A Comparison of the Ways in Which Fitzgerald and Bronte...

A comparison of the ways in which Fitzgerald and Bronte present their heroes. (2742 words) In both Wuthering Heights and The Great Gatsby, the authors have put the central focus for the readers on the romantic heroes of the text. The romantic heroes in the two texts are Gatsby and Heathcliff. These two characters are both very similar and very different and the following is a comparison of how each of them is presented in the novels. One thing which both Gatsby and Heathcliff have in common is that they both have a mysterious past, which the readers know very little about. In Heathcliffs case, we are aware that he was an orphan living on the streets of Liverpool when he was adopted by Mr Earnshaw. Coming from such a humble and†¦show more content†¦Gatsby wanted to become rich in order to be worthy of the only women he had ever felt close to. Daisy Buchannan was the love the love of his life and Gatsby knew the only was to win her back was to become rich and therefore a member of a higher social class. However Heathcliffs main reason for amassing such wealth was not just to prove to Catherine that he was worthy of her, in the same way that Gatsby, but also to enact revenge on Hindley who had tormented him since the death of Mr Earnshaw. Another similarity between these two men is that they both made their money illegally. In The Great Gatsby we discover that Gatsby made his money through bootlegging, org anized crime and other illegal activities, in contrast we are not told how Heathcliff made his money although because Bronte did not disclose this information, the readers assume this. The incentive for making themselves rich, was part of each mans plan to reinvent himself. This is self evident in Wuthering Heights as Heathcliff begins as an orphan on the streets, to a pampered son, to a common labourer then eventually a gentleman in procession of two large estates. Gatsby undergoes a similar transformation, except his in somewhat theatrical. Whereas Heathcliff reinvention is actually a change is social stature, Gatsby becomes a new person. This person is called Jay Gatsby, who has become very wealthy through illegal activities