Wasted Away “There can be no deep disappointment where there is no deep love.” (Martin Luther King Jr.) When love and understanding embeds itself between two extraordinary individuals, there will most undoubtedly be sorrow when the relationship ceases to exist. The novel The Great Gatsby and the short story Winter Dream, both by F. Scott Fitzgerald, each features an eligible man who becomes utterly devoted to a woman shortly after encountering her. Although both stories commence excessively similar, they end quite diversely. Even though the two stories are noticeably comparable, they end contrastingly apart as a result of the minuscule discrepancies within the stories. These modest differences and similarities lie within the approaches the …show more content…
The backgrounds of these two characters, Gatsby and Dexter, dictate how they make decisions when attempting to win Daisy’s and Judy’s affections. “Dexter Green’s father owned the second best grocery-store in Black Bear--the best one was “The Hub,”patronized by the wealthy people from Sherry Island--and Dexter caddied only for pocket-money.” (Fitzgerald 1) Because Dexter grew up with a surplus amount of money he was therefore not as determined to be with the girl of their dreams. Although the author reiterated throughout the short story that Dexter wanted to be with Judy, he does not actually do anything drastic to get Judy’s attention. Instead, he waits for Judy to approach him and acts quite serene when they are together. “He had been full of the idea so long, dreamed it right through to the end, waited with his teeth set, so to speak, at an inconceivable pitch of intensity.” (Fitzgerald 97). Because Gatsby grew up in the absence of money and only acquired what he had through strenuous work, he was not willing to let his dream go as easily as Dexter. Holding onto his dream of being with Daisy was exactly what Gatsby did until his life came to an abrupt end. Although Gatsby and Dexter both created elaborate dreams for themselves that were seemingly flawless, their dreams’ success was dictated by just one character’s
The novel The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitz Gerald embodies many themes. A major in the story is the pursuit of can be labelled the American Dream. The American Dream is defined as someone starting low on the economic or social level, and working hard towards prosperity and or wealth and fame. By having money, a car, a big house, nice clothes and a happy family symbolizes the American dream. The Great Gatsby shows what happened to the American Dream in the 1920’s, which is a time period when the dreams became corrupted for many reasons.
When she assured him that she had not kissed the other man, he knew she was lying--yet he was glad that she had taken the trouble to lie to him” (Winter Dreams, 5).This quote is showing how Judy would treat Dexter and how he would just still have a little hope that she cared about him. Just like in The Great Gatsby, Gatsby would hold onto something small like when Daisy would spend time with him or if she would lay her head on him. In both stories the men would hold onto some hope that they would be with the woman they wanted. Gatsby and Dexter would have done anything for Daisy and Judy.
The passage, Winter Dreams, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, has the same theme. A poor man loves a wealthier woman and revolves his life around trying to get her. To be able to relate to these characters and truly get a feel and understand each characters actions in these novels, readers must use intellectual empathy to put themselves in their shoes to see how they would feel and react in the same situation. Gatsby sees Daisy as not only a woman whom he loves, but also a symbol of his American dream of being seen as “old money”. Dexter does not see Judy for how she truly is; he sees her how he wants her to be.
“The dream was gone. Something had been taken from him.” F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote a story titled, Winter Dreams, and in that story there is a main character: Dexter Green. A boy who pursued his dreams to be perfect for one girl. At the beginning, he is a fourteen-year-old boy whose father owns the second best grocery and works for pocket change as a caddy at a golf course.
Through the early to mid 1900s, the concept of striving to attain more than one is originally born with became predominant in most American societies. During this era, many authors, through literature, began expressing their concern with the rise in materialistic ideals and its effect on society and the individuals living within it, one being F. Scott Fitzgerald. Two of Fitzgerald’s widely-known works of literature, The Great Gatsby and “Winter Dreams”, both heavily elaborate on the effects of the increase in materialism and the ultimate effects of attempting to achieve the American Dream; this is conveyed through the unhappiness of the Dexter and Gatsby despite their perseverance to acquire women of higher social statuses. These texts both reach the conclusion that the American Dream is not within reach of anyone. Fitzgerald’s representation of the unattainable American Dream is demonstrated in The Great Gatsby and “Winter Dreams” through his portrayal of the materialistic nature of society as well as the characters’ failure to possess the women they love.
