Analysis Of Sunset Blvd And The Great Gatsby By F....

Growing up, Americans begin to form dreams, or goals,based on where they want to go in life. These dreams may change over time, or remain the same, but they are always the focus of an American’s life. However, there comes a point in life when you must decide whether to continue chasing your dream or to face reality and give up and illusions you may have about your life. The plot of two American-based stories, â€Å"Sunset Blvd†, directed by Billy Wilder, and The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, revolve around this conflict of illusion, or dreams, against reality and facing the facts of life. Both â€Å"Sunset Blvd† and The Great Gatsby ultimately side with illusion and dreaming over reality, a decision which becomes solidified by the closing scenes in both tales, and the death of a main character. â€Å"Sunset Blvd† is not subtle in stating illusion will win out over reality. After all, Norma Desmond, the aged silent movie star who deludes herself into believing that she will be famous again, kills Joe Gillis, our involved narrator and voice of reason. But before we analyze the dramatic pool scene, which dispels any idea that â€Å"Sunset Blvd† sides with reality, we must first look at the characters, the embodiments of dreams and of reality in this movie. Norma Desmond, who dreams of rising to greatness again, refuses to believe that time has passed and that she no longer has any fans. Max, her butler and first husband, feeds into this facade by writing her fan mail, encouraging her