The Myth of American Dream in Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
“Does money buy happiness? Not! Ah, but would a little more money make us a little happier?
Many of us smirk and nod. There is, we believe, some connection between fiscal
fitness and feeling fantastic.” (David G. Myers)
Introduction
“What would you like to dream of if you might dream?”, it’s one of the questions given, in an interview, to Hubert Selby, an American author of the book related to American Dream. In response to that, Selby replied, “I would like to dream of the end of a dream, that is the end of the American Dream.” In some way, his statament sounds quite ironical since he himself belongs to the country itself. There must be something wrong with this American Dream.
In another case, Madonna, a famous pop singer, through her “American Life”, also raises some questions asking, “this type of modern life – Is it for me?… Is it for free?”. One time she says, “I live the American Dream / You are the best thing I’ve seen….” but then there is an interjection of “Fuck it”. One time she states that she is satisfied with all the wealth she has, however, by the end of the song she asks, “Do you think I’m satisfied?”. In fact, the very nature of this myth prevents people from getting satisfied—one little achievement urges a person to achieve a little more. Is living out the American Dream really the best life style to live?
In America, the fact shows that since 1957, the number of Americans who say they are “very happy” has declined from 35 to 32 percent. Thus, Myers (2003) states: “We excel at making a living but often fail at making a life. We celebrate our prosperity but yearn for purpose. We cherish our freedoms but long for connection. In an age of plenty, we feel spiritual hunger.” It is obvious for us that there is something missing in American glamour life.
Although, nowadays, there are a number of Americans beginning to leave the Old American Dream and start the New American Dream, however, we can still observe the culture of materialism, hedonism, consumerism, and extended liberation in most of American society—and its impact has also spreaded throughout the world. In many ways, the issue concerning American Dream which is observed in today’s phenomenon is an interesting topic to be discussed. However, it is more interesting to look back to the early twentieth century when the spirit of the American Dream was on its early rapid development. Furthermore, perhaps it will be more fascinating if we see this phenomenon through literature. Thus, using Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, this essay will find out the aspects of the American Dreams in this novel and then, by using sociological method, try to see the real conditions during the 1920s—the period when it was written.
Gatsby and the American Dreams
The Great Gatsby is a story of individual’s dream. It is a reflection of the American life back in the 1920s. The central character used to highlight the dreams is Gatsby. However, it does not mean that other characters are excluded; almost all of them are basically like Gatsby. His dream invokes the theory of what is called ‘The American Dream’. To understand how this myth works we need to know the life of Gatsby himself.
Gatsby was originally born to a poor family. Moreover, he later successfully escaped poverty and the fate of his parents. Gatsby’s father, while attending Gatsby’s funeral, confessed to Nick that “of course we was broke up when he run off from home, but I see now there was a reason for it. He knew he had a big future in front of him (Fitzgerald, 1993: 156). He was right for, in Gatsby’s later life, he got the wealth he always dreamed of. Without any extraordinary abilities, Gatsby was able to acquire millions of dollars. He also gained widespread fame in the matter of a few years. He relied on his great motivation and hard work to reach his dreams in every passing day—and what he does to make his money is not important. Gatsby is somehow illustrated in a cloudy and ambiguous manner.
Even with the elusive qualities of the American Dream, Gatsby spent five years of his life, after the war was over, striving to achieve his financial success. Throughout his labours to gain wealth, he was inspired by one of his biggest dreams to achieve, that is Daisy. He loved her and, more than that, he wanted to possess her. Unfortunately, Daisy was a materialist woman; she also kept her philosophy that “rich girls can’t marry poor boys”. In this case, Gatsby also confessed that “her voice is full of money,” (Fitzgerald, 1993: 113). This materialism is one sign of the American Dream.
