Analysis

The Toxicity of the American Dream

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The American Dream is a concept that is familiar to many people across the globe today. The American dream is usually defined as owning a house with a white picket fence, becoming extremely rich, and climbing the social ladder. Unfortunately, the American dream could be the reason for the unsatisfied desires found deep within those who have almost achieved it. The American dream creates a need for more. More money, more parties, more attention, which could lead to the demise of an individual; which may have been the reason for Gatsby’s downfall. 

Through Nick’s narration of events, it seems that Gatsby’s downfall is brought on due to the envious men around him. But is it? Nick states,

I have never found in any other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again. No – Gatsby turned out alright at the end; it was what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams.(Fitzgerald 2)

Nick seemed to have noticed what Gatsby’s dreams are, and saw that Gatsby worked hard to  attain them, making him the only man who was close in achieving the American dream. However, men “preyed on Gatsby” and there was foul play in what is soon to be known as his death, making Gatsby unable to attain what he built his fortune for. Thus, Gatsby’s American dream is incomplete. This also puts an emphasis on the toxicity of the American dream. Which raises the following questions: does having the American dream and striving to achieve it distill hate and envy in the hearts of others? Does it create unhealthy competition between men which causes them to act unethically? Or in Gatsby’s case, does fulfilling the American dream mean taking that which you cannot attain (i.e. Daisy) and having to deal with the consequences?

In chapter four Nick learns through Jordan that for Gatsby’s dream to be fulfilled Daisy had to be in it. Daisy is the reason Gatsby bought the house in West egg, she is the reason he worked so hard to become wealthy, and because of her, he made it his mission to climb the social ladder. All for him to impress her and win back her love. This is known through Jordans statement, “Gatsby bought that house so that Daisy would be just across the bay” (65). Furthermore, Gatsby was adamant that Daisy sees his wealth, and to make sure she is aware that he is still madly in love with her. While talking to Nick, Jordan said, “He wants her to see his house”, which shows that Gatsby wants to show Daisy everything he has worked so hard for was for her, and that he truly wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. 

Lastly, the green light across the bay that Gatsby reaches out for in the beginning of the novel signifies the one thing he cannot attain for himself, which we later find out is Daisy. When Gatsby finally meets Daisy, Nick examines them interacting and states, “Possibly it had occurred to him that the colossal significance of that light had now vanished forever…  His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one” (77). The green light across the bay now holds new significance, it vanished, which may be Gatsby’s realization that his dream of winning back Daisy may be far fetched and impossible to reach. Which creates a bigger void within him of unsatisfied desire. When Nick states, “[Gatsby’s] count of enchanted objects had diminished by one” Gatsby may have realized his inability to make Daisy his, and that all the things he had worked so hard for is now worthless without her.  

In conclusion, Gatsby pursuing Daisy is what put his life in Jeopardy because for one, he is pursuing another man’s wife which is bound to cause life threatening consequences. And Two, his American dream is incomplete without Daisy, and his realization of this may also be the reason why Gatsby needed to die.

The American dream pushes people to great lengths for them to attain great riches and a higher social standing in society. But at what expense should an individual attain these dreams? For Gatsby’s dream to be fulfilled he needed Daisy by his side, however that was never going to happen. Which may have lead him to his own demise.

Contexts

Tunes in Grayscale

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Cotton Club, Harlem, New York, ca. 1920s
Public Domain Image, Courtesy New York Public Library

As World War 1 came to a close, a mass number of jazz musicians migrated from New Orleans to other major cities such as New York and Chicago (A Culture of Change Boundless US History, 2020). This led to further dispersal of jazz and different interpretations of jazz to arise. Through the 1920s into the 1930s, Jazz grew from black to white and was played for everyone and anyone in the US, and due to many speakeasies, illegal night clubs and more, jazz became popular, moving from a “hot negro style” to a “sweet style”, very quickly in a small period of time (Seago, 2000). A number of entertainment venues erupted in the major cities, such as the Cotton Club, which symbolized the Jazz Age.

