F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby is a platform for the hidden reality of America in the 1920s. The 1920’s were a time of extravagant changes, due to America’s eagerness to return to how it once was. As the decade progressed, the economy boomed and America launched the age of consumerism, as millions flock to the cities seeking stock market fortunes. There is no longer a vision of building a life and falling in love, it’s all about becoming rich. The major cities grew rapidly with the building of skyscrapers, showing off the advancements of American society. Countless American’s wanted to enjoy themselves as much as they possibly could by participating in extravagant parties and drinking excessively. The Great Gatsby explores many …show more content…
of the ideas reflected during this time of tumult. The prominent themes within the story include social class and endeavouring to and failing to achieve the American Dream. The belief of the American dream ties in with social class, and the desire of Americans to achieve bigger and better things. The 1920’s saw a significant increase in the number of wealthy individuals, which in turn led to an increase in the separation of the wealthy. The Great Gatsby follows the isolation of individuals and social classes, which is displayed through the form of modernist literature. Modernist literature came due to an accumulative industrialisation and globalisation. Terry Eagleton stated: “The ‘modern’ is less a particular cultural practice or historical period, which may then suffer defeat or incorporation, than a kind of permanent ontological possibility of disrupting all such historical periodization, an essentially timeless gesture which cannot be recited or reckoned up within historical narrative because it is no more than a temporal force which gives the lie to all such linear categorization.” New technology and the events of World War 1 and 2 (specifically World War 1) made many people question the future of humanity. Instead of progress and new technology, the modernist writer saw a decline of civilisation and saw cold machinery and increased capitalism, which caused alienation and loneliness. The American Dream is the belief that hard work can promote anyone from rags to riches. Anyone one can become wealthy and of higher class, as it has been a core component of American identity since its establishment. Secondary sources have suggested that: “[The American dream is] that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for every man, with opportunity for each according to his ability or achievement.” Every American seeks the wealth and alleged freedom that the upper class claim to obtain. For an individual not to achieve the American Dream, it is solely their fault as the myth is that anybody can make it big. The text exposes that mythology as a lie as not anyone can make it. For example, Myrtle and Wilson are forever stuck in the Valley of Ashes. There will always need to be people to deliver beverages and decorations to Gatsby’s parties, hence there needs to be people of a lesser materialistic value and societal position. There must be a pyramid of wealth and class in place for tasks to be completed. This pyramid is primitive to support the idea of the American Dream. The American Dream presents the idea that everywhere you go there is an aspiration which leads to the individual’s alienation. Gatsby is a symbol of both the corrupted American Dream and the original dream. He believes wealth is the solution to all of his problems. He pursues money through bootlegging. He reinvents himself to such an extent that he becomes hollow and disconnected from his past. Gatsby reinvents himself into Jay Gatsby in hopes of winning over Daisy Buchanan’s love. Gatsby’s belief that “He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God. So he waited, listening for a moment longer to the tuning-fork that had been struck upon a star. Then he kissed her. At his lips' touch, she blossomed from him like a flower and the incarnation was complete.” This moment unambiguously links Daisy to Gatsby’s dreams for an improved life, a link to his American Dream. When Gatsby fails to win Daisy’s overall affection, he also fails to achieve his American dream. The American Dream of success, wealth and respect compared with Jay Gatsby’s amassing of wealth through illegal methods and how his instant prosperity backfires in gaining him respect or a higher social standing. Gatsby experiences the hope for the American Dream and the desolation upon not attaining it. This perceived dream can be displayed by Gatsby’s name change from James Gatz to Jay Gatsby as a symbol of hope. His hope to become someone successful and aspirational and to win over Daisy’s affection. Then there is the misery associated with his incompetence to change who he is at the center of his self. Bryant Mangum’s study of The Great Gatsby found that: “Young Jay Gatsby, through the discipline of Benjamin Franklin-like charts and schedules, has prepared himself to receive all that America has to offer and believes naively that he can have the embodiment of it, the wealthy Louisville debutante Daisy Fay, the only "nice" girl he has ever known, if he can but find the currency to buy his way into her life.” Fitzgerald endorses Gatsby’s love of the idea of Daisy and her social position. Daisy and Gatsby’s love is chased. It is miserable. Everything he does is for her, yet she turns her back on him because she is above his social status. Gatsby is frustrated he can’t have her despite everything he’s done as an attempt to win her over when they were finally reunited. The poem of Petrarch is famous for falling in love with the idea of the woman. He devoted his life and 7 sonnets to a woman he only spoke to once. That is a version of love that Shakespeare has commonly critiqued. Shakespeare has said his love is more physical, where Petrarch’s love is more theoretical, just as Gatsby’s is. Gatsby’s failure proves the misconception of the American Dream by permitting depravity and materialism to triumph over hard work and true love. Despite the dominant belief of the American Dream, social class was still an issue even amongst those of wealth.
