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Post by ndefilippis on Jan 28, 2016 22:35:44 GMT
In The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald writes about the plight of various characters who are in pursuit of an idealized "American Dream." For example, Gatsby wants Daisy to love him and George wants to escape his life with Myrtle. However, Fitzgerald shows how to upper class of America corrupt these character's dreams which results in their downfall. Myrtle wants to become an upper class woman, so she cheats on George in with Tom to achieve some sense of esteem and prestige. She likes Tom because he is representative of the upper class of America, which is the Dream for many Americans.
Gatsby wants Daisy to love him like she did before the war, but she has been corrupted by the influence of Tom, who again represents the elite of America. Gatsby's Dream of love and acceptance highlights how these things can never be. The American dream of finding a place in society in the land of opportunity has been squandered by the elite who step on the backs of the poor. Tom abuses Wilson, delaying his buying of the car so he can heat with Myrtle more, just to gain sexual pleasure, even though he does not even remotely love Myrtle. Fitzgerald's meaning is that the American Dream cannot come to fruition when the upper class takes advantage of the lower class searching for an opportunity.
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Post by Ms. McGettigan on Jan 30, 2016 20:21:23 GMT
Awesome insight, Nick. Do you think Fitzgerald was commenting on society at the time? Do you think those comments hold true today?
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Post by Emily Werkheiser on Jan 31, 2016 19:09:56 GMT
Nick, I thought your ideas about Mertyle's motivation for having an affair with Tom in order to move up in society, which was her version of the American Dream, and how this shows a stratification of classes in the 1920s were very good. I liked and thought it was interesting how you tied her into it, since she's not one of the first characters to come to my mind when I think of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby.
In addition to your examples, I thought there were some other similar elements of the novel that also conveyed the corruption of the American Dream. For instance, Gatsby tries to steal the wife of his longtime college friend, which is never morally okay, no matter how in love someone is. Additionally, Gatsby tries to win over Daisy’s attention by throwing extravagant parties, which are centered around materialistic values and filled with people that a majority of whom, Gatsby has no real interest in or friendship with. Not to mention, the money that he uses to throw these luxurious gatherings is acquired from criminal and dishonest exchanges in the bootlegging business. Gatsby has lost sight of his morals as he is blinded by the money and corruption that dominates society, making his dream impossible to attain and conveying the decay of the American Dream due to corruption in the 1920s.
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Post by joshualiu on Feb 2, 2016 1:48:55 GMT
Nick and Emily, from both of your analyses, there seems to be a common theme of rich people, who have obviously obtained the American Dream, disillusioned by their money and power. Nick, you touched on Tom, who is a perfect example of how the elite behaved at the time. Tom held some racist views, believing his race to be superior to all other races, and that his race needed to put those other races back in their places, since many were striving for equality (he even mentions the "Rise of the Colored Empire," which is about Africans gaining their rights). Tom's racist views reflect his corrupt elitist behavior, shown when he helps in the murder of Gatsby, who he doesn't want to rise in wealth and possibly take Daisy from him. Rather than risk losing to Gatsby, Tom was willing to go as far as killing him. Also, Tom held views that the original wealthy were better than the new wealthy, who, like Gatsby, had just gained their wealth and were trying to fit into the upper class. Blinded by power and determined to preserve his wealth, along with putting others in their places, Tom negatively influences society, and, as Nick states, is a careless person, smashing up things and people.
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Post by ndefilippis on Feb 2, 2016 2:15:57 GMT
Awesome insight, Nick. Do you think Fitzgerald was commenting on society at the time? Do you think those comments hold true today? I think Fitzgerald was commenting directly on the society of that time, but some of his ideas are still applicable. We do still have large differences in values between the rich and the poor. However, I think that people are more aware of the influence of the upper class, so they are less likely to be as deluded as Gatsby. They would realize that Tom has already influenced Daisy, and would realize the infutility of their dream |
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Post by ashen99 on Feb 6, 2016 4:05:12 GMT
Awesome insight, Nick. Do you think Fitzgerald was commenting on society at the time? Do you think those comments hold true today? I think Fitzgerald was commenting directly on the society of that time, but some of his ideas are still applicable. We do still have large differences in values between the rich and the poor. However, I think that people are more aware of the influence of the upper class, so they are less likely to be as deluded as Gatsby. They would realize that Tom has already influenced Daisy, and would realize the infutility of their dream Hey Nick, what I find interesting is how you mention the influence of the upper class. In the U.S. political stage currently, many politicians receive backing from corporate lobbyists. Basically, the support of very rich people for a candidate's campaign is extremely important for success. This situation is therefore another instance of how the elite can warp the American Dream. They now affect the policies that are implemented. Even if they do have the best intentions, because their lifestyle is so different from the poor, they negatively affect the life of poor people. |
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