On one hand, indeed Daisy loved Gatsby. On the other hand, money is what really matters. We can observe Daisy’s confusion through the fact that “all the time something within her was crying for decision. She wanted her life shaped now, immediately and the decision must be made by some force—of love, of money, of unquestionable practicality—that was close hand” (Fitzgerald, 1993: 139). This rejection burnt the spirit of the ambitious Gatsby to be rich and to win Daisy back. This is the positive side of the American Dream; it is about optimism, courage, and hard work to fulfill one’s dreams. Life is open for whoever wants to succeed and gain prosperity—ignoring what class or race one comes from.
Though Gatsby himself was rich, he was a self-made man. He lived in West Egg, the less popular of the two Eggs, and the inherited rich such as the Buchanans lived in East Egg, the more popular Egg. Across the bay from Gatsby is the Buchanan's house. This is where the jewel of his dream, Daisy, lives. His dream is close to him, yet it is so far from him. Unless he makes his move, his dream will never be accomplished. It was Nick’s arrival that made Gatsby’s ultimate dream quickly come true. The technique of connecting between one element to another seems to be Fitzgerald’s favourite way in building up the structure of the story.
When he had successfully possessed much money, Gatsby bought a big mansion near Daisy’s house; it was because she still loved her. Every night during the weekends his house was always full of people looking for fun. Perhaps Gatsby threw those parties in the hopes that Daisy would come. He wanted to see her again and showed her that he had become a kind of person that she expected. Thus, Nick, the narrator as well as Gatsby’s good friend, says that “he had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it” (Fitzgerald, 1993: 163).
Another possibility is that performing parties was what Gatsby always thought of wealthy people did. What is ironical here is the fact that the visitors in Gatsby’s well-prepared parties did not even know the owner of the house at all. People just came and enjoyed the party. This fact shows us the tendency of hedonism and individualism occurring in society. People were busy searching for individual’s pleasure. The close social relationship is quite neglected though.
This individualism is even more apparent when the party is compared with the funeral of Gatsby. Nick had tried to ask a number of Gatsby’s friends to attend the funeral, but they refused to come. The worst thing is that Daisy did not come either. In this case, Wolfsheim states that “’Let us learn to show our friendship for a man when he is alive and not after he is dead,' he suggested. ‘After that, my own rule is to let everything alone.’” (Fitzgerald, 1993: 155). Eventually there were only three people coming. However, Nick kept waiting, perhaps they would be others, “but it wasn’t any use. Nobody came” (Fitzgerald, 1993: 157). This fact and the conception that Wolfsheim suggests are really disturbing though.
The sign of fabrication is also obvious in Gatsby’s self. He is, at times, a liar too. The story that he told Nick in chapter 4 is almost entirely false. Although Gatsby did go to Oxford and was a decorated soldier, his wealthy family life is all fabrication. Gatsby has cultivated an image for himself that he would like to uphold no matter what. Moreover, the character Meyer Wolfsheim helped to give a little light on Gatsby. He made no attempt to hide the fact that Meyer was a criminal, yet the two were very good friends. In a way, reputation is what matters too. People have to appear good in front of society—for business matter. Thus, some people doing tricky ways to succeed will consciously do another tricks to conceal their wickness; for example, by creating a false tale.
The financial success of Gatsby implies that he is well aware of the American Dream. He has mastered his own identity and realized the potential of his labors. The symbol of the American Dream in this novel may be observed through the existence of the green light. “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by recedes before us “(Fitzgerald, 1993: 163). As it has just been stated in the previous paragraph, one of his dreams—or perhaps his biggest dream—is to have Daisy as his possession. Nick once observes Gatsby “involuntarily glanced seaward—and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock” (Fitzgerald, 1993: 36). The dock that he sees is of Daisy’s house. It seems to us that Gatsby is filled up with his dream of acquiring the green light.
Moreover, the green light may represent two things: the color of the U.S. currency and the selfish and superficial love of Daisy Faye. With the help of his immoral business partner and friend Wolfsheim, Jay Gatsby was made into a man of quick and easy riches. No price was too high to achieve that dream. He did not care whether he would become a law-breaker; it was a suitable price for his dream. He set out to relive the past, and he believed that he could accomplish that. Thus to achieve his fame and fortune in order to gain Daisy’s love he resorted to bootlegging, the illegal business at that time.