The Jazz Age was one of the most culturally defining moments of the ‘20s. This was the first time in history that underground jazz was brought to light and hit the main stage. Sadly, as influential, the Jazz Age was, it was also a time of racial segregation due to the Jim Crow Laws at the time (A Culture of Change Boundless US History, 2020). This segregation meant that African-Americans were forced to live, work or go to schools that were different from those of the White people. The Great Gatsby (2015) touches on this racial segregation maybe about twice through the novel, and it is disheartening to see how it is put aside in the novel as unimportant, when in fact African-Americans are what started the Jazz Age.

Carter and King Jazzing Orchestra in 1921, Houston, Texas

Fitzgerald includes two prominent scenes in the novel where race-related problems are touched. The first one being when Tom Buchanan is astounded at the fact that some African-Americans are being driven around by a Caucasian male. Further, Tom also mentions, earlier in the novel, a book he advocates for, The Rise of the Colored Empires, which is essentially a text that talks about nationalism. The reason Fitzgerald would have included these scenes in the novel is that it was relevant at the time of the novel, however, maybe the reason why he doesn’t explicitly address the Jim Crow era in the Great Gatsby is that that was the norm on how the American People lived at the time (Ogren, 1989). Fitzgerald also termed the black men in the novel as “bucks” (Fitzgerald, 2015, 74), which essentially is linking black males to animals that white men at that time would go and hunt (Maureen, 2004). Fitzgerald may have embraced the lifestyle of jazz, and the new music it brought about, but he by no means embraced the practitioners of Jazz music.

Ma Rainey Georgia Jazz Band posing for a studio group shot in the mid-1920s, with Thomas A. Dorsey at the piano.

In the 1920s, many white critics would demean the African-Americans and do so through spiteful newspaper articles about Jazz. There are a ton of anti-jazz articles between the 1920s to the 1930s for the sole purpose to attack African-Americans more than Jazz itself. Certain articles like
“The Jazz Problem,”
“Official declares the ‘Jazz Age’ Has Increased the Use of Drugs,”
“Students in Arms Against Jazz,”
“Unspeakable Jazz Must Go,” and “The Appeal of Primitive Jazz” created a description of the African-Americans and considered the Jazz / Harlem culture as something evil. An example of how for many White Americans Jazz was associated more with the African-Americans and the hate they had for them rather than a musical style itself, bringing about some horrible anti-black mockery and demeaning African-Americans to almost nothingness and “culturally inferior” (Seago, 2000). One of the first pieces that describe the racism of some white writers is “The Appeal of Primitive Jazz” (1917). This article relates the “colored” groups of people to “[be] infected with a virus” that made people around them “shake and jump and writhe in ways … a return of the medieval jumping mania.” They went even further to say that Jazz was always performed by “savages” who would show their “retarded” and “aggressive” nature through their music; Jazz.

While not all white Americans disregard African-Americans as less than, a majority of them did so. Hence, it’s interesting to see the degree to which the role that African-Americans played in the Jazz Age was omitted in such a profound novel about the 1920s. This allows us to question Fitzgerald’s lack of consideration of crediting the African-Americans for the cultural shift  (A Culture of Change Boundless US History, n.d) they brought about, due to their revolution of Jazz Music.

Anderson, Maureen. “The White Reception of Jazz in America.” African American Review, vol. 38, no. 1, 2004, pp. 135–145.

A Culture of Change / Boundless US History. (n.d). Courses.lumenlearning.com. Retrieved from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-ushistory/chapter/a-culture-of-change/.

Fitzgerald, F.Scott. The Great Gatsby. Planet Ebook, 2015.

Ogren, Kathy. The Jazz Revolution: Twenties in America & the Meaning of Jazz. Oxford University Press, 1989

Seago, Lynne “From Potent to Popular: The Effects of Racism on Chicago Jazz 1920-1930,” Constructing the Past: Vol. 1 : Iss. 1 , Article 6. The Ames Library, 2000.

Through researching this topic I decided to look into some Jazz music as well, and here are some that I found that I absolutely loved.
I’ve linked them all below, so hopefully, you can enjoy it as well!

