The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? by Edward Albee explore the idea of ​​illusion and reality in people's lives. Fitzgerald's novel was written during the height of the Roaring Twenties in 1924, when people led lives full of extravagance but also illusion as a way to recover from the damage of the First World War. Albee's work is set during the Cold War, in a time dominated by tension, people often relied on illusion as a way to forget what was happening around them at the time. Both writers explore the question of whether it is appropriate to live life hiding behind a facade or whether one should face reality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayThe idea of ​​a "perfect American family" as the key to successfully realizing "The American Dream" is an idea closely linked to the lyrics Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and The Great Gatsby. In both texts numerous characters are affected by this social pressure and this is an important part of many of their downfalls. In Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? George and Martha create a fictitious child in hopes of living up to society's expectations and solving their problems with each other. They base their lives on this illusion which ultimately does more harm than good, as we see when George and Martha use this child as a weapon against each other, as when Martha accuses George of not being "completely sure that he is her son ". Referring to their child as "it" in this sentence foreshadows confirmation that the child is not real. Albee himself told the South Bank Show that the baby "has become so real that it has corrupted their relationship". The idea that something that George and Martha created in such detail, going so far as to describe even the smallest things, such as the "antique Austrian crib", shows how important children were to them and the pressure that society placed on them. on them so that they would accept them. they make the perfect American family. The death of the child which represents the climax of the play could also show how far George and Martha, particularly Martha, were from their illusions and how they needed to break out of them if they were to live a well-lived and fully immersed life that would not be dictated by the false society's ideals of a perfect American family and the American dream. In The Great Gatsby, Tom and Daisy have perfected the image of their family but in reality their relationship is paralyzed. Tom is described as being unable to "stand the person he is married to" and are rarely seen with their daughter, who is often looked after by the staff. Daisy refers to her daughter as "a beautiful little fool", which reveals a lot about her character and how much more important it is to her that her daughter fits society's expectations of a woman (to be docile and submissive) helping her continue the image of a perfect American family. The difference between The Great Gatsby and WAOVW? is that Tom and Daisy return to their old habits after the events of the book, deciding to lean even more into their illusion of being the perfect American family, while George and Martha realize that is not a realistic ideal to have and realize I realize that they have to change. The American dream promises happiness and wealth in exchange for dedication and passion. However, for many of the characters in The Great Gatsby and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? this is not reality. In Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? George and Martha had high hopes as young men of making it far in thelife. George was expected to "take command of the History Department" and then even "take command of the college." George actually became the head of the History Department during the war, however Martha's father decided he "didn't have it in him". George seems dedicated and passionate about his work, yet he gets nothing in return. Instead it carries the weight of being a failure in the eyes of society, the same society that worships these promises. George is the only person who seems satisfied with his job position, he believes that the most important part of his job is to educate young people and not his status, yet Martha's resentment towards him for not being successful in the way he she and society wanted it This is a much more important theme in the play than the content of George itself, which I believe perfectly shows the true nature of the American dream. The Great Gatsby also shows Gatsby as a victim of the American dream. Nick mentions "what preyed on Gatsby" as the reason for his horrible end. The word "prey" makes Gatsby seem small and helpless, in contrast to how we see him throughout much of the book. Critic Matthew J. Bruccoli describes him as someone who has been "betrayed by the promises of America". I agree with this as Gatsby, who dedicated his life to becoming rich and successful, suffered one of the most tragic fates in the book. He embodies the American dream by demonstrating his passion and resilience towards achieving his goal of success and wealth (Nick describes him as having "the resourcefulness of movement that is so peculiarly American") and, as a result, is betrayed by it. I believe this quote applies to George Wilson as well. We are first introduced to George in the Valley of Ashes, a place that represents the moral decay and corruption of a capitalist, materialistic society (an outcome of the American Dream). This tells us a lot about George's position in society. Although George has ambitions, he is not of the right class or background to succeed in the American dream. Albee decided to name George and Martha after the first president and first lady of the United States. For this reason, the public may have imagined them as representing typical American values ​​such as optimism or hope. Except George and Martha are the opposite. They're loud, abrasive and argumentative like when Martha screams "fuck you!" to George just as Nick and Honey arrive, however they still represent America, but in a different, more realistic light where America's representative ideals such as unrealistic success, wealth, and even happiness are not sustainable. In The Great Gatsby the setting is used to show this unsustainable lifestyle. The contrast between East Egg and West Egg and the Valley of Ashes represents this false idealism. The name "ash" has connotations of death and creates an extremely solemn atmosphere. Further descriptions such as “grotesque gardens” and “dump” further underline this. It shows the consequences of an unsustainable life caused by the American dream. "The Eyes of Doctor TJ Eckleburg" observes the Valley of Ashes in the form of a billboard, monitoring the consequences of the new America. It may have been in the form of advertisements to also represent the new America, where advertisements were becoming more popular. Both texts present the American dream as unsustainable as well as an illusion. Marriage in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is depicted in a pessimistic light. Nick and Honey, originally presented as the perfect couple, don't seem to have such a loving marriage. It is revealed by Nick that the only reason he married Honey was "because she was pregnant". Couples during thisperiod they often got married if the woman became pregnant so as