cultural assumptions in the great gatsby

The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. In Myrtle's eyes, money is an escape from life with her husband in the valley of ashes, something that brings status, and something that buys class. Ironically, Gatsbys good qualities (loyalty and love) lead to his death, as he takes the blame for killing Myrtle rather than letting Daisy be punished, and the Buchanans bad qualities (fickleness and selfishness) allow them to remove themselves from the tragedy not only physically but psychologically. IvyPanda. In short, money both drives the plot and explains many of the characters' motivations and limitations. We're using this system since there are many editions of Gatsby, so using page numbers would only work for students with our copy of the book. The Great Crash and the Onset of the Great Depression. Quarterly Journal of Economics 10.5 (1990): 597-625. The dizzying rise of the stock market in the aftermath of the war led to a sudden, sustained increase in the national wealth and a newfound materialism, as people began to spend and consume at unprecedented levels. While Gatsby, Myrtle, and George all end up dead, Tom and Daisy get to skip town and avoid any consequences, despite their direct involvement. Myrtleboth working class and a womanis thus trapped between a rock (her gender) and a hard place (her lack of money), and perhaps for this reason receives the cruelest treatment of all. Thus, possession of material wealth was important for the placement of people in a given social class and status. Get Annual Plans at a discount when you buy 2 or more! Historically speaking, with influential leaders of temperance movements that believed in the dangers of alcohol and its ability to disrupt families, the Volstead Act was put into effect outlawing the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors (The Great Gatsby Literature 147). The values totally changed instead of striving for equality, people - just wanted to get as rich as they could. In fact, it seems that the accident may have brought them closer. It contains thousands of paper examples on a wide variety of topics, all donated by helpful students. Want the complete lowdown on Jay Gatsby's rags-to-riches story? Alongside the juxtaposition of the Midwest and the East, Fitzgerald also reflects the culture of the 1920s with descriptions of Prohibition and the law breaking that came as a result. First of all, he makes it clear that he has "an unaffected scorn" for the ultra-rich, and eyes both new money and old money critically. Hence, consumer spending increased tremendously since more people gained access to the well-paying job opportunities. Gatsby 's car, outsized and ostentatious, represents Gatsby's flamboyant gestures, love of the material world, and huge capacity to dream. Is Nick from The Great Gatsby a Trustworthy Narrator? Gatsby was Fitzgerald's third novel, and in writing it, he consciously set out to write something more artistic and creative than his previous two books. Free trial is available to new customers only. To get you started, here is a sample of some of Nick's comments on money and the wealthy, though there are certainly more to be found: "Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reactionGatsby who represented everything for which I have an unaffected scorn." If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, presents a critical portrait of the American dream through its portrayal of the 1920s New York elite. He accurately describes and critiques this materialistic society in order to leave a lasting impact on the public to recognize the inevitable failure of their economy and success waiting. We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. If you are the copyright owner of this paper and no longer wish to have your work published on IvyPanda. When his dream crumbles, all that is left for Gatsby to do is die; all Nick can do is move back to Minnesota, where American values have not decayed. Wealth, Class, and Society Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. In the 1920s depicted in the novel, however, easy money and relaxed social values have corrupted this dream, especially on the East Coast. We'll learn your background and interests, brainstorm essay topics, and walk you through the essay drafting process, step-by-step. We get our best look at Myrtle in Chapter 2, when Tom takes Nick to see her in Queens and they end up going to the New York City apartment Tom keeps for Myrtle and hosting a small gathering (after Tom and Myrtle hook up, with Nick in the next room!). By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. A close look at these two distinct societies gives an image of a future fictional American society culture, which is free from corruption and largely not driven by individualism. (1.17). . ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score, How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League, Is the ACT easier than the SAT? In this sense, better economic fortunes in America, together with the rising mass production in the 1920s normalized the culture of consumption so that products that were consumed by the wealthy members of the society became now affordable to persons in the lower social economic classes. In addition to the perception of the American Dream, the opposing cultures of the Midwest and Eastern regions of the United States are depicted by Fitzgerald and embody the characters morals. The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 4+ ACT Points, How to Get a Perfect 36 ACT, by a Perfect Scorer. Why is Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby a Satire? Gatsby was born to poor farmer parents in North Dakota, but at 