The Great
Gatsby, by F. Scott
Fitzgerald, is the story of a rich man pursuing the woman he has
loved since his youth. Jay Gatsby, extravagant and disillusioned by
World War I, dreams of recovering desires from his past and employs
the help of Nick Carraway, his next door neighbor. However, while the
novel appears to be a romantic tragedy, it is packed with a plethora
of hidden meanings and symbolism. Matthew Bruccoli suggests The
Great Gatsby is about
American history, and I believe that, in many ways, that is true,
from the setting of the story to the metaphors in the writing.
The early 1920s was a time of disillusionment and excess. After
World War I, the new generation was desperate to cope with the
traumas of their experiences. This led to a time of corruption,
encouraging people to run after their desires without thought to the
consequences. An example of this is Gatsby's huge mansion and the
manifestations of his wealth. The parties he held on Saturday nights
are a good example of the extravagance and waste of the age. Both
Nick and Gatsby had fought in World War I, and throughout the story,
we see Nick's resulting cynicism and Gatsby's decadence. There is
also a clear picture of the industrialism of the age. Parts of the
story are set in the Valley of Ashes, which was a long stretch of
desolate land created by the dumping of industrial ashes. This was
the setting for Wilson and Myrtle's home, creating their dismal
mindsets.
World War I also resulted in the decline of the American dream.
Before, that dream had been a very pure ideal. It was about discovery
and making your own path and creating something for yourself. Now, in
a world that was obsessed with consumption, the American dream was
simply the pursuit of pleasures, whether it be money, property, or
enjoyment. Gatsby's parties and his pursuit of Daisy are an example
of this, as are the motives and actions of the other characters in
the story. It also represented the dissatisfaction of the age. In the
end, no one is able to truly fulfill their greedy desires. Gatsby's
dream of finally being with his true love – Daisy – was compared
to the old dream of the New World and symbolized by the green light
at the end of her dock. He was straining toward things that were
already past, groping after dreams that had become deceptive wisps.
This
story is also includes how changes in social status played out in the
1920s. There was the aristocracy, old families with old wealth, and
now there were people who were making their own fortune, known as the
newly rich. With the prohibition, Gatsby and many others were making
fortunes through criminal activity and bootlegging. One of the
reasons for Daisy's rejection of Gatsby was that he had pursued money
in ways that were less than reputable. Families that were from the
aristocracy often frowned on the newly rich, suspecting them as
bootleggers. The aristocrats were often characterized by subtlety and
sense. But they also – like Tom and Daisy Buchanan – had a
certain hollowness to them. Throughout the story, Tom, Daisy and
Jordan are often conveyed as being dispassionate. However, the newly
rich were excessive and extravagant, but they also had heart. Gatsby,
for all his flaws, has real passion and feeling throughout the story.
The
Great Gatsby also represented
the moral decline of the age. Between the activity in Gatsby's
mansion and his pursuit of – Daisy – a married woman, we see how
the characters put more emphasis on self-gratification than on truth
and morality. At the end of the story, Gatsby loses Daisy and Tom
loses Myrtle, the woman that he was cheating with. Gatsby,
unprotected by his social status and also by his heart, is killed for
a crime that he didn't commit, and Daisy, who accidentally committed
the crime, is untouched. Nick, after wrapping up Gatsby's affairs,
leaves Long Island, searching for a place where the excesses of the
age will not affect him.
In
the end, this story is about the disillusionment that was rampant in
the age. It has a real grounding in history. Through the setting, the
feel, and the message of the story, it conveys the history of the
1920s. The age was permeated by the aftermath of World War I, causing
the world to change socially and morally. The
Great Gatsby
is a representation of what happens when we pursue our pleasures and
desires over all else. I agree with Matthew Bruccoli's statement.
This story not only teaches history, it teaches history in a way that
is very tangible and deep.