not to be shunned by society. Since this was the situation Nick and Honey found themselves in, they used marriage to solve their problem. Nick also states how there has never been any 'particular passion' between them and therefore it gives the impression that they are stuck in their marriage. We see the marriage crumble as the show goes on, with Nick committing infidelity and also the revelation of Honey's lack of desire to have children of her own and Nick marrying her for money, yet we never really see any real consequences ensue. They go back to how they were before, pretending to be a perfect couple to the rest of society. In the TGG we also see this illusion of marriage with George and Myrtle. While they are definitely not presented as a loving couple like Nick and Honey, Myrtle married George because she thought he was rich, one of the reasons she thought this was because George "borrowed someone's best suit to get married to ". Myrtle desperately wants to escape her social class, which is made evident by the use of her "crowded" apartment which she tries to turn into a luxury place with "furniture entirely too big for this", but instead does the opposite and makes it seem chaotic and overcrowded, symbolizing that he will never be able to escape his social class. She thought that marrying George would solve this problem before she found out the truth. This may be why she began her relationship with Tom as when she first sees him he is wearing "an elegant suit and patent leather shoes" – clothes which strongly connote wealth. For Myrtle, Tom represents promises of wealth and a new life. Both writers present the marriage as imperfect behind closed doors. In TGG Tom and Daisy cheat on each other throughout the book and do so with little guilt. With the obvious signs of a flawed and imperfect marriage, they still care for each other. After Myrtle's death Nick sees them "conspiring together" with "an unmistakable air of natural intimacy." This shows that despite everything they have been through with each other, they still care deeply for each other, the phrase "natural intimacy" proves this as it shows how even though their marriage may not be as perfect as they pretend, they still have a deep connection. connection. Another example of this is the fact that Daisy couldn't say she "never loved" Tom because it wasn't true. Albee presents marriage similarly through George and Martha. They are seen arguing continuously throughout the play which could be seen as an example of the Theater of the Absurd, a central element of this was taking a tragic theme, in this case a seemingly failed marriage, and making it comical, such as how Martha who he very childishly says "Poor Georgie-porgie" in a condescending way in the middle of an argument. This is far from what the audience would have expected a typical American couple to be portrayed on stage, adding to the effect. However, just like Tom and Daisy, they have moments of love with each other. At the end of the show George comforts Martha by "gently putting his hand on her shoulder". After the chaos that ensued earlier and knowing secrets we didn't know at the start of the play, it's probably more sincere than any other interaction between Tom and Daisy as we know they have no ulterior motives (Tom and Daisy had stable and sociable status to think about) while George and Martha hit rock bottom together, they can only get back up with each other's help. The tender gestures we see between George and Martha, and between Tom and Daisy, make us lose hope that the illusion they hide behind can become reality. In TGG it is evident from the beginningthat Tom and Daisy do not have a stable relationship, even though they would like everyone else, even themselves, to think so. This is evident when he calls Tom's "New York woman". This seems to be a popular rumor and Daisy is aware of Tom's infidelity but chooses to pretend she isn't because she doesn't want to face the harsh truth and reality. This makes her feel trapped in the marriage, creating even more tension. Another example of their toxic relationship is when Tom is accused by Daisy of hurting her knuckles and he doesn't deny it. In Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? George and Martha also have a lot of tension in their marriage, however this has built up over time, at this point they seem to tolerate each other more than anything. This is easy to see from the way they treat and order each other that he talks about, especially Martha, such as when she says "Go and open the door." At the beginning of the show they have yet to directly acknowledge him. It is when George exclaims that he "can't stand it" that they appear to face it for the first time as it leads to one of their biggest failures as a couple. Both couples don't seem happy together but instead of facing reality they choose to ignore the problem. Albee and Fitzgerald both raise some questions regarding the morality of living life as an illusion. One of which is: is it right to ignore reality and live in an illusion? Albee said on the South Bank Show that "people who waste it, waste their conscience" are wasting "one of the most precious things you could have". Albee makes this quite obvious by destroying his characters as they live their lives in illusion. George is the one most ready to lose the illusion and is the driving force of the play that begins the game of "raising the child". He realizes that it is not okay to live as I am and that it is important to change before it is too late. Gatsby, however, does not realize this in time and meets a tragic end. I believe Fitzgerald was also conveying the idea that it is not okay to live this way, otherwise the same fate will await as a consequence. Both texts explore another important question regarding morality and living in illusion instead of truth: is there hope that people can change their lives? ? The ending of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? has a small, but significant element of hope towards the end. The last line of Martha saying "I am" to the title question "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?" it shows that Martha is taking a step forward in her life to improve it and live her life fully. In the 1966 film adaptation, George turns off all the lamps in their house and the couple turns to the window. This symbolizes how they are erasing all false or artificial truths in their life and turning to look at the real world. It provides a glimmer of hope that is essential to convey the message to the public that it is possible to change, that it is possible for the public to change. Albee had existentialist beliefs and hoped to use theater to improve people's lives, so an optimistic ending would be a key way to do this. However, TGG explores the issue from a much more pessimistic point of view. As a modernist novel, the ending contains many tragic or unjustified endings, demonstrating how if you change too late, your fate is inevitable. It aims more to scare the reader into changing than to give hope to the public, like Albee's work. The American dream is said to be achieved with perseverance and the right attitude, but both lyrics make it important to turn it into an illusion. The question arises: is it right to give up morality for the American dream, even if it is just an illusion? In Who's Afraid of.