17, determined to become rich, struck out with the wealthy Dan Cody and never looked back (6.5-15). Despite not being as wealthy as Tom and Daisy, his second cousin, they see him as enough of a peer to invite him to their home in Chapter 1. Meyer Wolfsheim and Gatsbys fortune symbolize the rise of organized crime and bootlegging. I'd never understood before. When Nick Carraway, narrator of The Great Gatsby, . The 5 Strategies You Must Be Using to Improve 160+ SAT Points, How to Get a Perfect 1600, by a Perfect Scorer, Free Complete Official SAT Practice Tests. The smaller European powers were forced into the war as well, based on whatever alliances they had made in the past. Cars also now created a totally new danger, particularly in combination with alcohol consumption. To Nick, the way that Tom, Daisy, and Gatsby line up morally correlates with their geographical choice of lifestyle (The Great Gatsby Novels 73); in other words, Nicks unsophistication and simplicity reflect his admiration for the Midwest just as Toms, Daisys and Gatsbys materialistic and immoral behaviors mirror their affinity for the fast-paced life of New York. Print. The theme of The Great Gatsby is decadence and the decline of society. Interested in the other ways that The Great Gatsbyera matters to the plot of the novel? "American Culture in the Novel "The Great Gatsby"." Check out our articles onGatsbys title, its opening pages and epigraph, and itsfirst chapter. and events that occur in the novels plot. The journey to reaching a fulfilling life and the American Dream came with struggles, and many people resorted to crime and dishonest behavior as a way to circumvent their actual problems. You can use them for inspiration, an insight into a particular topic, a handy source of reference, or even just as a template of a certain type of paper. This analysis can enrich an essay about old money versus new money, the American dream, or even a more straightforward character analysis, or a comparison of two different characters. They are highly materialistic in nature. Unfortunately, with regard to The Great Gatsby, this dream dwindled, as materialism, consumerism, and the culture of loosening social morals became the order of the day in the 1920s America. Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby in the Roaring Twenties, an era largely influenced by gaudiness, independence, and corruptness, which is immediately reflected in the central characters. to reacquaint himself with Daisy through massive parties instead prove to be areas where those yearning for liquor could obtain their desired alcohol with little to no regard toward their host; this is exemplified in the fact that Owl Eyes is the only character other than Nick to attend both Gatsbys lavish parties and his funeral. What is the importance of the character Owl Eyes? One of the major topics explored in The Great Gatsby is the sociology of wealth, specifically, how the newly minted millionaires of the 1920s differ from and relate to the old aristocracy of the countrys richest families. These shared ideals include a notion of freedom that ensures all Americans the possibility of upward social mobility, as long as they work for it. Daisy is coercive and manipulative. The various social climbers and ambitious speculators who attend Gatsbys parties evidence the greedy scramble for wealth. This began during WWI as more women began to work to make up for the men fighting abroad, and as more professions opened up to them in the men's absence. She even adopts a different persona among her guests: "The intense vitality that had been so remarkable in the garage was converted into impressive hauteur. Published in 1925, the book is not only an important work of English-language literature, it is an excellent period piece that displays the social, cultural, and political tensions of the 1920s . You should know about WWI (and its aftermath) because: The war and its devastating after-effects, particularly in Europe, fed into the creation of a new artistic movement: modernism. Politically, the women's rights movement next took up the cause of the Equal Rights Amendment, which would guarantee equal legal rights for women. In the era of writing The Great Gatsby, cultural conventions, which were perceived as out of date died to usher new ones from1920 to 1930s. I wasnt actually in love, Nick recalls, but I felt a sort of tender curiosity. Such tender curiosity may be the closest thing to love in the entire novel. This period of women's liberation saw young women with short hair and increased freedoms. In Nicks mind, the ability to create meaningful symbols constitutes a central component of the American dream, as early Americans invested their new nation with their own ideals and values. At the same time, their prominence gave rise to an anti-Semitic backlash, and the revival of the KKK began with the lynching of a Jewish man in 1915. Copyright 2023 - IvyPanda is operated by, American Culture in the Novel The Great Gatsby. (one code per order). In contrast to Tom and Daisy's expensive but not overly gaudy mansion, and the small dinner party Nick attends there in Chapter 1, everything about Gatsby's new wealth is over-the-top and showy, from the crates of oranges brought in and juiced one-by-one by a butler to the full orchestra. Every character in The Great Gatsby draws inspiration from the American Dreams promise of wealth and prosperity. But there are other themes at play here, too. Development Arrested. This article will guide you through the historical, economic, and social movements of the 1920's as they relate to events, themes, and characters in The Great Gatsby. Sometimes it can end up there. 