Shallow Rich Girl example essay topic

The Great Dreams Have you ever seen something or someone that you knew you had to have? In the short story "Winter Dreams" and the novel The Great Gatsby, Dexter and Jay Gatsby seek what they cannot have. They work hard to get in a position where the girls will start to notice them. They share the similar goal of getting the shallow rich girl, they contain similar themes and settings, but they differ in plot and point of view. The most noticeable similarity between the two tales is the point of view and the settings. "Winter Dreams" is told in a narrative fashion, while The Great Gatsby was told threw the eyes of a minor character.

Both stories are set in 1920's America. It was a time of great prosperity and prohibition, a policy that forbids alcoholic beverages by law. The great prosperity allowed for Dexter's laundry to succeed, making him wealthy. While prohibition allowed Gatsby to gain his wealth threw bootlegging alcohol. According to Tom Buchanan "bootlegging is how these people got rich". The two protagonists both started out with humble beginnings, and became fabulously wealthy for the sole purpose of getting the girl.

The girls of the two stories are comparable in numerous ways. They are both fake, shallow, wealthy, high class women that are highly desired by men. Judy is a girl that sleeps around; she is willing to be with a poor man once, but that's all. Daisy is sardonic and somewhat cynical, and behaves superficially to mask her pain at her husband's constant infidelity. She believes that "a rich girl cannot marry a poor man". They both wanted the protagonist once upon a time.

Daisy could not say that she did not love her husband, and thus she stayed with him. As for Judy, Dexter realized her shallowness and stopped his pursuit. The protagonists both made these girls the single goal of all their dreams. These females, however, have no interest in marrying the once poor protagonist. Daisy had already been married when Gatsby gained his wealth and attempted to win her. That didn't stop him from trying, but her love for her husband caused him to fail.

I believe that the bullet in his back was the only way to stop Gatsby from trying. Unlike Gatsby, Dexter realized the shallowness of Judy, and decided it would be for the best if he does not win her. Unfortunately Dexter's dream was crushed and he will never be the same again. Without Judy as his wife, his life seems meaningless. In the end, neither protagonist got the girl. These stories shared similar beginning, similar themes, and a similar, yet different ending.

Dexter became even richer, while Judy is in a normal marriage and has lost her beauty. Gatsby was shot in the back by Myrtle's husband, while daisy continued to behave superficially. The theme of both stories is that love can't conquer all, but can be used to motivate great things. Both protagonists gained an unbelievable amount of wealth, considering their begging, yet they did not win the girl.