As a matter of fact, in the 1920s, bootlegging was a common business but for Jay Gatsby it was a means to an end. Though Gatsby’s involvement was not certain there were a great deal of suspicion and the accusation of Tom leading to this assumption. Tom once told Nick that “a lot of these newly rich people are just big bootleggers” (Fitzgerald, 1993: 104). He also said that he had found out that Gatsby and Wolfsheim bought up a whole lot of side street drug stores in many cities and that they sold grain alcohol over the counter. The booming underground business for Gatsby was a lead to quick riches. It indicates the green light for people to go on; to do the things as he wants.
By the end of the story, the tragic death of Gatsby, being killed by Wilson as he suspected him to have hit his wife by car, is just a way that Fitzgerald uses to criticize the American Dream. It is to show the fruitless of the effort to live out the American Dream too much. Thus, we observe a paradox of the American Dream. It is the fact that the never-ending desire to live out the fantasy created by the Dream is the very force that makes the achievement of the fantasy impossible. Above all the hard works Gatsby does for the last few years, he gains some of his dreams. But, does his achievement last long? Is he satisfied? Is he happy? After his death, Daisy did not attend his funeral; she ran away with Tom to continue living out their own American Dream. What about the ultimate dream of Gatsby then?
Anyway, this is just how this dream quitted. Basically he had reached the green light. He was determined. And for a while, he thought he achieved his ultimate dream. But, unfortunately, he lost it in a glance. And, in some way, it may be summed up that it is his ultimate dream that ends his dream. Is it a clue?
The Great Gatsby Society and the American Dreams
Almost all the characters in this novel are under the shadow of the American Dreams. They are Americans; striving towards the goals of independence and financial success. It is proved at the end of the story, as Nick says: “Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther… (Fitzgerald, 1993: 163). The use of pronoun ‘we’ instead of ‘he’ indicates the involvement of all of them, including Nick,
It is clear in the beginning, Nick is aware of the presence of the American Dream, or at least the presence of the intense ambition in his friends and family. While Nick seems to be inexperienced with the idea of the dream, Gatsby is an expert. Nick, who was the most innocent among them, gradually becomes increasingly infatuated with the American Dream.
Another obvious mark of the American Dream is observed when Gatsby and Nick were driving, on Gatsby’s magnificent car, to New York. As Nick,
“was glad that the sight of Gatsby’s splendid car was included in their sombre holiday. As we crossed Blackwell’s Island a limousine passed us, driven by a white chauffeur, in which sat three modish Negroes, two bucks and a girl. I laughed aloud as the yolks of their eyeballs rolled toward us in haughty rivalry.”
(Fitzgerald, 1993: 72)
Nick was proud to ride on Gatsby’s splendid car, a sign of materialism. Moreover, the words on that page, together with the other intrinsic qualities of form and structure shaping meanings, are shot through with the extrinsic social crisis of post-war liberation and anxiety at the forces released by economic push-and-pull factors—dating back to the late nineteenth century.
According to Newman and Tallack (1998), the phase of mass immigration from south-eastern Europe which had begin in the 1890s3 has been superseded by the Great Migration of blacks from the South which had begun in 1914 with the war boom so that the reference to "short upper lips" and "the yolks of their eyeballs" does not necessarily signify an endemic racism but a historically specific fear.
In the case of immigrants, the fear provoked Congress in 1921 and then again in 1924 to pass acts establishing quotas for immigrants. These acts hit would-be immigrants from southern and eastern Europe particularly hard. In the case of blacks the fear manifested itself in Harlem, Chicago’s South Side and other urban areas as half a million blacks moved north between 1914 and 1919.
