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 …showed first 75 words of 1258 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1258 total…Gatsby and Houdini shared several important similarities. Both men were essentially loners despite seeking out crowds. Both men tried to escape their pasts. Each shared a dream based upon love of a woman, a love that ultimately failed. Both men used illusions in their interactions with others. Both men suffered violent deaths that resulted from their taking risks. In finding their roles in society, therefore, both Harry Houdini and Jay Gatsby shared some important similarities.