Alcohol in its many forms The use of alcohol has many different physical properties. In the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the play A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams, alcohol plays a rather compelling and symbolic role. For instance alcohol occurs in both texts in the form of social meanings of having a good time and can also lead to violence. Therefore, the authors are trying to get across that alcohol is used, in different ways, to convey the moral degradations of society. To illustrate, in The Great Gatsby, alcohol is a social lubricant. For instance Nick Caraway says he has only drank twice. The second time was when Tom invited him to a party at his apartment in New York City, where he has his affairs with his mistress myrtle. Nick drinks to mute out the chatter and gossiping about Gatsby and describes everyone as superficial and fake. He describes the whole afternoon as “[having] a dim, hazy cast over it” (Fitzgerald 32).Although when The Great Gatsby takes place, the Eighteenth A...
The thought of having an immense sum of money or wealth bring certain people to believe that money can buy almost anything, even happiness, however in reality, it will only lead to lost and false hope. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald writes a story about a man named Gatsby who is a victim of this so called 'false hope' and 'lost.' Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald clearly demonstrates and elaborates on the relationship between having money, wealth, and one's ethics or integrity by acknowledging the idea that the amount of money or wealth one has attained does affect the relationship between one's wealth and one's ethics whether or not in a pleasant manner. Although money and wealth may not be able to buy a person happiness, it surely can buy a person's mind and action given that a wealthy person has a great deal of power. Fitzgerald analyzes the notion that even though many people dream of being both rich and ethical, it is not possible, and therefore, being poor and ethical is much better than trying to be rich and ethical.
Carraway describes the atmosphere as “spilled with prodigality” (Fitzgerald 44). Gatsby’s fills his parties with wasteful extravagances like alcohol, and his efforts toward love end up as futile. The people, instead of appreciating Gatsby, backhandedly gossip about his past as a German spy, and simply partake in the alcohol being served (Fitzgerald 48). Instead of representing the upper echelon’s of 1920s’ society, in contrast to the poor, the party-goers appear weak, superficial, and unworthy of such acclaim, especially when given their tendency to gossip. With this depiction of the partiers, Fitzgerald showcases the hollow nature of 1920s society, lacking in morality and
According to the U.S. Institute of Medicine and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, "Alcohol problems arise through a complex interaction of personal, interpersonal, and social factors" (24). This alcoholism 's categorization divides into three levels: individual, interpersonal and social allows people to understand that alcoholism is much more complex than a simple personal whim. To illustrate this point, the movie The Last Time I Saw Paris symbolically starts showing Charlie at a bar drinking alcohol. The first person who greets him is a bartender who offers him a drink. Charlie does not need more people to go the bar and get a drink. However, the movie, also, shows Charlie drinking when he finds his friend Claude Matine and Marion; they offer him a drink for their encounter, and then, all of them are in a big party with plenty of liquor. Those scenes described above are a representation of two different levels of Charlie’s drinking. He does not need a special occasion to drink; however, if there is any motive, it is even
In the novel The Great Gatsby and the play A Streetcar Named Desire the main characters James Gatsby and Blanche Dubois have a lengthy search for love. Both characters go about their search in similar and different ways. The characters choose illusion over reality, but the way in which they go about it differs. Also in an attempt to impress, both characters try and “buy” love by using material possessions to attract people to them. Although Gatsby and Blanche devote a lot of their lives to finding true love, their searching leaves them unsuccessful.
“Humankind cannot bear very much reality.” (T.S. Eliot) By constructing a comparative discussion, say to what extent you consider this to be useful in understanding The Great Gatsby and A Streetcar Named Desire.
Americans in the 1920s were fresh off of World War I and freshly into the Prohibition Era. The American Dream was well defined- a life of wealth, comfort, and exuberance. After a World War I victory, the Dream was thought to be in the near future for every American. The country was seen as a world superpower, wealthy after the devastation of a war fought entirely overseas and brimming with hope and possibility- at least on the surface. Despite the highs experienced by much of the country, it wasn't without its problems. Crime violence was benevolently running the streets and the Speakeasies beyond the reach of full Prohibition, the world was being set-up for The Great Depression, and America was brimming with members of the "Lost Generation." This generation and the hypocrisies and idiosyncracies of the "American Dream" inspired a rising and influential set of artists, poets and writers, and a list of best-selling books that both reflected and inspired the generation that devoured them. Authors such as Ernest Hemingway, Edith Wharton, Anita Loos, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Sinclair Lewis were some of the popular fiction authors of the 1920s who both entertained and delighted their readers, while also offering an intelligent reality check about the limits and realities of the American Dream.
