Distortion and Degeneration of Dream Pursuit
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the capitalist society of the United States entered the period of rapid economic development, and the society showed great prosperity, but the spiritual level of people in that period was in great crisis. The “American Dream”, love, money, society, and social classes all played a role in the book The Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald shows us the true aspect of America. The background of the novel was set on the prosperous Long Island of 1922 and it provides a critical social history of America during the Roaring Twenties. Class differences in capitalist societies make commodification happen between people. The American Dream has always been a major force in helping the rise of the middle class as people try to climb social classes to become wealthy. Although the American Dream is the dream that every American citizen has been pursuing, Gatsby’s pursuit of it displays the tragedy of American society, embodying the distorted idealism and the fall of the American Dream.
The realization of Gatsby’s American dream deviated from the original intention and meaning of the American Dream. In the 19th and 20th centuries, when American capitalists lived a life of the luxury material, the American working people were displaced by unemployment and lived a bleak life. All people try to climb social classes and become wealthy. However, behind the prosperity are dirty transactions, as well as humanity’s fraud. “Especially that so-called American Dream, that stereotype that everyone can succeed if you try hard enough”(Geoghegan). The American Dream can be understood as through our own unremitting struggle, regardless of race, class, gender, or nationality, as long as they work hard through their own hard work, everyone can realize their dreams. Gatsby is born in a poor family at the bottom of society. He has nothing but courage and dreams. Gatsby gains wealth and status by his own efforts and becomes the upper class. He came back after the war and become very richly through his efforts. Gatsby successfully realized the American dream, it seems very inspirational. But in the 19th and 20th centuries, how can a young and poor man succeed quickly and get what he wants, the only way is to take risks.
Additionally, in order to get into the upper class society, he was tempted by the interests of money and lost his original moral concept. At the same time, his identity and family also influenced his thoughts to become wealthy. When Nick, Daisy’s cousin which enables him to observe the resurgent love affair between Daisy and Gatsby, describes Gatsby’s experience, he says, “His parents were shiftless and unsuccessful farm people – his imagination had never really accepted them as his parents at all”(105). Gatsby was born in a poor family and he never really accept his family. He was dissatisfied with everything that his family gave to him. “Gatsby’s rejection of these humble origins is signaled by a name change, an ‘immigrant’ surname anglicized and a formal first name made familiar and fashionable sounding. This reinvention begins when Gatsby is seventeen”(Giltrow and Stouck 478). Gatsby’s legal name was James Gatz, but he changed it at his 17 years old. Moreover, he always imagines that he is born in a rich family and that is why he lied to the other people. He also wants to change the fact that he was born into a poor family by becoming rich. In a stand of that, it also influences his thoughts about the American Dream by becoming a rich person. Gatsby distorted the original intention of the American Dream. He did not become rich by his own efforts but got a lot of money through some illegal means. This also laid the groundwork for the demise of his American Dream.
Moreover, Gatsby regarded the American dream and wealth as a quest for Daisy, which was his most deadly mistake. Daisy is a beautiful young woman. She is Nick’s cousin and Gatsby’s lover. In fact, Daisy is very popular. And Gatsby falsely reported his background to Daisy, claiming that he was from a wealthy family so that she believed Gatsby was worthy of her. Gatsby left because of the war, and Daisy promised to wait for Gatsby. Due to Gatsby’s leaving, the relationship has to be broken up. And Daisy chose to marry Tom, a young man from an aristocratic family who can guarantee her a rich lifestyle. Gatsby was in the lower class of society, Daisy would not marry him even he did not go to war. “Almost five years! There must have been moments even that afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams… 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”(103). Perhaps the love of youth is simple, but five years, have turned the simple and beautiful girl into a woman who is now secular and admires vanity. However, Gatsby’s heart is actually empty and lonely. He may think that such a simple girl has already gone with time, but he is not thinking deeply on it. He only magnified the love and pursuit of Daisy, so that life is meaningful.
In addition to this, the gap between Gatsby and Daisy in society class also affected him. “Although Daisy has been married off to Tom Buchanan, Gatsby is determined to win her back by displaying his new wealth……Not only do Gatsby and Tony impress women with their wealth, but they equate those women with money”(Roberts, 74). Gatsby’s poor family influenced his thoughts that he has to become rich in order to match Daisy’s social class. Gatsby may not be commoditized for Daisy because he did not want to get anything from her, except her love. However, he hopes to show his wealth through Daisy. When Gatsby came back from the war, he was looking for Daisy and tried to get her back. Gatsby regarded Daisy as an American dream. He loved Daisy but also wanted to show his rich by being with Daisy. Only in this way, his American dream can make sense and this is because it is his belief. He believes that Daisy is his true love, and is his American dream. However, this belief is beautiful and fascinating, but worthless. Because between love and money, Daisy always chooses the latter. “[He] throws huge, brilliant Long Island parties in an epic attempt to attract the attention of a woman he lost because he had no money when they fell in love — is juxtaposed with the lonely, ugly end [shooting, swimming pool] to which he comes” (Spargo). Gatsby blindly believes in the power of money, living in a romantic fantasy, dealing with harsh life in the most naive way. In this way, Gatsby pinned all his dreams on an image that were no longer existed and vain. This image led to Gatsby’s choice of the fastest way to achieve his dreams, and eventually, his dream was shattered at last.
