People who come from similar backgrounds may share similar experiences. This applies to the characters of Jay Gatsby and Dexter Green, who progress throughout The Great Gatsby and Winter Dreams to achieve the lifestyle that they always wanted, but fall short when it comes to love. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby and Winter Dreams. Both of these stories give an insight to what life was like in the 1920s. Jay Gatsby is one of the major characters in The Great Gatsby. He came from a poor family and eventually becomes extremely wealthy, but he isn’t satisfied without his past lover, Daisy Buchanan. Dexter Green worked as a golf caddy when he was young boy, which is where he met his love interest, Judy Jones. As he grows older and rises …show more content…
Jay Gatsby and Dexter Green possess similar character traits, they both come from new money and feel incomplete without somebody from their past.
The settings of “The Great Gatsby” and “Winter Dreams” both have an effect on their characters. Dexter Green lives in Minnesota and worked as a caddy at a prestigious golf club. He dreams of achieving the level of wealth that the golfers he once worked for possess. Jay Gatsby is originally from Minnesota and moved to West Egg in New York. He also dreams of fitting in with upper class society. “Mr. Hart-- one of the gray haired men who like to say “Now there’s a boy”-- gave him a guest card to the Sherry Island golf Club for a week-end… He did not consider it necessary to remark that he had once carried Mr. Hart’s bag over this same links.” (Winter Dreams 3). It is at this point where Dexter has completed the transformation from caddy boy to somebody with
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They both experienced a change which gave them a greater chance of attaining the person they always wanted. “He talked a lot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy. His life had been confused and disordered since then, but if he could once return to a certain starting place and go over it all slowly, he could find out what that thing was.”- (The Great Gatsby 110) Jay Gatsby had known Daisy Buchanan five years prior to when he moved to New York. They lost contact when Jay went to fight in the war, and Daisy decided to marry Tom. When Jay moved to West Egg, their paths crossed once again. “His heart turned over like the fly-wheel of the boat, and, for the second time, her casual whim gave a new direction in his life.” (Winter Dreams 4). When Dexter Green first met Judy Jones, he was part of a middle class family. After this Dexter went to college and became the owner of numerous laundromats. He came in contact with Judy for the second time, and felt as though he needed her in order to complete his transition from the middle class to becoming an upper class citizen. Despite reconnecting with the person who meant the most to them, the relationship didn’t last for either Jay Gatsby or Dexter
There are many similarities involving the main characters in the books The Great Gatsby and A Raisin in the Sun. For example, they are similar because their entire lives revolve around money. Also, they define their lives by determining what social class they live in. Another main likeness between the two is that they reside in large cities. Which leads to problems that people in rural communities wouldn’t have. On the other hand, they also have major differences. One is wealthy, the other lives in poverty. Jay Gatsby lives in a paradise-like community in New York, while Walter Younger and his family live in the slums of Chicago. Another difference between them is their race. Jay, being a white, is a well respected individual in his part
The similarities between Dexter and Gatsby are why “Winter Dreams” is a prototype of The Great Gatsby. In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby is a man that is born into a poor family but gets rich through illegal work, which is similar to Dexter in “Winter Dreams”, who is also poor at first but then gets rich through a laundry company. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald writes about Gatsby’s becoming by explaining that his parents are unsuccessful farm people that he does not see as a parents and he leaves to lead a new life as a rich man (Fitzgerald 98). Gatsby starts off as a poor man who wants to be someone else. He creates a better version of himself , a version that is not dragged down by poverty. Gatsby wants to be a successful person in life and changing his identity to break away from his lower class lifestyle was his way to do it. Later on, Gatsby uses this to become rich and get back with Daisy. In “Winter Dreams”, Dexters main dreams are to be successful and get Judy. His motivation for quitting his caddy job and starting his laundry company is to gain money, and in turn, win over Judy. Both men are influenced by women and their desperation to get them as well as their desire to be more than what class they were born into. Although the characters are very similar they show differences in how Dexter views his relationship with Judy and how Gatsby perceives his relationship with Daisy. In “Winter Dreams” Fitzgerald shows the two characters differences by writing “The dream was gone [...] ‘long ago, there was something in me, but now that thing
As Daisy simply advanced in her life, little did she know that James Gatz would leap into social heights and become Jay Gatsby so soon. James Gatz was a young poor boy, who thought he was never good enough for Daisy. Gatsby has spent the past few years prospering wealth, building a mansion; minutes away from Daisy, just to compensate for what he didn't have before.He devotes his entire life into moulding himself to be the man that Daisy desires and “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before [him].” After becoming the Great Gatsby, he hopes that eventually one day Daisy will find her way back to him. Gatsby’s love for Daisy has grown even fonder and after finally meeting her she doesn't satisfy his standards anymore, “There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams-not through her
In The Great Gatsby, the author, F Scott Fitzgerald depicts the post - war roaring 20’s, a time of overwhelming prosperity and a new found sense of hope for the future. While this novel is often perceived as a romance, it is also a criticism on the devastating nature of the elusive american dream. The story of Jay Gatsby is a representation of what had become the values of the individual at the time. With the progression of the early 1920’s the vision of the perfect life, or the american dream, had been skewed. It was replaced with greed, and an abundance of reckless spending in which the wealthier individuals placed their misguided ideas of happiness. In the Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald chooses to expose the hidden truth behind the illustrious concept of the American dream. Through his use of literary devices such as, symbolism, metaphor, and, irony the central idea of the truly unattainable American dream is supported throughout the novel.
