The Great Gatsby vs. The House of Mirth

Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby features many similarities to Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth.  Both stories feature a love story that never seems to be able to happen.  The timing in both stories never seemed to be quite right.  "[Gatsby] came back from France when Tom and Daisy were still on their wedding trip, and made a miserable but irresistible journey to Louisville on the last of his army pay," (Fitzgerald, 152).  The quote shows Gatsby just missed his opportunity to capitalize on the relationship he and Daisy shared.  This occurred many times in Wharton's tale as well, as Selden and Lily nearly got together several times, but never actually got it right.  In Fitzgerald's work, an angry husband and an eventual car crash prevent Gatsby and Daisy from being together.  Wharton tells a story where Lily Bart is prevented from happiness due to her selfishness and social consciousness.  The stories seems to mirror each other in the social structure of the times, yet the characters must deal with different types of problems.  Though these stories have some strong differences, the themes of these stories are closely related, and many similarities can be found.