Who has the right to be on the Queensboro Bridge? And being in a fast car itself is a sign of the conspicuous consumption of the 1920s. The description of the black people in the car similarly sends us into and out of the text: the black triangle of "two bucks and a girl" echoing that of Tom, Gatsby and Daisy, and the modish dress of the blacks suggesting that while Nick and Gatsby are on their way to Forty-second Street the real insiders are headed towards Harlem, where the rival black Modernism of the Harlem Renaissance was underway by the mid-1920s. "Anything can happen now that we’ve slid over this bridge," I thought; "anything at all..." (Fitzgerald, 1993: 72). It suggests America that is open for any opportunity.
The culture of consumerism can obviously be seen through Myrtle, Wilson’s wife. She flirts with Tom because he gave her money that her husband could not afford; as Toms said: “Here’s your money. Go and buy ten more dogs with it.” (Fitzgerald, 1993: 40). Tom treated her badly, but she was fine with that as long as she was given the money. While being with Tom, Myrtle bought whatever stuffs she liked. Her philosophy of life was revealed as she said: “All I kept thinking about, over an over, was “You can’t live forever; you can’t live forever.” (Fitzgerald, 1993: 47). It shows the sense of hedonism as well. She tries to enjoy as much pleasure as she can have; she does not want to waste her time in this world.
The characters playing their roles in the Great Gatsby are careless people. To Jordan, when they were in a car, Nick claimed that she was a bad driver. Then he said: “Suppose you met somebody just as careless as yourself.” (Fitzgerald, 1993: 65). Moreover, by the end of the story, To Tom and daisy, Nick states: “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy—they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness,… (Fitzgerald, 1993: 162).
Anyway, although nobody in the story claims that Nick is careless; it does not mean that he is not careless. He was better than the others, but sometimes, the things that he did were careless too. For example, he only kept watching when Tom flirted with Myrtle or when Daisy flirted with Gatsby; without trying to stop them or to advise them—as a careful person should do. We just need to remember that the story is seen through Nick’s point of view, as an observer, containing his subjectivity. One of the proofs is through his statement stating: “I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known” (Fitzgerald, 1993: 66). Such a statement is not necessarily reliable though.
American Dream is also lack of religiousity. People’s hearts are blinded by hedonism. What is important is individual’s pleasure and satisfaction. People possess a great freedom to achieve their success. Except the law made by the government, they do not have any strict limitations—such as the religious law. Anything may be done to fulfill one’s dream. In this novel, the appearance of the eyes of Doctor T.J Eckleburg with his “persistent stare” (p. 47) seems to be used as a reminder. This may symbolize the eyes of God. This assumption is illuminated by the indication of the Doctor T. J. Eckleburg’s stare as Wilson, a weak and sort of an innocent husband of Myrtle, said, “God knows what you’ve been doing, everything you’ve been doing. You may fool me but you can’t fool God!”’ (Fitzgerald, 1993: 146). This statement seems to remind the people of the need to be honest.
The American Social Conditions in 1920s
Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, like other literary works, is the reflection of life. It is influenced by some reality during the time it was written. Moreover, it, at the same time, also shapes some circumstance in it. The life itself, according to Wellek and Warren (1956: 94), is in large measure a “social reality”. Using the language as the medium, the author expresses his attitude towards some phenomenon; here the language becomes a social creation. Thus, the writer should be representative of his age and society.
In this case, The Great Gatsby, more or less, portray the social condition of the 20s. It explores many of the values of 1920’s America, challenging some while reinforcing others. It questions people’s views on materialism, consumerism, social and economic structure and many other things. The American Dream suggests that men and women are masters of their own destiny, that they can achieve anything they set their minds to, with the proper amount of work and determination.
In many ways, the 1920s is an exciting period for the American people; they busily enjoy their chance to improve their lives. There are a couple of names coined to this era: the Jazz age and the Roaring 20s. It was an interesting era of increased pleasure and changing attitudes that redefined a still young nation. Prosperity created a new culture dominated by material objects and position in society coupled with the help of many extravagant parties. Much of the nation began to further itself from its once ruling moral values and started on a journey of self interest and financial success.
