Examples Of Power In The Great Gatsby

Power. In a world of millionaires, world leaders, and Hollywood superstars, the word power has become synonymous with success. Prospective actors and businessmen will ascend the ladder of social recognition, fabricating their own image in the public eye in such a way as to capture the minds of the public. Many people dream of being famous, but few attain such a lofty title. Those who have lost sight of their grand ideals observe those of the elevated rank with amazement. What could they possibly have that makes them so disparate? How could they possibly have overcome the numerous obstacles that had hindered and brought down so many like them? These are the ever-pressing questions of seekers of fame. What they desire is power, respect. True

power is the ability to influence; the ability to hold control. Anyone can gain wealth, but it takes a good mind in order to effectively utilize it. Money and physical stature are ineffective unless they can be properly implemented. Behind every powerful man is a great mind, a strong intellect and expansive knowledge. In order to control the will of others, powerful people must be persuasive, clever, and insightful. And in order to implement their reason, they must have unusual and notable self-confidence. Intellect and pure aplomb: this constitutes a person of power.
Many people today believe that power can be gained through money, intimidation, or brute force. Threaten others long enough and you can eventually get what you want. But pushing so hard until something finally budges, although being a more or less accurate definition in our world of physics, is not an acceptable interpretation in the context of social interaction. Power, as well as literally being control, is itself controlled. Power has a plan; a strategy and a tactic. It administers careful planning and presence of mind to each action it executes. On the other hand, power is not desperate anger or monstrous antagonism. Though these, experienced on the receiving end, can be quite intimidating and even persuasive, they will not ultimately be effective in gaining what is desired. At the most they will result in fear, which is blind and unchecked. Fear can be used to hold domination over people to some extent, but the control of an emotionally stable individual is far more valuable than control of a person senseless with terror. The best manipulation is so subliminal that it goes virtually unnoticed. Therefore real power is control of the psychological human will, not the physical human body.
Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby provides an extended explanation of power applicable in the communicative human interface.

There are many characters locked in a consistent power struggle who, in the end, make perfectly clear what the true definition of power is. Jay Gatsby is the novel’s greatest example. Gatsby is young and wealthy, having made his enormous fortune, we discover later on, through bootlegging. He is mysterious and reclusive, unknown and fascinating to many people in the West Egg. He uses this to his advantage by luring people in with his story, making them so interested that they’ll virtually do anything he suggests. Every Saturday night he hosts fabulous parties, and everyone who is anyone is in attendance. His name alone holds great influence because of his compelling reputation that he’s built himself using his grand fortune. His beautiful home and aloof ways have people convinced that he is an extremely important individual. But his power is not based on his mere esteem. As stated before, power is control, and Gatsby is incredibly gifted in the art of getting people to do exactly what he wants. On several occasions in the novel he ingeniously devises situations that will bring him closer to his ultimate goal: winning over Daisy Buchanan’s affections. He charms and guiles, fascinates and intrigues. He is a wonder to his observers, holding them on the end of a string, leading them one way and then another at his will. All of this he

achieves with his astounding self-confidence and nonchalance. He is, naturally and without falsification, the epitome of power.
Some people would argue that Daisy is a representation of power in this novel. She is charming and sweet, effortlessly eliciting adoration from those around her. In this way she is like Gatsby, mesmerizing people with her grace and captivating their affections. But Daisy is not a powerful character. She is enchanting, but while others are under her spell, she does nothing to manipulate them. She does not bend the men who love her to her will, she simply goes through life in the light of their desire. It is an influence without intent, a natural and organic effect of her own being. Daisy serves merely as an object of fancy, a distraction, not an origin of control.
Thus far it has been argued that power is control and influence, but it can also be asserted that power is actually money. All of the important characters in The Great Gatsby are wealthy. They could theoretically buy anything that their hearts desired as well as use their money to bribe and manipulate people. Everyone wants money, so individuals who hold money are placed in a position of relative undeniable control. Wealthy people today such as Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg are considered powerful because of their astounding billion dollar net worth. Money connotes success, which induces respect. Respected people are powerful.
However the view that money is power is limited and incorrect.

Indeed this definition does not go deep enough. As stated before, powerful people use money to gain what they desire. One interpretation of this assertion is that money is power, but a more accurate interpretation is that money is simply a tool influential people utilize. A theme from The Great Gatsby further reinforces this viewpoint. Everyone living in the West Egg has money. It is the province of aristocrats. Granted some hold more worldly treasure than others, but in comparison with the poverty of the middle class, their advantage among the rich is insignificant. It is now a level playing field. In this environment Gatsby surprisingly still holds influence, despite the fact that he is hindered by the origin of his wealth. He is a self-made man, not the heir of a family of affluence. Because of this he is looked down upon in the upper class. Here a family name held reputation, and he was nameless. His power came through his own intellect and strategic climb to the top of the social ladder. He used his money to reach a position of potential influence, but built up his reputation through guile and clever charm. Gatsby’s story is proof that money itself is not

power.
Influence and control. These two words capture and accurately portray the abstract concept that is power. It is something that many people seek, but only a few attain. As displayed through the actions of the characters in The Great Gatsby, the process of gaining and holding power comes with elevated intellect and the ability to effortlessly manipulate those around you. Only then can one acquire the position of undisputed social mastery and dominance.