Nina Simone – Ain’t Got No, I Got Life (1968)
Nina Simone – I Put a Spell on You (1965)
Louis Armstrong – La Vie En Rose (1950)
Fats Waller – Ain’t Misbehavin’ – Stormy Weather (1943)
Duke Ellington – It Don’t Mean a Thing (1943) [Originally composed in 1931]
Jelly Roll Morton – The Crave (1938)
Billie Holiday – Strange fruit (1937)
Earl Hines and His Orchestra – That’s A Plenty (1934)
Mary Lou Williams – Willow Weep For Me (1932)
Blanche Calloway – I’m Gettin’ Myself Ready For You (1931)
Joseph Nathan “King” Oliver – Riverside Blues (1923)

Analysis

Daisy & Miss Baker: “Rippling” and “Fluttering” Creatures

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“They were both in white, and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house”

Fitzgerald, p.14

Upon the introduction of Daisy and Miss Baker through Nick’s account, I found it quite interesting how they were represented:

The words “rippling” and “fluttering” give a very delicate feel to Nick’s description of Daisy and Miss Baker, like they are fragile creatures, or butterflies in particular, that are susceptible to harm. The word rippling indicates a movement that resembles a series of waves, and fluttering could be used to describe wings in motion. The words’ denotations connote that Daisy and Miss Backer are merely delicate and fragile butterflies.

The description implies ‘creatures’ because to Nick they seemed “as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house”. [S]hort flight goes back to the implication of them resembling butterflies; Nick’s extended metaphor further instigates that the women are gentle creatures that fly and are easily blown off by the wind. To add on, “blown back in” shows that the wind itself has a stronger say in where these women end up being. They did not choose to go to that particular room but were rather ‘blown back in’ by the wind.

Nick’s account of both characters being in white is also interesting: “They were both in white”, it adds onto his portrayal of them. The color white usually connotes purity, nobility, innocence and virginity. Nick’s choice, or perhaps Fitzgerald’s, of including an account of their garments’ color could suggest how he wants to view both characters, or how he wants others to view them; as innocent, pure, fragile, gentle creatures.

Amongst numerous interpretation, It seems that the characters were restricted in a toxically stereotyped frame that pleased the male gaze (reader) or Nicks’/Fitzgerald’s. In order to please the male gaze, the female character was subjected to become submissive; ‘submissive’ to the elements surrounding her, in the case of this particular quote, the mere wind.

General

Original Cover of Gatsby

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Inspired by Noor’s post, which includes the original cover image of The Great Gatsby, here is a fascinating Smithsonian article on the original art, the artist, and connections in the novel.

From “When F. Scott Fitzgerald Judged Gatsby By Its Cover,” by Jimmy Stamp in Smithsonianmag.com, May 14, 2013.

In his article, “When F. Scott Fitzgerald Judged Gatsby By Its Cover,” Jimmy Stamp notes that based on an enigmatic letter Fitzgerald wrote to his editor at Scribners, “it is generally believed that [artist] Cugat’s haunting image was realized in the form of the recurring billboard for oculist Dr. T.J. Eckleburg.”

So.many.watching.eyes.

Check out the article for more on these eyes, earlier sketches of the cover, and fascinating discussion of Fitzgerald’s other landscapes in the novel.

And BONUS: Here is the full original dust-cover — can you read the back cover?

Musée Annam / Public domain

You guys… I can’t stop…

Check out this compilation of Gatsby covers over the years (and countries). Do not miss Bantam Books’ shirtless, ripped Gatsby.

Contexts

Introductory context to Scott F. Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1925)

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To this date, Scott F. Fitzgerald is one of the most, if not, the most famous chronicler of 1920’s America. The “Roaring 20’s” or “The Jazz age” occupy periods between the 1920’s and 1930’s. This era was infamously known for Jazz music that was all the rage, daring artistic movements, displays of opulent wealth, sought after bootlegged alcohol and prosperity lingered in the air as a result of the economic, social and environmental effects of the World War.  

It is imperative to comprehend the history, context and conditions surrounding the time in which Fitzgerald’s novel existed in order to wholly capture the essence of Fitzgerald’s narrative.  

