Great Gatsby: Fitzgerald's View of American Society
Uploaded by ellen12 on Mar 14, 1999
"What people are ashamed of usually makes a good story," was said of Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby is about the American Society at its worst and the downfall of those who attempt to reach its illusionary goals. The idea is that through wealth and power, one can acquire happiness. To get his happiness Jay Gatsby must reach into the past and relive an old dream. In order to achieve his dream, he must have wealth and power. Fitzgerald was wrong in the way he presented Gatsby's American Society because of the way Gatsby made money, found love, and lived his life.
The way in which Gatsby made money was a despicable practice. Gatsby's bootlegging business made him millions. The time during Prohibition in the 1920's was a opportune time to take advantage of the lack of alcohol and sell it for those who would pay large sums for it. Organized criminals catered to the needs of the drinking public by illegally supplying them with liquor. The book and Fitzgerald didn't reference straight to this crime but implied that the American Society was blameworthy in its dealings with the problem. This is not the case in the least. The period know as the Roaring Twenties will always be remembered for its glittering lights and unbridles romances, not the crime.
The manner in which these characters found love was also very upsetting. Gatsby spent countless years obtaining his fortune for one purpose only, to win back Daisy Buchanan. The quote, "Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay," demonstrates just how desperate Gatsby was to buy anything to impress his longtime love of Daisy. Affairs were commonplace in the book and in the time. Parties and having a good time easily influenced these actions.
There are millions of cases in the American Society where the girl was not won over by money. A girl would not marry a guy because of their social status or financial status. If someone does not have enough respect for themselves to marry the person they love for their character, then the rest of their life is going to be full of embarrassment and failure to truly love.
The process of morally living life in this story was also a challenge. Daisy wanted material possessions her whole life and couldn't be satisfied otherwise. Gatsby wanted her and wouldn't be...