The Great Gatsby and The American Dream

The American Dream is a term used to describe the hope and faith in the promise of a new world and a better life in America. It is the dream of achieving self-made success through fame and riches. Immigrants to America were drawn by this dream, hoping to start a prosperous life in America. The 1920’s were an era that the American Dream became very prominent. American citizens were reveling in vast amounts of wealth, because the country had an economic upturn. There was a high standard of living, and people enjoyed extravagant parties, clothing, and new technologies.

The Great Gatsby is a novel that portrays the ugly side of the American dream, as well as the beautiful side. During the 1920's, novelists such as Fitzgerald were trying to show that rich Americans were changing: with their great wealth: they were becoming conceited, superficial, and misconstruing wealth and riches for happiness. F. Scott Fitzgerald seemed to have great contempt for the rich, though he was rich himself at points in his life. "Riches have never fascinated me, unless combined with the greatest charm or distinction."- Fitzgerald

            Jay Gatsby's life reflects upon the American dream. His ability to hope and dream is the quality that draws the narrator, Nick, to him. Gatsby rose from humble beginnings, and became extremely rich. He lives in an elaborate mansion, throws extravagant parties, and drives around in expensive cars; all of which are symbols of the rich. However, Gatsby is also a character that shows the downfalls of the American dream, because self-made success did not make Gatsby happy in the end. At his extravagant parties, while all his guests are enjoying themselves on his money, Gatsby remained outside the social scene, sitting on the fringes, not enjoying himself. "... but no one swooned backward on Gatsby, and no French bob touched Gatsby's shoulder, and no singing quartets were formed with Gatsby's head for one link." (Fitzgerald 51)

So, if Gatsby did not enjoy his parties, why did he throw them? Why did he buy himself an elaborate mansion, drive expensive cars, and wear fancy shirts? What was the reason for all this extravagant spending? Despite all of his wealth and fine things, the only thing Gatsby ever really wanted was the love of his life back. Daisy, his dream, his hope, his love. Gatsby tried to convince Daisy that she was really in love with him, and not her husband. He overwhelmed her with his extravagant richness, with his parties, his mansion, his cars, his shirts, hoping that she would be captivated by his riches: "He hadn't once ceased looking at Daisy, and I think he revalued everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes." (92)

However, in the end, despite being impressed and overwhelmed by Gatsby, Daisy found she could not forget the love she felt for her husband, and love Gatsby in the same way. She discovered that Gatsby had acquired his riches through bootlegging, and this discovery tarnished her view of him.

"... he began to talk excitedly to Daisy, denying everything, defending his name against accusations that had not been made. But with every word she was drawing further and further into herself, so he gave that up, and only the dead dream fought on as the afternoon slipped away, trying to touch what was no longer tangible, struggling unhappily, undespairingly, toward that lost voice across the room." (135)

Thus, Gatsby’s wealth meant nothing, if that wealth did not make the love of his life love him. This is the side of the American Dream that Fitzgerald tried to portray. During the American Dream became corrupted. It became an idea that the possession of vast material wealth achieves happiness and success, and less of the original idea that success and wealth could be achieved by anyone through hard work and perseverance.

It was not until I started researching The Great Gatsby and the ideas and themes surrounding it that I even became aware of the American Dream. However, as I reread the novel, I began to notice and understand how the idea related to the story. I enjoy the fact that Gatsby is so much more than the principle character of the novel. He is a symbol of the downfall of the American Dream.

Jay Gatsby and F. Scott Fitzgerald: Parallels in Character

Jay Gatsby, as is evident by the title, is the main character in The Great Gatsby. His dreams and desires are what the novel revolves around. To me, Gatsby is the most intriguing character in the novel; but what makes him  fascinating are the parallels found between him and the author, Mr. F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Both Jay Gatsby and F. Scott Fitzgerald fell madly in love with a woman; Gatsby for Daisy, and Fitzgerald for Zelda Sayre. Fitzgerald married Zelda, and she became a great inspiration for him. However, Zelda Fitzgerald had schizophrenia, which strained their relationship. Despite her illness, her husband loved her dearly, almost irrationally. This irrational love is paralleled in Gatsby's feelings towards Daisy.