The Great Gatsby displays social status as a theme to distinguish settings and to portray the mentalities of people belonging to different social classes. The characters are distinguished by their wealth and where they live. Throughout the 1920s and onwards, class was essentially separated into three categories; old money, new money and no money. ‘Old money’ families have fortunes dating back for centuries. Over time they have built up promising and worthwhile social connections. They are often ‘two-faced’, in that they hide their superiority and fortune behind civility. ‘Old money’ lives in East Egg, a place for the elite and those who are inherently wealthy. Then there is ‘new money’. To fit into the class of ‘new money’ their fortune needs to have been made during the 1920s boom, therefore they have no superior social connections. ‘New money’ lives in West Egg. West is commonly associated with the Wild West, which in turn is relevant to the wild behaviour the West Egg residents display with their excessive drinking and uncontrollable parties. Evidently, they tend to overcompensate for the lack of social superiority with extravagant displays of wealth. Typically, the ‘no money’ class get forgotten, due to their lack of significance and ‘importance to the wealth’. They inhabit ‘The Valley of Ashes’ and are often seen as “the victims of the …show more content…
rich.” As an increasing number of people began to build a fortune, social classes began to see change. The ‘nouveau riche’ drove the economy onwards with increased disposable income, giving more people the ability to: “purchase the trappings of wealth. However, the old money’ fought to resist this perceived infiltration of the upper classes” (Frederick C. Millett) The social class segregation was primarily enforced by those of ‘old money’ as they wished to uphold power and influence over other civilians.
Throughout society, people are judged equally on their material wealth, occupations/aspirations, manners/behaviours, race/ethnicity, religion and education levels. It is a requirement that every individual must overcome these filters in order to make it to the American Dream. These judgements additionally create the great divide between social classes. Despite the social segregation no one has much free will, everyone is trapped by social expectations and implications. The Great Gatsby displays the hollowness of the upper class. The fact that both Gatsby and Wilsons aim to improve their positions in society, only to end up dead, suggests the hollowness and difficulty to achieve the American dream and an even higher social standing. Fitzgerald creates four categories that people fall into “there are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired.” This is to emphasise the displeasing and hollow lives of the wealthy. Fitzgerald’s use of “pursuing” and “tired” implies an empty, continuous pursuit which is portrayed through Tom, who appears dissatisfied despite his beautiful and well-off wife. As an outcome of his discontentment, Tom pursues Myrtle as a temporary target of fondness. The use of “busy” insinuates the bareness of the lives of the wealthy. They travel from place to place, attending social events. These categories
imply the hollowness and emptiness of the lives of the wealthy. Social class divides are often hidden and treated as no longer existent, yet Fitzgerald uses The Great Gatsby to reveal the segregation that once was, and still is, very much existent. The idea of perception versus reality is displayed throughout the novel through the use of many characters who perceive things in a way that is not accurate. The Great Gatsby effectively portrays the true nature of people during the 1920s and the synthetic life that is lived in throughout modern times. Daisy is an obvious example of perception, as Gatsby’s view of Daisy is clouded. Gatsby has pedestalized and worshipped Daisy from the day they met, yet the readers can see she is not worthy of the worship. Over time, Daisy moves on and marries the wealthy Tom, whilst Gatsby strongly and wholeheartedly believes that he and Daisy will end up together. He fails to realise that emotionally the relationship is over. He has an illusion that he loves her. However, it is Nick’s belief that even Gatsby (who lives a life of illusion) cannot maintain the dream. When Daisy fails to get in contact with Gatsby after the accident, Nick imagines that Gatsby “shivered as he found what a grotesque thing a rose is.” This symbolism of the flower implies the Gatsby finally feels disillusioned with Daisy. Fitzgerald uses the withering rose to show that the once