There is no young person refusing to drink who saves themselves from some horror. There is no questioning of the alcohol, there is no worry about the alcohol, and Fitzgerald has no character abstain from drinking. Nevertheless, there is still a temperance-influenced lesson here. Jim’s father is killed because he drank too much and got into a “brawl” (143). Nancy, who drinks the most at the party, is also the character who ends up in the worst circumstances. While drunk she brings herself personal and financial ruin by accruing gambling debts, embarrassing herself by declaring her love for Jim, and worst of all, ends up married to a man that she does not love. She does not seem to have a problem with all of her mistakes until she “sobered up and rushed back into town, crying and frightened to death—claim[ing] it’d all been a mistake” (157). It is only after she is sober that she regrets her actions. Fitzgerald shows, perhaps sub-consciously, that drinking too much leads to
Several individuals mark Gatsby to be a man of great wealth, with a beautiful estate, and an abundance of friends. To illustrate, parties that are hosted at Gatsby’s house are magnificent, filled with professional entertainment, music and dancers, and guests varying from politicians to movie stars. Fitzgerald paints the picture of the parties at Gatsby’s house in great detail in this passage “The bar is in full swing and floating rounds of cocktails permeate the garden outside until the air is alive with chatter and laughter and casual innuendo and introductions forgotten on the spot and enthusiastic meetings between women who never knew each other’s names.” (Fitzgerald 44). It can be seen that these were extravagant parties filled with lust and alcohol. The evidence shows that no ordinary man would be throwing parties of this form, only a man with great wealth and resources would pull of such a feat. Furthermore, this was the prohibition era, which meant that alcohol and the consumption of alcohol was illegal. After this brief look into Gatsby’s life, one can understand why he was considered “great”, but to truly understand Gatsby’s greatness, one must look into his
The quintessential American is someone who has aspirations, able for self-improvement, and self invention. Jay Gatsby and Oprah Winfrey show all these qualities. They never settle for less, have goals, and they reinvent themselves. From humble background to exciting new lives. They show that anyone can be anything they want to be, if they put their mind to it. Instantly, their lives changed for the better with only one change in their lives. Jay leaving his home, and Oprah being recognized for her voices. These two show qualities of perseverance, strength, and willingness that everyone needs to become the quintessential American.
This notion may very well be based on Fitzgerald’s own experiences with alcohol (O’Hearn). When one of Gatsby’s guests is describing Miss Baedeker’s typical drunken behavior, she notes that “‘when she’s had five or six cocktails she’s always screaming like that’” (Fitzgerald 106). Going along with the pattern of regularly drinking in excess in Gatsby’s world, guests at his parties regularly make fools of themselves while under the influence. The fact that no one is worried about the woman acting peculiarly because she “always” acts in this manner exhibits the unfortunate regularity and degrading tendencies of those who drink too
Gatsby, unsatisfied with his humble origins, wanted a life of sumptuous parties, fancy clothing, and the woman of his dreams. This led him to the corrupt underground world of illegal operations, especially the smuggling of alcohol. The 1920’s marked a decade of loose moral and social values. People were engaged in an era of consumerism as displayed by Gatsby’s parties. This hindered the pursuit of more righteous goals which in turn led to the rejection of the American ideals.
It was widely known that “drunkenness, and the related loss of self-control, was associated with the lower classes” and therefore had negative connotations (Harding Victorians and Alcohol). Spirits, a popular hard liquor, “had become the everyday drink for less wealthy people” and “laborers commonly used spirits to flee from their desolate everyday lives” (Harding Victorians and Alcohol). The awful working and living conditions of the working class contributed to their “hard, controlled, and monotonous life, [leading] to excessive drinking of hard liquor” (Harding Victorians and Alcohol). This excessive drinking would sometimes result in public intoxication which was “regarded as anti-s...
Drinking was considered to be the “fashionable vice of the day” ( Ferguson 532), much in the same way that smoking was the fashionable the twenties and excessive dieting and is now. The use of alcohol in America reached its peak of per capita consumption during the first half of the nineteenth century, the same time that “Rip Van Winkle” was published. (Ferguson 532). Excessive drinking in public was considered to be normal, it was even encouraged for young males to drink in public. It was a bonding activity, an excuse to gossip like women, and an escape from their home life. In Ferguson’s essay on Rip Van Winkle, he states that there was a “male drinking cult that pervaded all social and occupational groups” (532). It wasn’t an outing or successful get together unless the party was drinking and made sure everyone knew they were doing so. The tavern, or inn, in Rip Van Winkle is described as a “perpetual club of the sages, philosophers, and other idle personages of the village”(Irving 44). The bar was a gathering place where men could get together and complain about their lives and the inner workings of the town, and, because of their drunken states, there was no blame placed upon them because they were not responsible for their actions. In the early part of the nineteenth century, heavy drinking was considered to be a sign of individuality and personal expression rather than a
I was so drunk last night that I cheated on my girlfriend, but I don’t remember it, so does it count? People instinctively try to place blame on anything but themselves, and alcohol presents itself as the perfect escape route for a guilty conscience. People often find themselves making impulsive decisions more frequently while under the influence of alcohol. However, how much poor behavior can alcohol excuse before a person must accept the consequences for their own actions? Tennessee Williams delves into the theme of alcohol dependence throughout his play, A Streetcar Named Desire. Throughout the play, both Blanche and Stanley seem to rely heavily upon liquor. Alcohol is used as both a crutch and an excuse for poor behavior in A Streetcar Named Desire, and has become even more prevalent in today’s society.
In the novel, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald peers into American life during the roaring 1920s. In the story, Fitzgerald not only discusses the ideas of power and greed but also that of social stratification. Fitzgerald focuses on the thought of a contemporary society: In chapter 3 Gatsby's holds a party that s both a description and parody of Jazz Age decadence. It presents the fortitude of conspicuous use, and is an amalgam of the boorish and the reputable. Fitzgerald accentuates the unique social classes through the descriptions of Gatsby himself, the guest’s behaviors, and the conclusion of the party, in order to suggest the superficiality of society.