Gatsby And Houdini
Harry Houdini and Jay Gatsby were both famous figures of the Roaring Twenties in America. Both men very much reflected, although in different ways, the wild, risk-taking standards of their times. Houdini was renowned for his incredible escapes and magic tricks. Gatsby, the main character in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, was a playboy and prominent member of Long Island society. Although different in many ways, both of them worked to find happiness in their personal lives. Both men were devoted to feminine characters: Houdini, to his mother and Gatsby, to his beloved Daisy. Neither could ultimately maintain his love. Despite their different personalities and interests, in struggling to find their roles in 1920's society, both Harry Houdini and Jay Gatsby shared some important similarities. Harry Houdini lived very modestly and became very interested in spiritual matters. He made his living performing death defying stunts in front of large crowds of people. In his book Ragtime, E.L. Doctorow writes of Houdini: "His life was absurd. He went all over all the world accepting all kinds of bondage and escaping." (Doctorow, p. 6) Some of the stunts were being lowered into the Detroit River while handcuffed inside a chain cask
While Houdini made a name for himself exposing phony spiritualist mediums, Gatsby's whole life is a fraud on others. He believes that having a big house and lots of riches will win over the girl he loves and allow him to find happiness in society. Gatsby is very much into appearances: he is extremely handsome, with wonderful manners. He owns a big house which is beautifully furnished. He also gives the appearance of having many friends and hosts many huge parties at his house. During these parties however he is often just alone by himself, not drinking or socializing. Many people at his parties did not even know who he was but were only there for the enjoyment of a good party. "We got up and she explained that we were going to find the host - I had never met him, she said, and it was making me uneasy. The undergraduate nodded in a cynical, melancholy way." (Fitzgerald, p. 49) Gatsby feels that society is very shallow and that people are very superficial so he distances himself and his feelings from most people. In addition, each man shares a dream based on love of a woman. For Houdini, he attempted to continue his relationship with his beloved mother throughout eternity. Gatsby's dream is to capture the heart of Daisy and be happy ever after with her. For both men, achieving their love is difficult: Houdini's mother because she is dead and Daisy because she is married to another man. Both romances are doomed to fail. Gatsby and Houdini both also use illusions in establishing themselves in society. Houdini used tricks and stunts while Gatsby tries to make himself look perfect with all his fine clothes, possessions and parties. In a sense both men were performers. Both characters create an image for themselves that make them appear to be pleased with who they were and what they did. They were both a product of the Roaring 20's emphasis on outwar
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Approximate Word count = 1258
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
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