"A" Level piece of courseworkCompare and Contrast the use of symbolism in Death of A Salesman and The Great Gatsby.
...d being symbolic, which contrasts with The Great Gatsby: “I absolutely forgot I was driving. If I’d’ve gone over the white line I might have killed someone.” An interpretation of the ‘white line’ could be that these lines act as ‘boundaries’ in Willy’s life and he has been living and working within them, but today he thought that he didn’t want to keep within these lines, meaning a new job or a new life, so he crosses them. As for the quote “I might have killed someone” could mean that if Willy crosses his boundaries he will be putting the people who rely on him at risk. Cars are also important symbols in Death of A Salesman because Willy has a ‘Studebaker’, which at the time the play was set were modern to own. But Willy keeps remembering, while driving, his “Nineteen twenty-eight… that red Chevvy,” which is a contradiction because Willy wants to keep up with the modern fashions and technology but has flashbacks of ‘old’ cars. His modern car is simply functional but his old ‘red Chevvy’ relates back to a more romantic time of his youth and hope. This also relates to Willy’s difficulties in adjusting to the changes, which have taken place in the business world because when it comes to business Willy has been living in the past hence the flashbacks of ‘old’ cars. Another explanation could be related back to the ‘white line’ symbol; because Willy is ‘trapped’ within these boundaries of the ‘white lines’ he cannot enhance his business skills into a fast progressing technological world. Basically he cannot move his life into ‘the fast lane’. An important symbol in both of the texts is modern technology. In Death of A Salesman Willy is a commodity fetishist, which means he is obsessed about material items. Throughout the play he convinces himself that he needs the latest technology such as a wire-recording machine, “I’m definitely going to get one of those.” His car, “Chevrolet is the greatest car ever built,” the fridge, “But it’s brand new.” Washing machines and vacuum cleaners “Nine-sixty for the washing machine and for the vacuum cleaner there’s three and a half due on the fifteenth.” Willy’s experiences of these consumer items provide a symbolic criticism of the American Dream the new quickly wears out and becomes old but has to be paid for. Wily has mortgaged his life to provide himself and his family with the material goods that signify, if not success exactly, then at least an acceptable level of achievement. Contrasting to Death of A Salesman, in The Great Gatsby Gatsby’s possessions are a lavishment: “There was a machine in the kitchen which could extract the juice of two hundred oranges… if a button was pressed two hundred times by the butler’s thumb.” This little device suggests that it is an example of modern technology, which Gatsby has, and he has these pieces of modern technology to show he has accumulated wealth and to be socially accepted by the elite American society. Another example is Gatsby’s ‘hydroplane’. “Just brought a hydroplane and going to try it out in the morning” and Gatsby invites Nick. At the time the novel was set ‘hydroplanes’ were very modern and anyone who owned one was seen as the elite American society, therefore meaning Gatsby is being socially accepted by higher class Americans which is what Gatsby’s plan was to be accepted. Willy views the American dream as the “self-made man” who rises out of poverty and becomes rich and famous. But by the late 1940’s the job market and prevailing belief has changed and salesmen required specialised knowledge in order to succeed. Willy doesn’t have this knowledge therefore he is going to fail in his business. However the 1920s were a great decade of great technological innovation, when many of the inventions of the previous decades achieved a common currency in American society such as lighting, cars and telephones. In The Great Gatsby these discoveries are ever-present, and are felt as new, creating effects in the lives of characters. Gatsby and Daisy’s meeting is poetically organised around interplay between real and artificial light. When nick returns, Daisy and Gatsby have had their chat: “He literally glowed, without a word or a gesture of exultation a new well being radiated from him and filled the room.” This quote suggests that Gatsby has got over his initial fear re-meeting with Daisy and ‘glowed’ suggests that Gatsby is happy and in love with Daisy. Gatsby’s car, a Rolls Royce, is a magnificent vehicle, which Nick is mesmerised by; this seems to suggest the symbolism of this object is speed. The effect of this symbolism is not wholly good because it is speed and the car that kills Myrtle. The telephone, is also a new invention of the time and Gatsby has one, his uses it to communicate with his business pals “Young Parke’s in trouble” and guests for his parties. This seems to suggest that the symbolism of this object is all about the ease of communication especially with Gatsby’s business associates. The effect of this symbol is not wholly good as Gatsby uses his telephone mainly to contact his partners in crime. Gatsby’s character is understood through comparison with advanced machinery. Nick’s narrative compares Gatsby’s “Heightened sensitivity to the promises of life” to that of a seismograph, “one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousands miles away.” Gatsby’s house is a means to an end; the end is winning Daisy back. “Gatsby brought the house so that Daisy would be just across the bay.” From reading that quote I interpret it as that Gatsby has acquired all his material possessions, house, car, and wealth, to be accepted by Daisy therefore be accepted by distinguished societies. In Gatsby’s house his furnishings are a copy of the grand aspects of the old Europe. “Period bedrooms swathed in rose and lavender silk…Gatsby’s own apartment, a bedroom and a bath, and a Adam study.” By doing this in his house it suggests a sense of insecurity. Whereas in Death of A Salesman, Willy’s house is plain and in some cases “The house is wholly, or in some places, partially transparent.” The language of this quote suggests that the house is imitating Willy’s life. The transparency of the house can also been seen as the transparency of the American Dream for Willy. Setting is also an important symbol used in both The Great Gatsby and Death of A Salesman. In The Great Gatsby the main setting is New York, which is modern, and both a technological and a dynamic cultural space. In The Great Gatsby, one of the places described in great and highly symbolic detail in the novel is the “Valley of Ashes” this is a refuse tip, “Certain desolate area of land… The grey land and the spasms of bleak dust which drift endlessly over it.” The language of this quote conjures up images of just, shades of grey ghost town where all hopes and passions have been drained away. The effect on the readers is that it could make them feel depressed and they empathise with Myrtle. This place is situated between New York and the Eggs so a symbolic interpretation for the readers could be that it is like a biblical wasteland of desert where there is no water or hope. There is a sense of a world abandoned by god here, which relates to the ‘T.J. Eckleberg’ advert. This is a billboard advert where there is a: “gigantic pair of blue eyes” which looks out from a big pair of spectacles. Also the language suggests a sense of a vanishing god. However, in Death of A Salesman, setting is also important for the play’s full ambient effect. The main contrasts in this play are urban versus rural. Willy lives just outside of New York “Towering, angular shapes behind it, surrounding it on all sides.” This quote suggests that the tall buildings, which, have blocked out the light, over the years, have gradually enclosed Willy’s house. Willy is trapped in his house and he wants to have freedom meaning moving to a rural area. “There is not a breath of fresh air in the neighbourhood. The grass don’t grow anymore, you can’t raise a carrot in the back yard. Remember those two beautiful elm trees out there?” Willy has this plan built up in his head of this new life in the country away from all the pressures of his work. “ I’d build a little guest house, ‘cause I got so many fine tools, and all I’d need would be a little lumber and some peace of mind.” When Willy announces that he wants to plant a garden in the yard, Miller means that Willy will plant seeds of hope and change. Linda reminds Willy “Not enough sun gets back there, nothing will grow anymore.” With these lines...