blossoming dream, inspiring the determination to strive has lost value and withered within the materialistic world that has lost the understanding of true happiness. Gatsby is under yet another illusion that he has the ability to change what has already happened. His previous romance with Daisy was a failure because he wasn’t wealthy enough to provide for Daisy’s excessive materialistic needs. When Nick breaks the news that he can’t change the past Gatsby immediately replies “why of course you can.” It is this version of illusion that motivates Gatsby’s American dream, making him the master and victim of perception. It can also be argued that the guests at Gatsby’s parties create their own illusion. His parties are attended by hundreds of people, many of which have never met the party host. These guests create the illusion that Gatsby is very popular, with many friends, contrasting to his real situation, leading him to appear that he fits into ‘old money’. Contestable to his over the top parties, no one attends his funeral, with the exception of Nick and Gatsby’s father. Even his business associates, who Gatsby regularly met with don’t bother to attend his funeral, enforcing the idea that they too were illusionists. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, enlightens readers to the reality of the American Dream and social standing seclusion throughout the use of disillusion that was present ominously during the 1920s, yet not typically spoken of. The novel shares the truth of the changes, within people and their expectations, in which the American society faced at the conclusion of World War 1. The Great Gatsby explores commonly believed lies, to be true, through the ideas that hard work can lead anyone “from rags to riches” and that there is a clear divide between rich and poor. All in all, the American Dream is not easily achievable, if at all, there is and always has been a social class separation and that people often fail to separate the difference between perception and reality.
The Great Gatsby “The Great Gatsby”, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, depicts the vast social difference between the old aristocrats, the new self-made rich and the poor. He vividly interprets the social stratification during the roaring twenties as each group has their own problems to deal with. Old Money, who have fortunes dating from the 19th century, have built up powerful and influential social connections, and tend to hide their wealth and superiority behind a veneer of civility. The New Money made their fortunes in the 1920s boom and therefore have no social connections and tend to overcompensate for this lack with lavish displays of wealth. As usual, the No Money gets overlooked by the struggle at the top, leaving them forgotten or ignored.
Since its publication in 1925, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald has indisputably been one of the most influential and insightful pieces on the corruption and idealism of the American Dream. The American Dream, defined as ‘The belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society where upward mobility is possible for everyone,’ was a dominant ideal in American society, stemming from an opportunist pioneer mentality. In his book ‘The American Tradition in Literature’, Bradley Sculley praised The Great Gatsby for being ‘perhaps the most striking fictional analysis of the age of gang barons and the social conditions that produced them.’ Over the years, greed and selfishness changed the basic essence of the American Dream, forming firmly integrated social classes and the uncontainable thirst for money and status. The ‘Roaring Twenties’ was a time of ‘sustained increase in national wealth’ , which consequently led to an increase in materialism and a decrease in morality. Moreover, the
In ‘The Great Gatsby’ Fitzgerald criticises the increase of consumerism in the 1920s and the abandonment of the original American Dream , highlighting that the increased focus on wealth and the social class associated with it has negative effects on relationships and the poorest sections of society. The concept of wealth being used as a measure of success and worth is also explored by Plath in ‘The Bell Jar’. Similarly, she draws attention to the superficial nature of this material American Dream which has extended into the 1960s, but highlights that gender determines people’s worth in society as well as class. Fitzgerald uses setting to criticise society’s loss of morality and the growth of consumerism after the Great War. The rise of the stock market in the 1920s enabled business to prosper in America.
During Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, it is apparent to be an absurd time for the wealthy. The shallowness of money, riches, and a place in a higher social class were probably the most important components in most lives at that period of time. This is expressed clearly by Fitzgerald, especially through his characters, which include Myrtle Wilson, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, and of course, Jay Gatsby. This novel was obviously written to criticize and condemn the ethics of the rich.
The origin of wealth is a key factor for deciding which social class each character in The Great Gatsby belong to. Jay Gatsby is the character who made the greatest social mobility. The other characters use him for his parties and hospitality but they do not consider him as an equal. This is something that is evident particularly on page 66 in the novel when Gatsby tells his story to Nick Carraway, the novel's narrator, and Nick describes Gatsby's phrases as so threadbare they lack credibility. No matter how much money Gatsby makes he is never going to be good enough for either Daisy or the other characters.
Throughout the novel The Great Gatsby, there is a constant theme present: social class. Fitzgerald makes a connection between the theme of social class, and the settings in the novel for example The Valley of Ashes which is described as a “desolate area of land” (p.21) and a “solemn dumping ground” (p.21) which is where the poor people live. The Valley of Ashes is situated between West Egg and New York, West Egg being the place where the aspiring classes are situated, which is the “less fashionable of the two” (p.8), this is where Gatsby lives. West Egg is the place of ‘new money’, Fitzgerald shows this by the idea of the main character Jay Gatsby, rumoured to be selling illegal alcohol (prohibition) which means he is quickly making vast amounts of money.” Who is this Gatsby anyhow? Some big bootlegger?”(p.86) Gatsby shows off the amount of wealth he has by his fabulous parties and oversized mansion. “There was music from my neighbour's house through those summer nights. In his enchanted gardens, men and girls came and went like moths, among the whispering and the champagne and the stars.”(p.33) Fitzgerald uses the word ‘enchanted’ to paint a visual picture of what the house and the scene looks like, a magical and enchanted castle, with elegant furniture. This is in comparison to East Egg where Tom and Daisy Buchanan live, in a house where “The windows were ajar and gleaming white against the fresh grass outside” (p.10). East Egg being the place of ‘old money’ which is made from the inheritance of their past generations, the people who live it East Egg are mainly well educated, historically wealthy and live quite elegantly, but they are also quite ‘snobbish’. Gatsby’s background does not fit into the social standards of East Egg...
On one level The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald comments on the careless gaiety and moral decadence of the period in which it was set. It contains innumerable references to the contemporary scene. The wild extravagance of Gatsby's parties, the shallowness and aimlessness of the guests and the hint of Gatsby's involvement in crime all identify the period and the American setting. But as a piece of social commentary The Great Gatsby also describes the failure of the American dream, from the point of view that American political ideals conflict with the actual social conditions that exist. For whereas American democracy is based on the idea of equality among people, the truth is that social discrimination still exists and the divisions among the classes cannot be overcome. Myrtle's attempt to break into the group to which the Buchanans belong is doomed to fail. Taking advantage of her vivacity, her lively nature, she seeks to escape from her own class. She enters into an affair with Tom and takes on his way of living. But she only becomes vulgar and corrupt like the rich. She scorns people from her own class and loses all sense of morality. And for all her social ambition, Myrtle never succeeds in her attempt to find a place for herself in Tom's class. When it comes to a crisis, the rich stand together against all outsiders.