The First World War left the globe in a state of devastation, tragedy, despair and shock. Survivors of the war returned home and were dubbed as “The Lost Generation”. The generation was deemed as ‘lost’ due to the horrific circumstances and disillusionment that soldiers experienced as a result of witnessing countless deaths and destruction at the battlefield. This led to a loss or rejection of traditional and inherited values, and instead adapted impotent, overindulgent and hedonistic tendencies.  

During this era, the 18th Amendment was passed, meaning there was a nationwide ban which halted and forbade the production, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages. Many mobsters and criminals took advantage of what seemed to be a gap in the market and amassed fortunes by bootlegging alcohol which was distributed through speakeasies, secret social societies and upstanding establishments.  

The U.S. economy began to flourish and rapidly recover after undergoing a post-war depression. A massive consumer economy and culture was created. Citizens were increasingly becoming rich, not only did they spend money on necessary items, but they had the flexibility to purchase and acquire consumer products, leisure, and recreational activities. Goods such as automobiles, entertainment, clothing and vacations were bought as a result of the disposable income Americans had, producing a highly materialistic and capitalistic society.  

As the novel advances, we could come to consider that Gatsby “comes inevitably to stand for America itself ” (125)

Will, Barbara. “” The Great Gatsby” and the Obscene Word.” College Literature (2005): 125-144. 

Fitzgerald’s text mimics, mirrors and echoes ideologies, lifestyles and conditions surrounding the “Roaring 20’s” and “Jazz Age” where Gatsby serves as a symbol for America. The Great Gatsby essentially echo’s and critically inspects American society through its characters who embody, embrace and epitomize the values, ethics, behaviors and customs (or lack thereof) that were prevalent at the time in which Fitzgerald wrote and experienced life.  

References

Will, Barbara. “” The Great Gatsby” and the Obscene Word.” College Literature (2005): 125-144. 

Contexts

Initial Reception of The Great Gatsby

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Original cover of the novel

We all know The Great Gatsby as a successful and quintessential American novel, but it was not always perceived as such. The novel received mixed reviews when it was first published in 1925 and was not successful until after Fitzgerald’s death.

Fitzgerald received some praise from his contemporaries like T. S. Eliot and positive reviews from the The New York Times, but the general public did not share in this positive view of the novel. The book initially sold only 20,000 copies when Fitzgerald hoped it would sell as many as 75,000. Some reviews described the novel as raw, “painfully forced”, and “a minor performance“. While scathing, perhaps the most biting comment was by Harvey Eagleton of The Dallas Morning News:

One finishes Great Gatsby with a feeling of regret, not for the fate of the people in the book, but for Mr. Fitzgerald.”

Ironically, Fitzgerald considered The Great Gatsby to be his greatest achievement and what would prove him to be a serious novelist. He blamed poor sales on the female audience for novels at the time and the story lacking a female character they could relate with.

All the reviews, even the most enthusiastic, not one had the slightest idea what the book was about.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

Appreciation for the novel grew slowly after Fitzgerald’s death in 1940. Writers like John O’Hara acknowledged its influence and full-length articles about the novel began being published. Mizener wrote in Fitzgerald’s biography that positive reception by literary critics likely influenced public opinion and renewed interest in the book. Finally, in 1960, it was proclaimed in The New York Times that The Great Gatsby is “a classic of twentieth-century American fiction”, as we now know it.

Eagleton, Harvey (May 10, 1925). “Prophets of the New Age: III. F. Scott Fitzgerald”. The Dallas Morning News. Dallas, Texas.

Snyder, Ruth (April 15, 1925). “A Minute or Two with Books—F. Scott Fitzgerald Ventures”. New York Evening World.

Analysis

The Eyes of God

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The Eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg

In Chapter 2 of The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald, the narrator goes on for a whole paragraph, or two, describing the land whilst they are on a drive to Tom’s “mistress”. The narrator uses the symbols of Doctor T.J Eckleburg and the Valley of Ashes in his description.