Furthermore, the American society in the 19th and 20th centuries also led to the failure of Gatsby. In the upper echelons of the America where class values are deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, Gatsby, who is born at the bottom, will never be accepted by the upper class in America. “‘An Oxford man!’ He was incredulous. ‘Like hell he is! He wears a pink suit’”(130). Tom said that Gatsby is wearing a pink suit to laugh at his upstarts taste. Although Gatsby has become rich, the cultivation, taste, and extravagance of the upper class can’t be learned. The taste of people like Tom came from family traditions and good education. But the upstarts like Gatsby don’t understand, they only know to buy the luxury things, wear a pink suit with a color shirt, drive a bright yellow car to sway through the city, these are not an upper class will do, so Tom looks down on him from the bones. Gatsby bought a big house and stages lavish parties. When Nick describes his neighborhood where Gatsby lives, “At least once a fortnight a corps of caterers came down with several hundred feet of canvas and enough colored lights to make a Christmas tree of Gatsby’s enormous garden”(43-44). Gatsby holds luxury parties once every two weeks and spends a lot of money to decorate his house. These things are expensive and unnecessary. Many people will join in the party that Gatsby holds in his house. Gatsby wanted this luxury party to show his wealth and attached to the upper class life. “He’s a legend to all those around him, but they have no idea who he really is or what it is that sets him apart from them”(Spargo). Gatsby is a mysterious person, and even among the people who attended the party, few people knew him. This may be because Gatsby lied to others and conceal his true poor identity. Although people don’t know who Gatsby is, many high society class people have participated in the Gatsby party. “Gatsby’s mansion is the venue for riotous, all-night parties, filled with hedonists getting drunk on the host’s money. Yet by the end of the story, the home is – like many foreclosed properties across the US today – empty and neglected”(Geoghegan). Although Gatsby deals with the upper class, he will not be accepted. Although Gatsby had countless top celebrities at his luxury parties, on the day of his funeral, there was no one except his father, Nick, and the gentleman with owl glasses. As the novel suggests, “they will give you a better impression than my generalities of those who accepted Gatsby’s hospitality and paid him the subtle tribute of knowing nothing whatever about him”(66). However, Daisy’s husband, Tom, has always maintained the privilege of the upper class. Although Gatsby can provide a luxurious life to Daisy, there is no background and reputation like Tom, which was eventually abandoned by Daisy.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, selfishness and apathy were the essential characteristics of that social interpersonal relationship of most people, and the interpersonal relationship was full of selfish greed. Love and friendship are based on money and materialism. In such a society, Americans who in the lower classes hold a beautiful American dream and try to escape from the traditional burden of life to seek a new life. However, everyone only lives for their own benefit. Once a person loses his wealth or is in deep trouble, those “friends” will disappear and seek another “rich paradise” that will allow them to enjoy themselves. This is the essence of the selfish and degraded social morality concealed by the American Dream in the 19th and 20th centuries. Whether it is the period of the novel or now, the pursuit of interests has become the value of most people. But even so, on the road to success, we should also uphold the principles of integrity and goodness. At the same time, the pursuit of material is as important as the spirit of pursuit. Some people say that “eat is to live, but people are alive but not just for eating.” Therefore, while people are striving to obtain material wealth, the importance of spiritual wealth should not be ignored.
Work Cited
Scott Fitzgerald. “The Great Gatsby.” Planet EBook.com, 1925 www.planetebook.com/free-ebooks/the-great-gatsby.pdf.
Geoghegan, Tom. “The Great Gatsby: What It Says to Modern America.” BBC News, BBC, 10 Aug. 2011, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-14238693.
Giltrow, Janet, and David Stouck. “STYLE AS POLITICS IN ‘THE GREAT GATSBY.’” Studies in the Novel, vol. 29, no. 4, 1997, pp. 476–490. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/29533231.
Roberts, Marilyn. “‘Scarface, The Great Gatsby’, and the American Dream.” Literature/Film Quarterly, vol. 34, no. 1, 2006, pp. 71–78. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/43797258.
Spargo, R. Clifton. “Why Every American Should Read The Great Gatsby, Again.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 9 June 2013, www.huffingtonpost.com/r-clifton-spargo/great-gatsby-rereading_b_3046378.html.
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