COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF DORIAN GRAY AND JAY GATSBY

Abstract

The heroes of the novels “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by O. Wilde and “The Great Gatsby” by F. S. Fitzgerald personify the epoch in which they live. They are united by a common conflict, but their polarity can be explained by the choice of ways to solve it. Dorian Gray and Jay Gatsby are people who sought to know what was beyond their capabilities. They attempted to rebel against the established foundations, but were defeated. Using their example, the writers showed how destructive the experience of a dream colliding with reality can be. Gray and Gatsby are defeated in the struggle with reality. They are initially doomed: the desire for eternal youth turns into Dorian’s mental anguish, and the dream of returning his beloved turns into a tragedy for Jay.