While there are numerous themes throughout the text of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, the most prominent is that of the American Dream. The American Dream is the idea that any person, no matter what he or she is, or from where he or she has come, can become successful in life by his or her hard work; it is the idea that a self-sufficient person, an entrepreneur, can be a success. In this novel, however, it is the quest for this ‘dream’ (along with the pursuit of a romantic dream) that causes the ultimate downfall of Jay Gatsby.
The differences between Gatsby and Green are far more complex compared to their similarities, although locations and characters seem equivalent, their business ventures, overall dreams and self-identity begin to diverge completely. Jay Gatsby, as Daisy later finds out made his fortune though illegal activities such as bootleg operations and therefore this discredits his character. Meanwhile, Dexter attends a prominent university and then becomes an entrepreneur, making his fortune by honest hard work. While they both dream of the woman they idealize, Dexter is not as obsessed with Judy as Jay is with Daisy. Gatsby makes it his mission in life to alter who he is on the inside and outside in order to compel Daisy to be with him. He changes his name and creates this mysterious persona. His lavish lifestyle, parties and acquaintances are all a façade in order to be around Daisy and emulate the high society she
Everyone has a dream that they want to achieve. The goal in life is to find something valuable to achieve. Many people immigrated to America for a second chance in life. The American dream is a goal someone wants to achieve in America. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men are two books that are prime examples of the American dream. The Great Gatsby is a story about a guy named Nick from the Midwest moving to New York for a job in the stock market. He finds many friends along the way, including Gatsby. Nick lived next door to Gatsby’s mansion. Gatsby used this mansion to try to marry a girl he loved named Daisy. In the end, Gatsby did not get married to Daisy. Of Mice and Men takes place during the great depression, which makes it hard for people to get work and earn money. The story is about two men in California who have a dream of having their own ranch. George and Lennie get a job at a ranch where they buck barley. They made friends with an old man named Candy, who wanted to help them buy a ranch house. Lennie had a mental disorder, which makes it hard for him to understand. He accidentally killed a lady because of mental disorder. In the end, Lennie was shot by George and he was not able to live on his own ranch. These two books are similar because characters from both books want to achieve their American dream. Although they did have their American dream, it was difficult for them to achieve it. F. Scott Fitzgerald and John Steinbeck
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men are set in two close time periods, but give a different feel to the setting in each book. In both books, women have a status lower than men. Daisy, Jordan, Myrtle and Curley’s wife are seen as inferior, most likely due to society’s view of women during the time periods. In The Great Gatsby and in Of Mice and Men, the American Dream is often put aside, seen through the actions of women characters.
As a child, one may have been sure that their future consisted of becoming a superhero and battling evil monsters, but as time goes by, people grow, they mature, and became aware that superhuman abilities are beyond their capacity. What would have happened if everyone continued to believe in their wildest fantasies beyond childhood? The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck explores this idea in distinctive detail. Gatsby looks into a mysterious man’s life in the 1920s and the secrets behind the extravagant parties he threw for all but himself, and his longing for a true love that consumed his sensibility. Of Mice and Men revolves around two peculiar young men in Great Depression era who worked to earn
There is no doubt that both Dexter Green and Jay Gatsby are destroyed by their ambition. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s two stories Winter Dreams and The Great Gatsby, both main characters lose their goals when they chase after them too much. The Great Gatsby is about a man who returns from war to chase after a previous sweetheart of his, despite her already being married. Winter Dreams is about a man who falls in love with a woman purely to prove he can fit in her social class. Despite the slight differences in their plots, both of the main characters a blinded by a hopeless love, are willing to do anything to reach their goals, and ultimately end up destroying themselves. There are several direct parallels between Gatsby and Green.