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald portrays love, obsession, and objectification through the characters Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. Some might say their love was true and Gatsby’s feelings for her was pure affection, while others say that he objectifies and is obsessed with her. Perhaps Gatsby confuses lust and obsession with love, and throughout the novel, he is determined to win his old love back. At the end of the novel, Gatsby is met with an untimely death and never got to be with Daisy. The reader is left to determined if Gatsby’s and Daisy’s love was pure and real, or just wasn’t meant to be.
If Gatsby had created a new dream once he had Daisy, then he would have had something to look forward to and something to strive for.
Gatsby has the American Dream of being successful and wanting to marry the girl of his dreams. However, Fitzgerald argues that The American Dream is a paradox because dreams aren’t supposed to be achieved, and are better off to remain in one’s imagination. For example, Gatsby wants to marry the love of his life, Daisy Buchanan. Sadly Gatsby sets such a high standard for her that she will never be able to live up to. Gatsby envisions Daisy as the golden girl, and once he put his plan into action, he realizes
Gatsby’s relationship with Daisy and Dexter Green’s relationship is similar in observable ways. Daisy and Judy Jones are both in a higher social class than Gatsby and Dexter Green. Gatsby has been in love with Daisy for many years, as well as Dexter Green has been in love with Judy Jones for many years. Throughout both of these stories, each of the male characters has spent years going after the women of their dreams all to be disappointed by the outcome. Daisy will not be with Gatsby due to the social standards of her time.
The American Dream: Promising or Hopeless? A statement from the article “Rethinking the American Dream” reads, “(…) like so many before and after him, was overcome by the power of the American Dream” (Source E). The American Dream is the ideal that everyone should possess an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through determination. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel
Everyone is always chasing a dream they have, hoping one day that they will get it or it will come true. Sometimes this might not be the best case because if someone 's fantasy comes true, then what is next? In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald portrays a man, Jay Gatsby, who will never attain his dream to be with a girl, Daisy. Fitzgerald shows that unrealistic dreams will not be achieved; they are supposed to be practical and attainable because if the dreams are unrealistic, then they will never be reached and will cloud reality.
Jaco’Bee Campbell Ms.Thornton English 3H-0 18 September 2015 The Madness of Loving in the Past Finding love is hard but, once an individual finds love and then loses that special person the conflict is inevitable because the moments and memories were unforgettable. Although a person may convince himself that he is over his feelings, it is easy to drive himself crazy over something that should've been left behind. In the novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, portrays the main character Jay Gatsby as a person that is obsessed with his past which leads him to madness.
“Winter Dreams” was published in 1926. Francis Scott Fitzgerald is most well-known for his novel “The Great Gatsby”. A common theme he is known for is the American dream and how it is corrupt. Fitzgerald enjoys writing about the poor boy chasing after the rich girl. This story is about a man named Dexter Green trying to achieve the American dream by obtaining the girl he adores.
Love is the most powerful and mysterious force in the universe and a vital part of love is one’s sexuality, because it decides who you love. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a tragic novel set in the roaring twenties. The central theme in the story is love, and what it means in this time period of extravagance and lavish lifestyles. Questions arise about power and wealth, and what this signifies in a romantic relationship. The reality is that this is a loveless tale, because there is no love between the characters.
“It eluded us then, but that’s no matter – tomorrow we will run faster, stretch our arms farther...” describes the belief known as the American Dream stating that anyone can achieve success through hard work regardless of their past. The story The Great Gatsby, originally portrayed in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel and later Luhrmann’s film adaptation, explores the theme of the perversion of the American Dream. This is evident through analysis of the meaning of the American Dream; Fitzgerald’s portrayal of the characters of Gatsby, the Buchanan’s, and the Wilson’s; the symbolism behind locations such as The Valley of Ashes and West and East Egg; and the social norms of the successful, such as partying and drinking. “Gatsby believed in the green