Different eras in American literature have diverse characteristics, therefore, it is challenging to discover pieces of writing from separate eras that exhibit the same characteristics. Light romantic era and modernism prose have quite little in common, however, authors Washington Irving and F. Scott Fitzgerald show various traits that are comparable. Irving wrote “The Devil and Tom Walker” in the light romantic era, it is quite literally regarding Tom Walker and the devil. Tom Walker meets the devil accidentally and discovers a deal where he can make a substantial investment which will make him rich. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote “Winter Dreams” in the modernism prose era. Dexter, the principal male character in “Winter Dreams”, falls for the self-loving
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Scott Fitzgerald’s “Winter Dreams”.
Relationship and gender roles play a large part of how the main characters act and think. Certain points in each reading the male characters make decisions based on the female in their eye. With the decisions that are made, the journey of the main male characters changes. Within both stories, the women, drive the males to do negative things. In Irving's “The Devil and Tom Walker”, Tom’s wife urges him to do things “out of the mere spirit of contradiction” and to go against her simply because he is “determined not to do so to oblige his wife” (Irving 3). Whereas in Fitzgerald’s “Winter Dreams”, Dexter quit his job because he “was unconsciously dictated to by his winter dreams”, which was unusual since “there was anything merely snobbish in the boy” and Judy Jones loves only herself and is quite snobbish (Fitzgerald 2). From the men’s influence, the women also acted in ridiculous ways. This influence prompted Judy, from Fitzgerald’s “Winter Dreams”, to unintentionally destroy Dexter’s engagement with another woman.
Scott Fitzgerald’s “Winter Dreams”.
Relationship and gender roles play a large part of how the main characters act and think. Certain points in each reading the male characters make decisions based on the female in their eye. With the decisions that are made, the journey of the main male characters changes. Within both stories, the women, drive the males to do negative things. In Irving's “The Devil and Tom Walker”, Tom’s wife urges him to do things “out of the mere spirit of contradiction” and to go against her simply because he is “determined not to do so to oblige his wife” (Irving 3). Whereas in Fitzgerald’s “Winter Dreams”, Dexter quit his job because he “was unconsciously dictated to by his winter dreams”, which was unusual since “there was anything merely snobbish in the boy” and Judy Jones loves only herself and is quite snobbish (Fitzgerald 2). From the men’s influence, the women also acted in ridiculous ways. This influence prompted Judy, from Fitzgerald’s “Winter Dreams”, to unintentionally destroy Dexter’s engagement with another woman.