The two world-wide wars also gave big influence toward the change. During the war thousands of people endured great hardship and misery. The nation was concentrating on war not fun. Upon the return of the soldiers people wanted some relief and enjoyment. This feeling came through the revolutionary attitudes of the 1920’s. The crime rate increased and many social problems occurred.
The 1920's, often called the Jazz Age, was a time of Prohibition. The term prohibition means that alcohol was made illegal—basically the Government was trying to phase out alcohol. However, the prohibition obviously failed. But because of the prohibition, many people who liked alcohol, obviously a lot of people do, resorted to black market dealers to supply their alcohol. Or, as they were called, bootleggers. Back to Gatsby, to achieve his dream, as stated before, he was willing to do anything—and of course to win Daisy back. Thus to achieve his 'fame and fortune' he resorted to boot legging, supplying people with alcohol, an illegal business at that time.
One other issue is regarding to alcoholism. The Prohibition Act forbid the manufacture, transport or sale of intoxicating liquids. It was in the hope that it would help to preserve the moral code of America. With the terrible Irony so typical of that era, it did the reverse, and set the stage for organized crime. The public resented the act, which constricted American freedom, Gangs and bootleggers set up territories, which they protected violently, to sell alcohol, and within a short time, any person who wanted to drink could do so. In regard to Gatsby, there is a sense that his past is never really uncovered, there is a lot of evidence that the source of his wealth was from “bootlegging” and a heavy involvement in crime. Certainly, alcohol was never hidden at his parties, or anywhere else in the novel. The public was dependent on the criminal world for alcohol. Although such criminal activities were disliked, they were viewed as a necessary evil, and so legitimized.
Consumerism was an important part of the 1920’s. Companies competed in finding new ways of cost cutting and passing the savings onto the consumer. They also spent a great deal to create high-powered advertising campaigns. Successful businesses expanded, gaining control of the market as they took over smaller businesses. During this time, many families took advantage of credit, and bought products without thought of repayment. Under this influence, industry boomed. People took advantage of the economic climate by investing in shares. Nick, the narrator, had made his money by working in bonds. The economic gap increased, and although some made a fortune, such as Nick, others were very poor.
The Great Gatsby included the luxury of such travel. They came with their cars by the hundreds in search of a place to extend their social image and satisfy their need for entertainment and excitement. The car symbolized the freedom to exchange differing opinions and outlooks on life. Moreover, cars of color were rare and one had to have been considerably wealthy to indulge in the lavishness of such a vehicle. Gatsby was the owner of a yellow car. This shows Gatsby’s pride in his wealth. One may also point out the twist of irony associated, for if Gatsby had not shown so much pride to have a yellow car he may never have been so easily spotted in the connection of Myrtle’s death, causing in fact his own.
As it has also been widely known, the 1920s was a time of illusion. Not everything appeared as it was. The society of the 1920s believed in what they wanted—individualism was obvious. They lived for themselves; they cared for no one other than themselves. This led to an illusion; because they believed what they wanted was right - even if it was wrong. If anyone tried to stop them, they were wrong. This was what they wanted. This was about the “me, my self, and I”.
A perfect example of this illusion in more ways than one, is Jay Gatsby. He believed his dream was right. Anything he did to achieve his dream, whether legal or illegal, was right to him, though it be wrong to others. This was his illusion, the illusion that anything he did was right. Moreover, the others live their illusion too.
