The Great Gatsby Comparison

Julia Brenner Ms. Cosgriffe ENG4UI-05 03/06/24 Similarities Between The Great Gatsby and “A Dream” The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a famous novel from the 1920s, involving common themes of love, wealth and the American dream. It follows the life of Jay Gatsby and his pursuit of Daisy Buchanan's love and wealth. Similarly, the poem "A Dream” by Edgar Allan Poe discusses a specific dream using vivid imagery and symbolism to display the emotions that come with it. Both works have many similarities, such as an overwhelming emotion of heart-break, a focus on the past and the use of light imagery. Simply put, both the poem “A Dream” and the novel, The Great Gatsby, describe a similar dream that revolves around the past, resulting in emotion and longing. First of all, both the poem and the novel describe a dream that causes heart-breaking emotion. For instance, Edgar

Finally, both the poem and the novel describe a light just out of reach to symbolize the dream. First of all, the poem depicts a light shining through the darkness, far away. The poet states, “What though that light, thro' storm and night, So trembled from afar— What could there be more purely bright.” This light is used to symbolize the speaker's dream, that amidst the dark times in life the dream shines brightly, just out of reach but still visible in the author's eyes. Similarly, Nick sees Gatsby reaching out towards a similar light across the bay from his house. He observes that Gatsby “Stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock.“ (Fitzgerald 22-23) This symbolizes that Gatsby is reaching for his dream of being with Daisy, however it is always out of