Comparison: Winter Dreams and Great Expectations

Dreams and Expectations

The story “Winter Dreams” and the movie Great Expectations (based on the book by Charles Dickens) both tell rite-of-passage tales about men in search of beauty and wealth. The stories both begin when the men are boys and fall in love at first sight with girls who are as stunning as they are pretentious. These girls become the symbols of the great quest for beauty, the great journey in search of a top-notch spot within America’s social hierarchy. These girls also become women… women who torture the men, yet please them just as easily. Only one story has a happy ending, but both reveal tragedy in a new light. These memorable men find the beauty and the wealth in the least expected, most thought provoking ways.
Dexter Green is the man with winter dreams, and the great expectations are for Finnegan Bell. Their common quest for beauty stems from the nature that constantly surrounds, fascinates and inspires them.
Dexter finds his gorgeousness early...