Similarities Between Winter Dreams And The Great Gatsby

The statement made by Marius Bewley's critical essay "Scott Fitzgerald: The Apprentice Fiction", "Fitzgerald's ultimate subject is the character of the American Dream in which, in their respective ways, his principle heroes are all trapped.", can be justified through Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby and his short story "Winter Dreams". In both pieces of literature, Fitzgerald explores and comments upon Americans and their pursuit of the American Dream through Jay Gatsby and Dexter Green's pursuit of their "golden girls". Fitzgerald shows that the American Dream is not easily achieved by giving each leading man obstacles in the pursuit of their golden girl. Both Jay Gatsby and Dexter Green face many obstacles while trying to win their golden girl. For example, Jay
For example, Gatsby lives and builds his whole life in pursuit of Daisy. He tries his whole life to relive the past in hopes that one day he will be good enough for Daisy and be able to have her. Fitzgerald is showing the reader how much of an American's life is revolved around the American Dream. That Americans don't simply try to achieve the dream but use any means necessary to do it. In addition, Green finds out that Judy no longer has the spark and life that he admired and loved so much, " ‘Long Ago,' he said, ‘long ago, there was something in me, but now that thing is gone.' " Green is saying that he is empty now because he knows that he can no longer have Judy, the Judy that he loved and knew. Fitzgerald is showing how an American lives their entire life for The American Dream and when they lose that, there is nothing left for them because their entire lives have revolved around having The American Dream. Through Gatsby's choices and Green's losses, Fitzgerald is able to show the reader the importance of the American Dream and how Americans make them life long