Jay Gatsby and Daisy had a brief relationship that Gatsby could not put behind him. While Daisy got on with her life and married, Gatsby waited five years and then found her again. After so many years apart from her and longing to be by her side, Gatsby had created this fantasy of Daisy as the most wonderful person. He built expectations of her that she could hardly hope to meet. When he found her, it must have been disappointing to discover that the dream that had consumed his life was not as wonderful as he thought it was:

"There must have have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams- not through her own fault, but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It had gone beyond her, beyond everything. He had thrown himself into it with a creative passion, adding to it all the time, decking it out with every bright feather that drifted his way. No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man can store up in his ghostly heart."(Fitzgerald 97).

In my opinion, both Gatsby and Fitzgerald had unhealthy relationships with the love of their lives. Both of them knew that Zelda and Daisy had faults, but they refused to acknowledge them. They both built up this fantasy of the perfect woman in their heads, and after some time began to believe the fantasy was true. This is more apparent in Gatsby than Fitzgerald:  Gatsby spent 5 years of his life in love with his dream Daisy. Fitzgerald spent many years with Zelda, and was very aware of her mental illness, but chose to not acknowledge it. What I wonder is whether Fitzgerald realized the similarity between his love for Zelda and Gatsby's love for Daisy.

One final important similarity between F. Scott Fitzgerald and Jay Gatsby is the general opinion of them by people who surrounded them and the rumours and lies that engulfed them. Both Gatsby and Fitzgerald had humble beginnings, and sought to become more than what their fathers were, by rising to achieve fame and riches. With that fame and riches came varied public opinions. F. Scott Fitzgerald wished to earn a solid literary reputation, but the public opinion of him was that he was a drunk and an irresponsible writer.  No one really knew Gatsby, so people created terrible rumours about him, but really, he was just a man attempting to reconcile with the love of his life.

Jay Gatsby died alone and with only a stranger and his father in attendance at his funeral. F. Scott Fitzgerald died believing himself to be a failure. Who ended off for the worse? I find it very strange just how similar Gatsby and Fitzgerald are. I wonder whether Fitzgerald realized he was paralleling his own life as he wrote The Great Gatsby. They both seem under appreciated for who they were while they were alive. However, they both have grown to achieve great acknowledgement now that they are dead and gone. Would they have been happy to know of their cultural significance? I think Fitzgerald would have, but I don’t think Gatsby would even have noticed. As the narrator of this story said, Gatsby had this “foul dust floating in the wake of his dreams” (2) that consumed him and shadowed everything else. And it is that which makes Gatsby such an intriguing character.

The Role of Narration in the Great Gatsby

"... I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human heart. Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction- Gatsby, who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn." (Fitzgerald 2)

Jay Gatsby is the main character in The Great Gatsby, however he is not the narrator of the story. The Great Gatsby is written from the point of view of Nick, a man who the reader learns very little about. Nick is not a main character in the story; in fact it could be argued that he has little to no involvement in the story at all. So why is the story written from his perspective?

The beginning of the novel is the only time we really learn anything about Nick. We learn that his nature is to reserve judgment on people, and to be tolerant of people's faults. This is an interesting setup for the story, as all of the characters have noticeable faults. Because of his tolerant nature, Nick is able to portray these characters free from judgment, with an unaffected point of view. Nick is an outsider in this story because he is the only character that has no previous close connection to any of the other characters. Therefore, Nick provides a unique point of view on the characters and their lives. Though Nick is involved with the events in the story, he views them as an outsider. " I looked once more at them and they looked back at me, remotely, possessed by intense life. Then I went out of the room and down the marble steps into the rain, leaving them together." (97) The Great Gatsby is not Nick's story; it belongs to Gatsby, Daisy, Tom, Myrtle, and Jordan. Nick remains detached, yet involved.
In the quote at the beginning of this response, Nick states that he doesn't wish to become involved in any more people's problems and lives, but that Gatsby intrigued him, and ensnared him into his life. Nick never liked Gatsby, but there was something about him, some intoxicating quality, that drew Nick to Gatsby, and brought him into his life. I think that is why Nick is the narrator: he felt the need to tell Gatsby's story, a story that perhaps only an outsider could tell.

“… it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again. No- Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men.” (2)

1920's Society

"one thing's sure and nothing's surer

The rich get richer and the poor get- children.

