Practically everyone desires of falling in love or becoming wealthy. Are these beneficial or harmful desires? Maybe both, or possibly none. Since the beginning of time, writers composed stories pertaining to these desires. F. Scott Fitzgerald is one such writer who intertwines a boy’s aspirations for wealth, with his infatuation of a beautiful girl. Considered one of his greatest works, “Winter Dreams” was written in 1922, and possibly written from fragments of Fitzgerald’s own past experiences. The two main characters: Dexter Green, a fourteen year old, upper middle class boy, who aspires to achieve the elite “wealthy” status. Whereas Judy Jones, an eleven year old girl born into the elite “wealthy” status is the emblematic spoiled little …show more content…
He abruptly decides to sell his half of the laundry business and move to New York. Dexter feels the move to New York will gain him the success and wealth he craves. The war comes to America changing Dexter’s plans. He decides to join the first officers’ training-camp. Seven years would go by, Dexter is thirty two now, and no longer in the military. True to his word he moved to New York, becoming a prominent business man. Dexter only returned home once in the past seven years. Working one day, a man by the name of Devlin walks into Dexter’s office to complete some business deals. Devlin and Dexter engage in conversation, and Devlin says that his best friend in Detroit has a wife that came from Dexter’s hometown. Devlin, tells Dexter that the woman’s name was Judy Jones and now is Judy Smith. Devlin proceeds to tell Dexter that her husband does not treat her well, he drinks, runs around, while she stays home with the kids. Devlin also explains how Judy’s beauty has faded with time. With business completed, Devlin leaves and Dexter descends into a pit of despair realizing the implications of what he …show more content…
He cannot contain himself anymore and tears start to run down his face. Not for him or Judy, but for his dreams that are gone forever. His life up to this point has been spent trying to satisfy his desires. Unfortunately, no matter how much wealth Dexter attains, his desire is never satisfied. Fitzgerald writes, “Long ago,” he (Dexter) said, “long ago, there was something in me, but now that thing is gone. Now that thing is gone, that thing is gone. I cannot cry. I cannot care. That thing will come back no more” (“Winter Dreams” 14). The sentence lets us know that Dexter has come to the realization that the dream has vanished, and is no longer attainable. Never truly finding happiness or satisfaction, his desires coexisted as a blessing and a
Because of Judy Jones’ infidelity, even though he knew it was going to happen, he decides to try to forget about her. As much as he tries, it is impossible for him to forget about Miss Judy Jones. He starts dating Irene Scheerer, her father knew Dexter very well and thought of him as a “Now there’s a boy” type of man. While with Irene, he agreed on that he could not have Judy Jones. He caused himself pain for no reason, he had been hurting himself and Irene by thinking of Miss Jones. Instead of him thinking about Judy Jones as being “priggish” he soon
The Great Gatsby shows the dehumanizing nature of wealth by creating a contrast between the rich and the poor. The point of this contrast is to illustrate the class struggle that was occurring in the country when Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby. The comparison between rich and poor is first developed in the beginning of the book when Tom and Nick are driving to New York. Fitzgerald further elaborates on the gross differences between rich and poor when Gatsby manages to avoid a speeding ticket. Fitzgerald also uses popular songs from the time period, “Aint’t We Got Fun”, to build his case of the class struggle between the rich and the poor. Fitzgerald uses The Great Gatsby to try and illustrate the issues that were facing the poor
Wealth can develop a unique interpretation upon a person’s life and can impact their future. Wealth can be such a strong impact on someone that can determine whether they’re selfish or a given person. Wealth can definitely be overpowering and misleading, which could portray their true identity. In the historical fiction novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, it shows us how misleading wealth can be in a person’s life.
The short story of “Winter Dreams” was written around the same time that Fitzgerald was developing ideas for a story to turn into a novel. While The Great Gatsby wasn’t published until 1925, “Winter Dreams” débuted in 1922 and the similarities between the novel and short story were done on purpose. “Winter Dreams” became a short draft which Fitzgerald paralleled The Great Gatsby after, but also differentiated the two in specific ways (“Winter Dreams” 217). The main characters are both men, Jay Gatsby and Dexter Green, who desire for the American dream, not necessarily for themselves, but in order to lure back the women they idealize. In The Great Gatsby and “Winter Dreams” F. Scott Fitzgerald’s constant theme is shown through the
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a novel about a rich socialite, Jay Gatsby, who tries to win back his love, Daisy Buchannan. Nick Caraway, Daisy’s cousin, is the narrator who brings the reader through the time of the roaring twenties to tell the story of Jay Gatsby. The 1974 film of The Great Gatsby, directed by Jack Clayton, follows the detailed storyline closely by mirroring it, but also adds and takes away some aspects of the story. There are many comparisons that can be made as well as contrasts through the actor, scenery, music, and script choices for the film.
