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Great Gatsby V. Winter Dreams

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Great Gatsby V. Winter Dreams
Lauren George
Honors Eng. IV
Mr. Ark
The Great Gatsby vs. “Winter Dreams” In F. Scotts Fitzgerald’s works, “Winter Dreams” and The Great Gatsby the reader cannot help but to notice how alike the characters. From desire starting at a young age for fabulous things to the extravagant women they will never possess, Jay Gatsby and Dexter Green, are modeled right after one another. The women they have an undying love for are also alike. The reader can pick up on the many similarities the minor characters of GG have with the main characters of “WD.” Dexter Green and Jay Gatsby have much in common. From the start of their young lives they both strove to live in a world full of wonderful things. In “WD” it makes mention that Dexter “wanted [the] glittering things” and that also he, “reached out for the best without knowing why he wanted it.” And in GG, James Gatz escaped his poor upbringing, took on a new identity, and established himself on West Egg in a mansion that held the city’s most extraordinary parties. Both of their endeavors to become the best led them on a downhill path of undying love for two women who would never love them back. The men both went out of their way to be with these women. Dexter made the effort “to be on hand at dances where Judy Jones was likely to appear,” while Gatsby bought his massive mansion so that Daisy’s house would be across the bay. They both grasped on to the dream that one day these women would love them back too. After realizing their dreams of true love were broken both men had nothing left to live for. In GG, Nick says, “[Gatsby] must have felt he had lost the…world, paid a high price for living too long with a single dream.” Dexter mourns the loss of his love, Judy, when he reflects, “…he had… seen her fade away before his eyes.” Although there are differences between the two leading ladies, Judy Jones and Daisy Buchannan, they have vast similarities. Both Judy and Daisy come from money, are beautiful, and are shallow.

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