Gatsby And Houdini Essay Research Paper Harry free essay sample

Gatsby And Houdini Essay, Research Paper Harry Houdini and Jay Gatsby were both celebrated figures of the Roaring Twenties in America. Both work forces really much reflected, although in different ways, the wild, risk-taking criterions of their times. Houdini was renowned for his unbelievable flights and charming fast ones. Gatsby, the chief character in F. Scott Fitzgerald # 8217 ; s The Great Gatsby, was a man-about-town and outstanding member of Long Island society. Although different in many ways, both of them worked to happen felicity in their personal lives. Both work forces were devoted to feminine characters: Houdini, to his female parent and Gatsby, to his darling Daisy. Neither could finally keep his love. Despite their different personalities and involvements, in fighting to happen their functions in 1920 s society, both Harry Houdini and Jay Gatsby shared some of import similarities. Harry Houdini lived really modestly and became really interested in religious affairs. He made his life executing decease withstanding stunts in forepart of big crowds of people. In his book Ragtime, E.L. Doctorow writes of Houdini: # 8220 ; His life was absurd. He went all over all the universe accepting all sorts of bondage and escaping. # 8221 ; ( Doctorow, p. 6 ) Some of the stunts were being lowered into the Detroit River while handcuffed inside a concatenation coffin and being lowered upside down into a H2O anguish chamber. Houdini enjoyed being the centre of attending and ever wanted to affect people. He was invariably seeking for new and better ways to entertain people. Houdini had a great love for his female parent and after she died he became intrigued in seeking to reach the dead. # 8220 ; He thought of her at remainder in the casket under the Earth. He wept bitterly. He wanted to be following to her He knew what it was to be sealed in the Earth but he felt now it was the lone topographic point for him. What good was life without his darling small female parent? # 8221 ; ( Doctorow, pp.165-66 ) Houdini loved his female parent greatly and looked to her for counsel and when she died he was left inquiring what way his life would take without her aid. In fact, Houdini questioned whether life was even worth the problem to populate. Some of his hazard pickings can be explained by his captivation with withstanding decease. F. Scott Fitzgerald s character Jay Gatsby, on the other manus, enjoys the best things in life that money can purchase. He gives the visual aspect of being really happy and holding his personal life good in order. Unlike Houdini, Gatsby is non interested in religious things but is really mercenary. He tells everyone that he inherited his money when he was really a moonshiner and a criminal. He has a dark yesteryear. There are rumours that Gatsby was a German undercover agent in World War I and that he had killed a adult male. Gatsby lies all about his yesteryear to everyone he encounters. He claims that he inherited all his money when he really had nil to get down with and came by his money illicitly. # 8220 ; I thought you inherited your money. # 8221 ; # 8220 ; I did, old athletics, # 8221 ; he said automatically, # 8220 ; but I lost most of it in the large terror # 8211 ; the terror of the war. # 8221 ; ( Fitzgerald, p. 95 ) While Houdini made a name for himself exposing bogus medium mediums, Gatsby s whole life is a fraud on others. He believes that holding a large house and tonss of wealths will win over the miss he loves and let him to happen felicity in society. Gatsby is really much into visual aspects: he is highly fine-looking, with fantastic manners. He owns a large house which is attractively furnished. He besides gives the visual aspect of holding many friends and hosts many immense parties at his house. During these parties nevertheless he is frequently merely entirely by himself, non imbibing or socialising. Many people at his parties did non even cognize who he was but were merely there for the enjoyment of a good party. â€Å"We got up and she explained that we were traveling to happen the host – I had neer met him, she said, and it was doing me uneasy. The undergraduate nodded in a misanthropic, melancholic way.† ( Fitzgerald, p. 49 ) Gatsby feels that society is really shallow and that people are really superficial so he distances himself and his feelings from most people. Although they were really different work forces, Gatsby and Houdini shared some of import qualities on path to accomplishing their end of happening their topographic point in 1920 s society. Even though both work forces are ever the centre of attending or conversation they have really few existent friendly relationships. Actually, both work forces could be called lone wolfs. They both changed their names in hopes of seeking to go forth their yesteryear behind and better tantrum into American society. Even though he lives for the present, Gatsby s past continues to stalk him. # 8220 ; So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back endlessly into the past. # 8221 ; ( Fitzgerald, p. 189 ) The # 8220 ; boats # 8221 ; are symbolic of Gatsby s battle to happen himself while caught up in the mainstream, or # 8220 ; current # 8221 ; , of 1920 s values of philistinism, high life and large outward feelings. For Houdini, memories of his asleep female parent continue to stalk him, an d her decease creates a large nothingness in his life. While Gatsby is spiritually empty, Houdini undertook a religious journey, seeking to reach his female parent after decease. In add-on, each adult male portions a dream based on love of a adult female. For Houdini, he attempted to go on his relationship with his beloved female parent throughout infinity. Gatsby s dream is to capture the bosom of Daisy and be happy of all time after with her. For both work forces, accomplishing their love is hard: Houdini s female parent because she is dead and Daisy because she is married to another adult male. Both love affairs are doomed to neglect. Gatsby and Houdini both besides use semblances in set uping themselves in society. Houdini used fast ones and stunts while Gatsby tries to do himself look perfect with all his mulct apparels, ownerships and parties. In a sense both work forces were performing artists. Both characters create an image for themselves that make them look to be pleased with who they were and what they did. They were both a merchandise of the Roaring 20 # 8217 ; s accent on outward visual aspects and large hazard taking. They both took hazards in their ain manner. Gatsby moved with a fast, wild imbibing crowd and held parties all the clip. Houdini, on the other manus, did brainsick stunts in which he risked his life. Ultimately both work forces died in violent deceases. Houdini was punched in the tummy, at his ain petition, by a fan which ruptured his lien. Gatsby is shot and killed by an angry gas station proprietor whose married woman was run over and killed by Gatsby s car. For each adult male his decease resulted from his hazard taking behaviour: Gatsby in the hurrying car driven by Daisy and Houdini self-praise of his stone difficult tummy. Harry Houdini and Jay Gatsby are celebrated characters of The Roaring Twenties. Houdini was interested in religious affairs while Gatsby was highly mercenary. Although both work forces were really different, in their ain ways they really much reflected their times. In fighting to happen felicity and love, Gatsby and Houdini shared several of import similarities. Both work forces were basically lone wolfs despite seeking out crowds. Both work forces tried to get away their yesteryears. Each shared a dream based upon love of a adult female, a love that finally failed. Both work forces used semblances in their interactions with others. Both work forces suffered violent deceases that resulted from their pickings hazards. In happening their functions in society, hence, both Harry Houdini and Jay Gatsby shared some of import similarities.