In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald employs the use of characters, themes, and symbolism to convey the idea of the American Dream and its corruption through the aspects of wealth, family, and status. In regards to wealth and success, Fitzgerald makes clear the growing corruption of the American Dream by using Gatsby himself as a symbol for the corrupted dream throughout the text. In addition, when portraying the family the characters in Great Gatsby are used to expose the corruption growing in the family system present in the novel. Finally, the American longing for status as a citizen is gravely overshot when Gatsby surrounds his life with walls of lies in order to fulfill his desires for an impure dream. F.
The world is full of powerful forces that control people from all corners of the globe, but one of the most powerful and far-reaching force is money. Money is something that controls multiple people's lives and their decisions, sometimes people revolve their lives around money. Just like in the real world, in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, money is a large concept in the book and is a motivator for multiple characters. The Great Gatsby is about Nick as he follows the story of Jay Gatsby and his quest to gain money and uses theses riches to win over his past lover, Daisy. Gatsby is not the only character that uses money to get his way or is materialistic, as multiple
Novelists such as Willa Cather and F. Scott Fitzgerald used themes of desire of wealth as a fundamental element to motivate their characters. In their novels, the theme is reflected by the rich Americans who primal desire is to obtain more and more wealth. These characters are so infatuated with and blinded by money that they no longer regard the more noble qualities of life. In each of their works, these authors present intricate, self-conscious characters that desire wealth in order to attain their dreams. In reality, wealth cannot buy people, ideas or even time.
The Great Gatsby a, novel written by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald, follows a cast of characters abiding in the town of East and West Egg on affluent Long Island in the summer of 1922. Each of the characters, while part of the same story line, have different priorities and agendas, each character working towards achieving what they think would benefit them the most. As The Great Gatsby’s plot thickens the characters constantly show their discontent of the American Dream that they are living, always expressing their greed for more, three particular offenders of this deadly sin are Tom, Daisy and Gatsby himself. The characters motives stem from a mixture of boredom, a need and longing for the american dream, and simple selfish human
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, money plays a large role in the character’s lives. Money is used to change their appearances throughout the novel. All the characters use their money in a different way. Gatsby attempts to use his money to win back his one true love, Daisy. Myrtle Wilson uses money she does not have to change her appearance towards others. But others are used to having wealth, and they are experienced in the ways of being rich. These people include Tom and Daisy Buchanan. The narrator, Nick Caraway, moves east searching for wealth, but never achieves that goal. The entire novel is filled with wealth and riches, but is money to be seen as a
F. Scott Fitzgerald, ‘’who was not only part of the irresponsible and extravagant life of The Roaring Twenties, but he also helped named this era, The Jazz Age with his novels.’’(Mescal Evler 587) The Roaring Twenties gave people the opportunity to become wealthy. Many people at the time of this era were making a lot of money and partying. Fitzgerald most well-known novel, The Great Gatsby, was based on The Roaring Twenties. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald makes us wonder and speculate whether the pursuit of wealth is a noble aspect of life or does it lead to corruption and shower greed upon an individual.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, one of the finest American authors of the twentieth century wrote The Great Gatsby during the Jazz Age to critique the distortion of the American dream, and his work has lasted long past his lifetime. Fitzgerald discusses the nature of love and wealth and stresses the importance of defining a person beyond their external position. In his novel, letter to his daughter, and the screenplay adapted from the novel, it is clear that F. Scott Fitzgerald utilizes exposition, narration, and imagery to illustrate how people in the 1920s did not understand the meaning of true love and worried about superficial characteristics, thus resulting in the corruption of the American dream from the pursuit of true love and equality to the pursuit of wealth and discrimination; however, he moralizes that human beings are capable of emotional growth and of escaping the illusion of wealth.
“But with every word she was drawing further and further into herself so he gave that up, and only the dead dream fought on as the afternoon slipped away, trying to touch what was no longer tangible, struggling unhappily towards that lost voice across the room” (134)
F. Scott Fitzgerald was an american author with several breathtaking novels and short stories. Among his most well known pieces of literature is The Great Gatsby which is a about a rich man who is in love with a married woman. “Winter Dreams” is also another piece of literature that Fitzgerald wrote. “Winter Dreams” is about a man's dream of becoming wealthy and dream of marrying the woman he loves. These two pieces of literature are very similar in various aspects that are noticeable as the reader compares the two. The constant mention of the desire of love and the desire for luxury demonstrates that these two things are not always the key to a happy life.
The short story “Winter Dreams” was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and was first seen by anyone in December of 1922 when it appeared in Metropolitan Magazine. The story also illustrates many of the same themes as “The Great Gatsby,” the greatest novel in American history. “Winter Dreams” is about a young man named “Dexter” who has desires, but thinks the only way he can have them is if he is rich. His ambition gets the best of him when he strives for everything he cannot have. When unmasked to reality, your dreams can expire instantaneously.