Willy Loman, Jay Gatsby.

Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman and Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby dedicate their lives to searching for different versions of the American Dream, but because they have distorted views of themselves and the world they live in, neither is able to reach his goals. Gatsby's only motivation becoming rich is to win Daisy Buchanan's heart. Gatsby throws lavish parties and lies about his background in an attempt to prove to Daisy that …

…back round in order to capture Daisy's heart, but in the end he dies because his goals have become hollow and empty. Willy Loman also comes home and manipulates his salesman stories with exaggeration and lies in order to prove to his family that he really is famous and successful. Both characters are too concerned with the past. This makes it harder for them to accept their failure to attain their dreams in the present.