In relation to the archetypal ‘American Dream’, compare and contrast the main characters in ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘Gone with the Wind’: to what extent can Jay Gatsby and Rhett Butler be considered heroes?

... In relation to the archetypal 'American Dream', compare and contrast the main characters in 'The Great Gatsby' and 'Gone with the Wind': to what extent can Jay Gatsby and Rhett Butler be considered heroes? Neither Jay Gatsby nor Rhett Butler can be considered stereotypical heroes, them not being fairytale princes or purveyors or moral justice; yet they are protagonists in their own stories. Why do people believe they fulfil the model of a hero? Both Gatsby and Butler are the creations of authors with a great deal of satirical distaste for the situations they describe. Is this a clue to the type of character both Jay Gatsby and Rhett Butler are? They both seem to aspire to the 'American Dream' but are missing love from their lives. Could it be their pursuit of true love that persuades readers and characters to consider them as heroes? I believe that it is integral

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