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a sparkling time capsule of the attitudes and lifestyles of Nineteen Twenties America. Though the nineteen twenties are a decade well known for it’s lavish lifestyles and exuberant drinking parties, this was all just a coping mechanism to deal with the newfound horrors of war. An overwhelming disillusionment and unremorseful high class debauchery reigned supreme on the east coast, however, it was not only the rich who were affected by the brutal, bleak truth of war.
The Roaring Twenties is considered a time of mass corruption and excessive absurdity. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses his novel, The Great Gatsby, to criticize the American society and its values in this era. This criticism is best shown in the behaviour of the people who go to Gatsby's parties; they are careless, rude and only looking out for themselves. It is also shown in the corruption of the police, who are easily paid to look the other way. It is finally apparent in the corruption of friendship and love, the truth being that there is none. This society and its values are self-centered and materialistic, caring very little for consequences and others. Fitzgerald's message is delivered magnificently and causes one to be appalled by the behaviour of the people during this time in history.
Social class and status is also emphasized through the barrier that exists between East Egg and West Egg which symbolises “old money” and “new money” effectively, and the corruption of morals as witnessed and expressed by the narration of Nick Carraway. Fitzgerald shows that for all the lavishness of society there is ultimately unfulfilled dreams, corruption and separation, and in the case of Gatsby a tragic end to a tragic hero of the lower class.
In the novel The Great Gatsby, the 1920’s was a “throwaway culture, in which things (and people) are used and then abandoned” (Evans). This is true of the lives of the wealthy elite who ruled the East and West Eggs, causing the domination of materialistic thought. The substitution of money for integrity ultimately provided a way for corruption to take deep roots in the characters. The frivolous lives and relationships described by F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby depict the emptiness of the shallow 1920’s era.
In the 1920s, America underwent a period of economic prosperity and growth often referred to as the Roaring Twenties. In this era, the country saw a boom in technological advancements, culture, and modernization, illustrating a common feeling of happiness and progress. In reality, however, corruption and greed hide within the prospering cities, and the supposed American Dream becomes corrupted in empty pursuit of money and wealth. In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Gatsby, a man who throws extravagant parties in his attempts to win over his past lover, is caught up in corruption and his past. Because of his social standing and his illicit ties with bootlegging, he ultimately becomes unable to pursue his love, Daisy, as she pursues a member of the old rich rather than he.
When America exploded into the modern age post-World War I, it did so with tumultuous change in every aspect of society. An economic boom guaranteed rapid industrialization, increasing the standard of living and providing many Americans with leisure time to waste. Subsequently, America became a highly materialistic country, hiding its growing political and social unrest under a dizzying facade of wealth and escapism. This serves as the backdrop for F. Scott Fitzgerald's Modernist novel, The Great Gatsby, where he uses characterization, reoccurring motifs, and cultural symbolism to critique the superficiality of a society full of misplaced values and people wrought with a desire to find purpose.
Money, social classes and geography have a prominent role in society. Fitzgerald uses the settings: The East Egg, The West Egg, The Valley of Ashes, and Manhattan to demonstrate the prominence of money and social status in the American culture in The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald uses East Egg to represent high social status and old money. People in East Egg, such as Daisy and Tom, have a sense of entitlement because they were born into money. This sense of entitlement is demonstrated by complete disregard of people with lower social status like Myrtle and George.
The novel, The Great Gatsby is one of Western literature’s most well known fictional masterpieces. Taking place in the roaring twenties, The Great Gatsby highlights the sustained economic prosperity and artistic dynamism that was characteristic of the era. The economic boom of the 1920s also allowed for people, like the character Jay Gatsby, to rise up the socioeconomic ladder and easily integrate themselves into a more opulent society. Fitzgerald puts a spotlight on the consumerism that swept the United States by stressing detail when describing Gatsby's parties. Although many of those who lived in East Egg and West Egg flaunted their wealth, Fitzgerald shows us the imperfections to this way of life.