1. What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For? By such suggestions that Gatsby was a product of his culture, Nick is able to praise Gatsby for the integrity of his belief . Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Also seen throughout The Great Gatsby is the flapper culture. The idea is straightforward: greater income . Daisy, for her part, only begins her affair with Gatsby after a very detailed display of his wealth (via the mansion tour). Money (or the lack of it!) ." Curious to see how much Daisy and Myrtle's struggle for more echoes the lives of real women? In other words, Gatsby loves Daisy's "value" as an in-demand product. . Literary Themes for Students. Everyone who comes to the parties is attracted by Gatsby's money and wealth, making the culture of money-worship a society-wide trend in the novel, not just something our main characters fall victim to. Print. High in a white palace the king's daughter, the golden girl. In other words, wealth is presented as the key to lovesuch an important key that the word "gold" is repeated twice. They even went to the extent of assimilating masculine ways and fashions into their lifestyles. Societally, divorce became more common. Cars are clearly used to display wealth and status - even Tom, normally secure in his superiority, wants to brag to George Wilson aboutthesuper-fancy Rolls Royce heborrows from Gatsby. Nick's attentions again turn to Gatsby in Chapter 3. No one comes due to close personal friendship with Jay. What Does The Great Gatsbys Ending Mean? Obsession In The Great Gatsby And Frankenstein . Fitzgerald incorporates the topics surrounding his era into this classic of the American Dream, the contrasting cultures of the Midwest and East, the struggles under Prohibition, and the immoral behaviors exemplified throughout the nation. Dont have an account? What does this mean? The College Entrance Examination BoardTM does not endorse, nor is it affiliated in any way with the owner or any content of this site. Colonizers arrived in the US with similar dreams of a healthier life for all people. All rights reserved. Continue to start your free trial. "They're such beautiful shirts," she sobbed, her voice muffled in the thick folds. Joyce Moss and George Wilson. Perhaps this attitude was tempered at Yale, where he would have been surrounded by other ultra-wealthy peers, but in any case, Nick's cynical, sarcastic attitude seems to be a cover for jealousy and resentment for those even more wealthy than him. . You can see the effects of these historical development several places in the novel: The 1920s saw huge increases in the production and use of automobiles. In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars. By continuing well assume you Entire Document, Comparison: Great Gatsby and the American Dream, The Great Gatsby and the 'American Dream', The Great Gatsby: The Fall of the American Dream, Contradictions in the culture of the period, Flappers and self-made men as new people of the period, Prohibition of alcohol and Gatsby as a bootlegger, The price for reaching the American Dream, How the novel mirrors the corrupt mindset of the Roaring Twenties. This so called Black Sox Fix proved to be an enormous scandal in the early twentieth century as Rothstein, Wolfsheim in the novel, was able to get away with committing the crime with clever and crooked smarts while obtaining a large sum of money. Theory In this essay I will, by using a Marxist approach, analyze how the events in the novel The Great Gatsby reflect the changing society and the norms and values in America during the 1920s. IvyPanda, 12 Aug. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/american-culture-in-the-novel-the-great-gatsby/. He spends his life believing that if he makes enough money and acquires enough possessions, he can transcend his lower-class birth and become equal to Daisy and Tom. However, jumping up beyond her roots, using Tom's money, is ultimately unsustainableher husband finds out and threatens to move out west, and then of course she is killed by Daisy before they can make that move. The Decline of the American Dream in the 1920s. For the next 7 days, you'll have access to awesome PLUS stuff like AP English test prep, No Fear Shakespeare translations and audio, a note-taking tool, personalized dashboard, & much more! 22 Apr. ACT Writing: 15 Tips to Raise Your Essay Score, How to Get Into Harvard and the Ivy League, Is the ACT easier than the SAT? Read More. 20% While we admired he brought more and the soft rich heap mounted highershirts with stripes and scrolls and plaids in coral and apple-green and lavender and faint orange with monograms of Indian blue. The ideals of love and marriage are profoundly strained in The Great Gatsby, a book that centers on two loveless marriages: the union between Tom and Daisy Buchanan and between George and Myrtle Wilson. My personal culture tree possesses a diverse cultural background as the 'roots', that formed the core and branch values, the values seemed to point towards unity between first nations people and Anglo-Saxon people in Australia since I . She thinks that she deserves to be with Tom whose money, influence, and power provide answers to her (Mytle) problems of poverty. You can also compare Tom and Daisy's actions and outcomes to other characters to help make your pointMyrtle and Gatsby both contribute to the conflict by participating in affairs with Tom and Daisy, but obviously, Myrtle and Gatsby don't get to "retreat into their money," they both end up dead. This pessimism is also reflected in the fates of Myrtle and George, who are both trying to increase their wealth and status in America, but end up dead by the end of the novel. Gatsby admits this fact (Fitzgerald and Bruccoli 