The American Dream is the dream that regardless of where you are born or what social class you are born into, anyone can attain their own version of success. In The Great Gatsby and The Pursuit of Happyness , both protagonists pursue the path to achieving their American Dream. For both Jay Gatsby and Christopher Gardner they are both given unfortunate privileges to where they start their journey. Both men are lower class citizens who make less than minimum wage salaries but that do not stop them from wanting to succeed. Chris’ story begins in a small apartment in San Francisco. Chris Gardner is a black man with a minimum wage job, who lives with his wife Linda and his 5 year-old son Christopher. One day, his wife leaves him because of his lack of income and motivation to provide for the family. That day, Chris devotes his life and his son’s life to a successful future. Chris and his son are pushed to their limits in the hope that Chris will achieve his American Dream of being a stockbroker. Jay Gatsby is quite similar to Chris Gardner in his story. He was born James Gatz in Louisville, Kentucky, to a couple who owned a poor farm. James was constantly working on his family’s farm and even worked other jobs as a child just to have a decent source of income. He was a lonely little boy who lacked motivation to do something with his life. It was only until he met Dan Cody that Gatsby’s life
Gatsby's dream was doomed to failure because of his lack of principles. This shows a major flaw of the American Dream philosophy, just like the get rich quick schemes of today, Jay is trying to buy Daisy?s love, not earn it. Nick attempts to tell Jay that his dream is pointless by saying that the past cannot be relived. Jay quickly told Nick, "Yes you can, old sport." This shows the confidence that Jay has in fulfilling his American Dream, and his commitment to it.
Gatsby was sent to war and they did not see each other for many years. Gatsby returned from war only to find out that the woman he loved was married. Gatsby realizes that his love dream with Daisy is only an illusion. Eventually Gatsby is killed because he took the blame for Daisy for the murder of a woman. Dexter as well as Gatsby had tragic love dreams. The only difference was that Dexter moved on with his life while Gatsby was tragically murdered. Dexter and Gatsby both had a dream of love but ended up with an unhappy ending.
For example, Dexter Green, although he has been hurt and abandoned by Judy Jones several times, broke his engagement with another woman as soon as Judy Jones stated she wanted to marry him. Fitzgerald is showing the reader that Americans will do anything, no matter how much they’ve experienced suffering because of it. Through Green, Fitzgerald shows that the American Dream is the most important thing to an American once they’ve decided to achieve it. Furthermore, Gatsby becomes a gangster and lives an empty life with lavish parties. Gatsby does all this because Fitzgerald wants to show how much an American will change their lives to achieve the dream. Gatsby’s suffering of an entire lifetime is just to win Daisy, which shows that an American is able to suffer lifetimes of hardships and low points in hopes of one day having the American Dream. Fitzgerald, through the actions of Gatsby and Green, comments upon the unlimited things that an American in pursuit of the American Dream will do.
The American Dream. The idea of fulfilling your life’s dreams, whether to marry, to retire, to buy a house or to fall in love, is a theme commonly shared in both Of Mice & Men by John Steinbeck and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. In Of Mice & Men, best friends George and Lennie travel from ranch to ranch in the hope of finally earning enough money to buy a house of their own. Yet due to Lennie’s mental disability, difficult situations for him lead to the end of their dream and the end of his life. Alternatively, in The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby has a life of money and parties – his world is seemingly complete, but the purpose of his social events are to try and catch the eye of his dream girl; Daisy. However, this too ends in defeat, and death. Steinbeck and Fitzgerald constantly portray the dream as unyielding and corrupt, as they are remote and leave the people involved disheartened and remorseful. Both novels are set in analogous times, and both in America, but the lives of the characters are very dissimilar – in The Great Gatsby, they live in New York, a city full of wealth thanks to Wall Street and the thousands of shops as well as the post-war parties of the roaring twenties, whereas in Of Mice & Men they live in an agricultural area with less money and less opportunities, in the dust-bowl of America,