Doctor T.J Eckleburg

The narrator tells the readers that upon the gray land, a billboard for an oculist shop is shown. The sign contains the “eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg. The eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg are blue and gigantic…” (Fitzgerald, 23) which seemed to the narrator a way for an oculist to sell his glasses. However, the narrator then mentions that “his eyes, dimmed a little by many pointless days under sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground” (Fitzgerald, 24) so as to imply that the eyes looked down upon the society as a whole. In deeper analysis, the eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg are the eyes of God staring down at American society as a wasteland. Moreover, the eyes may be foreshadowing things to happen later in the story and could represent a disappointment in dreams as when somebody looks down on you when they are disappointed that you did not achieve anything. However, right after the paragraph on Doctor T.J Eckleburg follows the narrators description of the Valley of Ashes (Fitzgerald, 24) which is a symbol of the line between rich and poor. Essentially, the Valley of Ashes is a wasteland for the rich and representative of the poor as the rich dump there and the poor live there. The connection between the two symbols takes me back to the point of the eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg being eyes of a letdown God upon American society and its’ morality. The narrator may be feeling that things will not be going well in this journey he is on with Tom Buchanan and meeting the mistress, but does not exactly mention so at this point in the novel. Instead, he reflects upon the land as they drive to what might be an inevitable/disappointing chain of events. The lines between the rich, the poor, and morality are being drawn out for the readers in what I can only imagine sets the ideas for the rest of the novel.

References:

Fitzgerald. F.Scott. The Great Gatsby. Scribner, 2004.

Contexts

Cable Girls

Posted on by Rubaiya / 1 Comment

Hey everyone! I just started watching a show on Netflix called “Cable Girls”. Although it’s not American, or based in America, it’s set in the 1920s and delves into themes of fraud and identity. I’m not too far into the show but loving it so far (especially the gorgeous parties and flapper fashion hehe). I thought I’d share it with you guys.

Here is the synopsis:

‘CABLE GIRLS is a Spanish-language melodrama set in 1928, which centers on the lives of four young women working as telephone operators at Madrid’s largest telecommunications company. They’ve each come to their position for a different reason: to defy the expectations of a parent or a husband, to fulfill personal ambitions and make their small town proud, or to pull off a heist and escape their past. There will be plenty of obstacles along the way for these friends, not the least of which is just existing in a patriarchal society that is invested in keeping women “in their place.” ‘

Uncategorized

Race as a dictator of fate?

Posted on by Tarab / 1 Comment

At the peak, or height of the Harlem Renaissance, Nella Larsen published her novel Passing (1929). The context in which Larsen lived in at the time meant that the conditions of racial related issues were still in the process of rectification and improvement as African Americans were progressively gaining rights, autonomy and a voice in America as society was slowly and steadily deviating from prejudice and discriminative practices. However, it is important to note that racial tension, exclusion and equality still remained to be a struggle for African Americans at the time.  

With that, being an African American woman at such a controversial period of time meant additional complications and difficulties due to the duality of being both a woman and a black individual in America. The female characters such as Irene in Passing are prime examples of an African American woman facing an identity crisis and power struggles as she seems to become increasingly haunted and paranoid as a result of their racial backgrounds in specific instances and situations.  

A significant moment to consider in the novel is when Irene, Gertrude and Clare discuss family planning in relation to race.  

 “’No’, she went on, ‘ no more for me either. Not even a girl. It’s awful the way it skips generations and then pops out. Why, he actually said he wouldn’t care what color it turned out, if I would only stop worrying about it. But, of course, nobody wants a dark child’. Her voice was earnest and she took for granted that her audience was in entire agreement with her” (p. 37)  

This excerpt is thought provoking as it seems as if the potential risk of having a dark-skinned baby deters Gertrude from deciding on whether or not she should expand her family. In this case, the matter of race plays an important role in describing, building and influencing who these women are at such a time and place where they would be ill-treated and disadvantaged just because of their natural skin tone. The fact that Gertrude had to extensively ponder on if having a baby is the “right” decision is problematic as it highlights and emphasizes the role that race could play on personal matters and maybe even how it would affect the life of the child itself, should Gertrude would proceed to have more children.

This becomes a question of agency and self-government as it is evident that the idea of racial discrimination was still engrained and applied in the community that one feels as the safe option would be to spare themselves and a child of a life of pain, suffering and prejudice. This passage reminded me of Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved (1987) in the sense that Sethe, opted to kill her children in order to save them from experiencing the degradation, humiliation, occupation and intolerance that she faced.