In the meantime,

In between time -" ( Fitzgerald 97)

Before F. Scott Fitzgerald became recognized as an enduring classic novelist, he was originally simply considered an author that effectively portrayed the 1920's decade. In his novels, Fitzgerald explored topics such as flappers, underground crime, and 1920's rich society. A vivid portrayal of the 1920's is one of the elements that I find makes The Great Gatsby such an enjoyable novel. I really do feel transported back in time, but at the same time, I have an awareness of the similarities between this decade and the one I'm living in.     

The "roaring twenties" was a term used to describe the 1920's decade. It was an era of hope and riches: World War One had just ended, and new advances in culture and technology led to more lighthearted lifestyles. There was increased freedom for women, not only because of the suffrage movement, but also because woman were entering the workforce, and having more freedom in clothing and lifestyle choices. "Flappers" were women who wore short hair, short dresses, smoked, and epitomized the revolutionary, carefree and playful spirit of the 1920"s. F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the first to use the term "flapper", and these flappers became important characters in many of his novels.

"I had no idea of originating an American flapper when I first began to write. I simply took girls whom I knew very well and, because they interested me as unique human beings, I used them for my heroines." - Fitzgerald

It's interesting that Fitzgerald describes the flappers as the heroines in his novels. Fitzgerald is cynical about rich society, as is evident later in this reading response, so it would make sense if he felt the same cynicism towards the flappers, who are also considered social climbers. He must have felt great affection towards the women in his life that inspired this character. Perhaps the original flapper was his wife, Zelda, for she portrays many of the characteristics described for flappers.

In the early 1920s, prohibition of alcohol came into effect, and created a vast culture of underground crime. Loan sharking, running speakeasies, and bootlegging were all common crimes in the 1920's. These topics are suggested, but not explored in the Great Gatsby. It is hinted that Gatsby, and his “friend” Mr. Wolfshiem are bootleggers, and that is how Gatsby made his fortune.

“I found out what your ‘drug stores’ were.” He turned to us and spoke rapidly. “He and this Wolfshiem bought up a lot of side-street drug-stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That’s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him, and I wasn’t far wrong.” (134)

Gatsby, like any intriguing character in a novel, has good and bad qualities. Somehow, the fact that he is a bootlegger, and a criminal, does not diminish his beautiful and admirable character. To me, it adds to his mystery. Gatsby is a kind man full of dreams and longing, yet he has this other side that we know little about. Since the connection to bootlegging is only suggested and not explored, the reader can expand the idea in their own mind, and come to their own conclusions of the moral value of his character.

The 1920’s was a time of gaiety and partying; a time for the rich to enjoy being rich. Fitzgerald appears to have great cynicism for the rich society.

“Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me. They possess and enjoy early, and it does something to them, makes them soft where we are hard, and cynical where we are trustful, in a way that, unless you were born rich, it is very difficult to understand. They think, deep in their hearts, that they are better than we are because we had to discover the compensations and refuges of life for ourselves. Even when they enter deep into our world or sink below us, they still think that they are better than we are. They are different.” – Fitzgerald

In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby throws many extravagant parties, where many wild and exciting things happen, and the guests appear to be in a state of constant gaiety. Fitzgerald’s cynicism is evident in his descriptions of the guests, particularly the social climbers.

“The groups change more swiftly, swell with new arrivals, dissolve and form in the same breath; already there are wanderers, confident girls who weave here and there among the stouter and more stable, become for a sharp, joyous moment the centre of a group, and then, excited with triumph, glide on through the sea-change of faces and voices and colour under the constantly changing light.” (40-41)

Fitzgerald seemed to despise the whole concept of social climbers; people struggling to become part of the very top society. He seemed to believe that the rich are careless and cynical people. Throughout his life, Fitzgerald wavered between being part of the rich society and not. Was it the times when he was a rich socialite himself, or when he was on the outside of that society, that formed his cynicism of the rich?

Welcome!

Welcome to my classic novel study! This blog will be an unravelling of the novel The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Not only will I analyse and comment on the characters, themes, and overall content of this novel, but I will also be exploring the life and personality of Mr. Fitzgerald. My goals for this blog are to reflect upon The Great Gatsby, to question its value as a classic novel, and to determine its effects on myself as a reader, writer, and learner. At the bottom of this page is a list of links to provide some further insights and information on this novel and other works by F. Scott Fitzgerald, as well as information on the author himself.

I hope you will enjoy my blog as we dive together into the glittering, glamourous, and tragic world of Jay Gatsby.