127). Nick laments, I stared at (Wilson) and then at Tom, who had made a parallel discovery less than an hour before-and it occurred to me that there was no difference between men (Fitzgerald and Bruccoli 158). Everyone who comes to the parties is attracted by Gatsby's money and wealth, making the culture of money-worship a society-wide trend in the novel, not just something our main characters fall victim to. Gatsby's early romance with Daisy is heightened by the initial idealism that he was about to go fight in a noble and glorious endeavor. "American Culture in the Novel "The Great Gatsby"." "Al Capone Does My Shirts a Novel by Gennifer Choldenko, Hobbes Materialist Nature of Philosophical Principles. Or, zoom out toa summary of The Great Gatsby, along with links to all ourgreat articles analyzing this novel! A new version of the dream emerged. This combination of restlessness and resentment puts them on the path to the tragedy at the end of the book. As Fitzgerald saw it (and as Nick explains in Chapter 9), the American dream was originally about discovery, individualism, and the pursuit of happiness. (1.4), "My own house was an eye-sore, but it was a small eye-sore, and it had been overlooked, so I had a view of the water, a partial view of my neighbor's lawn, and the consoling proximity of millionairesall for eighty dollars a month. But that knowledge doesn't dampen his pursuit of wealthif anything, it makes it even more desirable. Just as Americans have given America meaning through their dreams for their own lives, Gatsby instills Daisy with a kind of idealized perfection that she neither deserves nor possesses. Clearly, having old money sets you far apart from everyone else in the world of the novel. "They had spent a year in France, for no particular reason, and then drifted here and there unrestfully wherever people played polo and were rich together." Literary Themes for Students: The American Dream. Past and Future. Myrtle is obsessed with shows of wealth, from her outfits, to insisting on a specific cab, to her apartment's decoration, complete with scenes of Versailles on the overly-large furniture: "The living room was crowded to the doors with a set of tapestried furniture entirely too large for it so that to move about was to stumble continually over scenes of ladies swinging in the gardens of Versailles" (2.51). hbspt.cta.load(360031, '4efd5fbd-40d7-4b12-8674-6c4f312edd05', {}); Have any questions about this article or other topics? Nick's comments about money, especially in the first chapter, are mostly critical and cynical. . Of course, this did little to actually stem the desire for alcoholic beverages, so a vast underground criminal empire was born to supply this demand. A mentionable character representing the American Dream was Jordan Baker and her representation of womens independence. He tells Tom Buchanan after finding out about Myrtle's affair that he plans to move her West, but he "[needs] money pretty bad" in order to make the move (7.146). The Great Gatsby reflects the emergence of a culture of increased consumerism that is driven by increased economic prosperity. These practices gave rise to a culture of immorality, which opposed the traditional moral and social norms of the past generations. The production and distributionof alcohol became the province ofbootleggers - the original organized crime syndicates. As Caraway describes the nature of Gatsbys parties, it is clear that even though Americans enjoyed prosperity that was associated with the jazz age, they also feared its social implications. (2022, August 12). Nick and Gatsby are continually troubled by timethe past haunts Gatsby and the future weighs down on Nick. Jordan is direct and critical all while being collected and intelligent; she defies the typical standard of the effervescent, submissive women of her time and instead represents a new breed of women, all standardized by the future of American prosperity and affluence. Myrtles affair with Tom is her approach of taking advantage of him to reach an extravagant lifestyle, Daisy allows Gatsby to take the blame for Myrtles death without regret, and Gatsby changes his whole name and way of life in order to feel personally accomplished; all eventually realize that the happiness they expected to receive in the end resulted in misery, especially with the deaths of Myrtle and Gatsby. The Great Gatsby is set against the backdrop of 1920s New York City, a period known as the "Roaring Twenties" for the exhilarating pace set by the rapidly evolving culture and technology. The concept of the American dream as developed in chapter nine of The Great Gatsby revolves around the concepts of moral values that have been used to pursue happiness. Leader, Zachary. One woman is not just adequate. In Fitzgerald's most popular novel, The Great Gatsby, jazz appears as constant background music. Want 100 or more? In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby's ego and self-centered personality . What's the point of striving so hard if only heartbreak and death are waiting at the end of the road? Myrtle mentions this with regard to her husband, George, whom she mistook for someone of better breeding and hence greater prospects: I thought he knew something about breeding, but he wasnt fit to lick my shoe. Similarly, Gatsbys pursuit of Daisy is bound up with class. let other people clean up the mess they had made.. Materialism led to the increased corruption and breakage of the law at will among the rich in pursuit of money. | Discount, Discount Code If George Wilson had had the means, he likely would have already left New York with Myrtle in tow, saving both of their lives. (Even if she's not actually engaged, the fact she chooses to tell Nick that suggests she does see engagement as her end goal in life.). Money and materialism in the plotKey quotes about money/materialismAnalyzing characters via money/materialismCommon assignments and analysis of money/materialism in Gatsby. She was incurably dishonest. These comments might seem a bit odd, given that Nick admits to coming from money himself: "My family have been prominent, well-to-do people in this middle-western city for three generations" (1.5). Print. This term paper on American Culture in the Novel The Great Gatsby was written and submitted by your fellow Economically, there was an increase in working women. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% This marked a shift both in how black culture was understood and appreciated by the rest of the country and in how womens rights were progressing, as well discuss in the next sections. Understanding what the world was like during the time the novel is sethelps you in all sorts of ways: Figuring out an author's assumptions. Fitzgerald captured this period of rapid post-war growth and the frenzy surrounding the era with insightful examples of the eleterious effects of superficial behavior. New York, NY: Institute of American History, 2005. She fails to comprehend why East Eggs people live materially well while she, together with her husband, still remain engulfed in the valley of ashes (Fitzgerald and Bruccoli 76). Gatsby makes his fortune through bootlegging and other criminal activities. IvyPanda. The novels narrator illustrates well the increased consumerist culture. In the novel, West Egg and its denizens represent the newly rich, while East Egg and its denizens, especially Daisy and Tom, represent the old aristocracy. When describing Gatsbys parties, Caraways says that there was frequent musical noise emanating for his neighbors house throughout all nights in summer (Zeitz 22). We touched on this a bit with the quotes, but all of the characters can be analyzed from the point of view of their wealth and/or how materialistic they are. Women who were never contented with pleasure wore knee-length skirts, overly long draping necklaces, and rolled stockings (Leader 14). You can connect modernism withthe novel's descriptions of East Egg and West Egg extravagance. Fitzgerald conveys a message warning against the perils of materialism during the course of the novel. In spite of this, Gatsby is actually more ignored and used as opposed to honored. Wed love to have you back! It took him about two and a half years to write and edit it, in between a failed play production, financial struggles, and a move to France. At the same time, many of the social restrictions of the early 20th century were being rejected, and progressive movements of all kinds were flourishing. Excited to dive in? I have never heard anyone object to the fact that in editions of "The Great Gatsby" published since 1992, numerous perceived errors of both fact and internal chronology have been corrected . Similarly, modernism writers experimented with form and style rather than sticking with traditional forms of prose and poetry. Readers may end the novel wondering if the American Dream is actually attainable at all. In the monied world of The Great Gatsby, class influences all aspects of life, and especially love. (7.106). Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? The Great Gatsby. New York, NY, and London: Verso, 1998. So she keeps up this affair, despite how morally questionable it is and the risk it opens up for herher materialism, in other words, is her primary motivator. But even Gatsby, who makes an incredible amount of money in a short time, is not allowed access into the upper echelon of society, and loses everything in trying to climb that final, precarious rung of the ladder, as represented by Daisy. Indeed, Tom Buchanan believes that he needs additional power and influence despite being already powerful and blessed with a beautiful daughter and wife. In 2013, a new movie adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel The Great Gatsby was released. In the contemporary phenomenon of "Gatsby parties"festivities intended to capture the air of the titular Jay Gatsby's famously lavish, bacchanalian partiesjazz is de rigueur to evoke the 1920s. The book is narrated by Nick Carraway, who recounts the events of the summer of . Nick's love of Manhattan as a diverse melting pot is illustrated by the appearance in. The average student has to read dozens of books per year. As such, the Great Gatsby era is the period in 20th century U.S. history nicknamed both the "Roaring 20s" and the "Jazz Age." The first nickname points to America's post-WWI economic prosperity and the country's greater influence abroad. Please wait while we process your payment. Your privacy is extremely important to us. The Great Gatsby, Third novel by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald, published in 1925. Many themes of the novel revolve around the mysterious character of Gatsby. In the opening pages, Nick establishes himself as someone who has had many advantages in lifea wealthy family and an Ivy League education to name just two. However, Fitzgerald illustrates the price of prosperity as he portrays its negative effects such as the greed, lies, and deceit the characters possess in order to satirize the selfish way many were choosing to live. Though all of its action takes place over a mere few months during the summer of 1922 and is set in a circumscribed geographical area in the vicinity of Long Island, New York, The Great Gatsby is a highly symbolic meditation on 1920s America as a whole, in particular the disintegration of the American dream in an era of unprecedented prosperity and material excess.