Scott Fitzgerald's Use Of Isolationism In The Great Gatsby

James Baldwin states in The Creative Process, “The state of birth, suffering, love, and death are extreme states—extreme, universal, and inescapable. We all know this, but we would rather not know it. The artist is present to correct the delusions to which we fall prey in our attempts to avoid this knowledge.” In works such as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Lost Decade, and Winter Dreams by Scott F. Fitzgerald, characters are developed to epitomize the journey of life. Fitzgerald instills feelings of independence, loneliness, and growth into his stories to avoid the common delusions of an unrealistic lifestyle.
Fitzgerald presents the idea of independence to his audience in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. In this piece of fantasy

literature, Benjamin is born as a seventy year old man and ages in reverse. He is constantly seen as an embarrassment and is often the only one looking out for himself despite his need for extra care in the early and late stages of his life. This pushes him to become independent and fend for himself. Fitzgerald creates a juxtaposition between birth and death to display the type independence a person needs throughout life. Fitzgerald describes Benjamins fathers panic when taking his son home when he writes, “A grotesque picture formed itself with dreadful clarity before the eyes of the tortured man - a picture of himself walking through the crowded streets of the city with this appalling apparition stalking by his side. "I can't. I can't," he moaned.People would stop to speak to him and what was he going to say?” (Fitzgerald 1). Fitzgerald develops Benjamin to be self-sufficient in his personal upbringing because there is so much distance between himself, society, and his family. Benjamin grasps onto the lifestyle he is given, and despite many hardships, is able to show the reader that being independent is not an usual way to live life.
In The Lost Decade, Fitzgerald uses the character Louis Trimble to represent a life of isolationism.

Trimble spends twelve years of his life drunk which results in him not being a part of society. Although he participated in actions like designing a building, he is never truly there. Trimble states in the text, “I’ve been in it — lots of times. But I’ve never seen it. And now it isn’t what I want to see. I wouldn’t ever be able to see it now. I simply want to see how people walk and what their clothes and shoes and hats are made of. And their eyes and hands. Would you mind shaking hands with me?” (Fitzgerald 2). Fitzgerald develops Trimbles character to display a sense of regret when isolating himself as a result his actions, but also shows the contrast of Trimble working to reunite himself with society. Trimbles development as a character shows that life can have rough patches, but the lost can always find a way to get back on track.
One of Fitzgerald's most famous pieces, Winter Dreams, shows an extremely significant character development. From a young age, Dexter Green has his eye set on making money and being successful. Throughout his life, he is faced with many emotional problems, most of them involving a woman named Judy Jones. Dexter puts all he has, including his dreams and prosperity, into finding love with Judy. As Fitzgerald writes in the

story,
“For the first time in years the tears were streaming down his face. But they were for himself now. He did not care about mouth and eyes and moving hands. He wanted to care, and he could not care. For he had gone away and he could never go back any more. The gates were closed, the sun was gone down, and there was no beauty but the gray beauty of steel that withstands all time. Even the grief he could have borne was left behind in the country of illusion, of youth, of the richness of life, where his winter dreams had flourished” (Fitzgerald 3).
Dexter realizes that the optimistic life he once had and the money he worked hard for in life are more important than chasing after a flawed women. Fitzgerald develops Dexter into a man who realizes the importance of growth. Fitzgerald proves that no life is perfect. There are flaws in everyone's lives, even the most determined, but new experiences and encounters allow people grow and prosper.
Through Fitzgerald's short stories, the underlying message of the true experiences faced in life are exposed. He shows how in life there are moments of independence, loneliness, and growth, that life is nowhere near perfect and people should not believe the delusion of “a perfect life”. Fitzgerald develops his characters to overcome the common struggles of life and allows them to defy the universal problems that all people face.