more accomplished and successful they feel. In the Roaring Twenties, having a family, cars and luxury was what people would pursue in life, but for others this was not enough. Nick Carraway, the narrator of The Great Gatsby, isn't necessarily trying to live the dream but to become successful in business. After World War I, Nick decides to move to Long Island, New York, better known as “West Egg”. She rents a cottage and ends up living next door to the extravagantly rich and mysterious Jay Gatsby. In the 1920s, people who sought to succeed through hard work were obsessed with their social class status....... middle of paper ......ays/a/themesales.htm>."Death by a Salesman. " Free study guides for Shakespeare and other authors. Network. March 18, 2012. "Death of a Salesman." Shmoop. Network. March 15, 2012. "The End of the 1920s American Dream in The Great Gatsby." – InfoRefuge.com. Network. March 13, 2012. "The Setting of The Great Gatsby." Shmoop. Network. March 16, 2012. "Lessons in Manlessness: Willy Loman." Character Analysis of Willy Loman From the Death of the Salesman. Network. March 18, 2012. .Moseley, Merritt. "The Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller." The American dream. Ed, Blake Hobbies. New York: Info Rose Publishing, 2009, 47-55