New York in the 1920’s buzzed with new stylish trends and amoral attitudes. Most during that time considered New York to be the center of cultural development. Within this center were the sub-contrasting areas, West Egg and East Egg. “The more fashionable of the two by far was East Egg with its white palaces.” (Fitzgerald, 1993: ). East Egg was a majority of wealthy aristocrats inherited by the passing generations. West Egg the place inhibited by Gatsby was the area of the recent wealthy generation. Clothed by all the wealth money could acquire. Yet by the eye either side could be mistaken for the other, Gatsby still inhibited the innate qualities of the poor personality he once had at the time of his first love with Daisy. These two contrasting areas fed the stereotype that it is possible to move the boy out of the poor but not the poor out of the boy.
Another issue which is worth of the attention is concerning woman. During this time of grand disillusionment the free attitudes of women reigned. Women began to require more than just a good person they demanded a security of their leisurely lifestyles. Though women are not entirely at fault the 1920’s marked a changing trend in the marriage to divorce ratio, where divorces were occurring at a growing rate.
It has been stated above that Daisy lives her philosophy that “rich girls can’t marry poor boys”. Moreover, we can also see the pessimistic perception of Daisy when she says her wish for her daughter is that she will grow up a beautiful little fool, because that’s all girls can be, beautiful little fools. Perhaps Daisy believes that her superficiality stems from the vain struggle women must endure for individualism. So in turn Daisy hopes her daughter will simply attach herself to the best suited in order to give her a life free of conflict—to live in materialism.
To sum up, in fact, many people believe in the green light. The green light, which represents our future. The green light does not only represent the future, it represents our dreams, our aspirations, everything we hope will happen in the future. The Great Gatsby is not just about Gatsby's dream. In some sense, it is the story of all American Dreams. This story defines what is possible, what humans can do. It reminds people of the search for the true meaning of life. It defines what we hold in our hearts, what we hold in our minds. It defines what some call the American Dream.
In addition, it has been widely accepted that when people come to America searching for the dream, everyone is given a chance to succeed. However, it is extremely rare to exceed the social barrier. In most countries, the social level in which we are born is the one that we must stay in for our whole life. Even since the last few decades, in the United States, public education is available, as well as many financial aides given for colleges so that one may go on to achieve their goals in life. America is a country of equal opportunity, but those who want to succeed must fight the battle to rise above the standards that were branded upon them as a child. America opens the door for everybody to live out the American Dream.
Conclusion
Through The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald has successfully reflected the American life during the period it was written—back in the 1920s. Based on the description above, we observe how the American Dream began to rapidly develop. The essence of materialism, hedonism, consumerism, and liberation happening then is just the same with that of today’s. It is just the styles that change—just as life standards progress year by year.
In some ways, American Dream is not totally bad though. It is in some degree very positive! It pushes everybody to work hard and dare to dream; it opens a big opportunity for everyone to succeed and live a decent life. However, as Selby said, one would not know how to gain the meaning of happiness if they depend on the American Dream.” It is because the American Dream reverses the fact. Is it really true that ever-collecting individual money and always justifying one’s own self make human happy? Such this dream destroys the ethics, moral, and values. In short, all we have to do is just keep in balance—in the matter of soul and body.
Thus Nick once hopes, “when I come back from the East last autumn I felt that I wanted the world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention for ever; I wanted no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpse into the human heart” (Fitzgerald, 1993: 20). In addition, Sindhunata (2003: 4) invites us to surely speak up: “Requiem for the American Dream”.
References
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. 1993. The Great Gatsby. New York: Wordsworth Classics
Myers, D. G. 2003. Wealth, Well-Being, and the New American Dream. USA (Data retrieved on May 27, 2003 on http://www.newdream.org/discuss/myers.html)
Newman, J. & Tallack, D. 1998. Text and Context (in Great Gatsby for American Study). Liverpool. (Data retrieved on May 27, 2003 on http://www.americansc.org.uk/Online/context.htm)
Sindhunata. 2003. “Requiem for the American Dream”. (An article on Kompas page 4, Opini column: April 19, 2003)
This essay was written a couple of years a go when I still studied in UNY. It was for the final assignment submitted to Prose Class. Any comment? Just tell me right away!! Get along with that though....
