The Great Gatsby - Essay Example

Despite the difference in character, in terms of the personality, he can be compared to the Gatsby comparing their behaviors and how they handle issues. The focus of Charlie and Gatsby is behavior change although Gatsby intention is to change is based on the desire to win the love of his life and not for change. According to Henriques, Charlie Wales have a likeable character because of his ability to persuade the people of his struggle (Henriques 45). On face value, Charlie appears to be determined to stop drinking, but the same may not be true because the character still has a motive of drinking one bottle per day.

Unlike Gatsby, Charlie is able to control those around him by use of his charm. He is physically attractive which attracts Lorraine and Marion. The reasoning and argument of Charles appear sensible but later on it becomes evident that it is a nonsensical argument based on Charlie’s behavior. The power of speech of Charlie makes it easy for him to convince the listeners by offering only the positive side of his personality. The depiction of helplessness in the story is clearly by the power of speech and persuasiveness of Charlie.

In his argument, Charlie argues that he does not want to give alcohol undue power over him , but still loves drinking, thus; the creation of the slogan; “one drink a day” (Fitzgerald, Babylon Revisited 67). . The ability to persuade the public on the nature of his weakness makes the situation differently and facilitates the development of positivity with other characters in the story. Charlie’s past life is as a product of stress caused by the collapse of the market in 1929. The collapse of the stock market led to loss of property as well as the development of serious problems in terms of the alcoholism Jay Gatsby is the main character of the novel and the focus of the novel is on the behavior of Gatsby.

Compared to Charlie, he is not physically as attractive but has the desire to acquire wealth without attending studying. The desire for luxury leads to college drop out because he did not like the janitorial job that helped in financing his education. The difference between Charlie and Gatsby is on the personal attitude towards wealth. Gatsby despises poverty, which leads him to engage in organized crime, to accrue wealth. The lack of charm is evident in the way he deals with the issue the love of his life.

He fails to win the affection of Daisy despite loving her (Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby 56). After the world war, he realizes that Daisy is to Tom Buchanan, but still struggles to try and convince her that he is the right person for her. The determination of Charlie is different from Gatsby because Gatsby focuses on behavior change in order to win the love of his life. Charlie, on the other hand, is in the past and does not want change entirely because of remorse. Charlie is living in the past while Gatsby tries to change the present situation.

Gatsby goes back to school with the sole purpose to impress Daisy and convince her that he is compelling enough (Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby). Charlie and Gatsby fail in their