Similarities Between Jay And George Wilson In The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby presents a story of two men who live in the 1920s in a society that is being ruled by the wealthy. Those that are not rich or did not inherit their money are considered outsiders. In this novel Jay Gatsby and George Wilson are both society’s outsiders. These two characters are not very alike and have many differences. For example, Jay Gatsby is a hopeless romantic, he is wealthier and more successful, and is a mystery to many people. Unlike Wilson who is a poverty-stricken man, he is controlled by his wife and has absolutely no personality. There are very alike for example, they both live in the less fortunate sides of the city, and both of their lives take an unexpected and gruesome turns. Ultimately,

The difference between Jay and George is that George comes from a much lower social class. He lives in a garage “where the interior is unprosperous and bare” (25) the garage is very simple, small and bad looking just like George Wilson the owner. The garage is located in the Valley of Ashes the “a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges” (Fitzgerald 26). It is a very depressing place between West Egg and New York city it, where the poor people who have no ambition or purpose of life, like George Wilson live. The Valley of Ashes is a desolated area of land that represents absolute poverty and hopelessness. Wilson neediness is also shown through the way he represents himself, he “appears in the door of an office, wiping his hands on a piece of waste’ (25). Wilson does not care much about his appearance which means that he does not care what others think of him. He has no money and is unable to afford nice and expensive clothes. Also, Wilson is clueless about everything that is going on around him. He

Gatsby is a wealthy and successful man who lives in the West Egg which is “the less fashionable of the two” (5) the people who come from the “new money”. “New money” people had to work hard to earn their money and they actually care about others. Unlike, the people that live in the East Egg called the “old money” which is considered to be the wealthier side because the people who live there were born rich. However, Gatsby is very wealthy and this is shown through his house that looks like a “factual imitation of Hotel de Ville in Normandy, more than forty acres of lawn and garden” (5). Gatsby’s house looks like a huge hotel that was built for the Queen the house itself represents Gatsby’s fortune. Another evidence of his wealth is the colossal parties in his “mansion” (5) that he throws every week. Gatsby’s parties are always loud and big, many rich and famous people attend his parties. Furthermore, Gatsby is a very mysterious and everyone who attends his parties spreads rumors about him “[they] say he’s a nephew or a cousin of Kaiser Wilhelm’s” (32). This shows that no one knows anything about Gatsby he is very secretive and distant from people who he has no interest in. Finally, Gatsby is described as a hopeless romantic he has “an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness” (2). There is only one woman who Gatsby truly loves more than anything and for who he is willing to sacrifice everything