Social Significance Reflected in The Great Gatsby

Abstract： This paper mainly analyzes the novel in four steps. Firstly， it introduces background informations about the author， the background and the main characters in the novel. Secondly， it explains social factors to Gatsby’s failure. Thirdly， it elaborates the social significance reflected. Lastly， it gives a brief conclusion.

Key Words： Jazz Age； American Dream； cruelty； coldness

1 Introduction

1.1 The author F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. S. Fitzgerald was one of the most famous novelists of the 1920s’ America. His works were indisputable products of the so-called Jazz Age of the 1920s， and The Great Gatsby leaped over times， reaching backward into gothic decadence and forward into the future of a rapidly decaying America. He not only described the nightmare of the American confused， wild and restless generation between the decade from the end of the large war to the outbreak of the economic crisis （the Jazz Age）， but also closely associated his deep insights with the article’s art in his unique style.

1.2 The social background of the novel

At the end of the First World War American moral sense experienced big changes and a quite important development of literature came into being-the trend of modernism， when a new group of writers called “the lost generation” who were against previous concept and values， but were for despair or a cynical hedonism. With the unprecedented development of American economy， America became the leader of capitalist countries in the world and American literature was featured by evanescence with ideals and further progress of civilization the capitalist countries advocated. American dream in that era， in fact， was directly and almost a dream for money.

1.3 Characters in the novel

Jay Gatsby，is the main role and the most striking person in the novel. He was born poor and became a young officer during World War I when he met with Daisy and got obsessed with her. However， Daisy’s marriage with Thomas heavily stroke Gatsby and plunged him into despair. In the following five years， he bore hardship， learned to be rich and cruel and finally became a millionaire. When he tried all he can to meet Daisy again and was persecuted by her， he chose to stick to his dream about love and did not elude， dying in the end with the expectation of Daisy’s phone call.

Nick Caraway， the first-person narrator of the novel， was a graduate of Yale University who was born in the Midwest and became Gatsby’s next-door neighbor. Although he lived in the luxury residential area， he was not a resident of the spirit world that Tom represented， either a fellow traveler of an unrealistic world that Gatsby represented. He represented American traditional ethics. In the novel， Nick told readers what was happening and what had happened.

Daisy Fay， heroine in the novel， was a social butterfly coming from the upper class born with wealth and charming appearance and the one Gatsby loved deeply. However， she was totally a selfish woman， only caring for herself and nobody else. Daisy fell in love with Gatsby when Gatsby was an officer for her not being complicate then， but she chose money when she was faced with love and money， leaving Gatsby alone.

Tom Buchanan， a rich millionaire， was the representative of the rich class that already existed who was cold-blooded and made profits at the cost of the poor’s benefits and represented their values and morality. He always regarded himself as a gentleman. But actually he was a hypocrite. He never felt guilty of his killing Myrtle and George. Different from Gatsby’s idealism， Tom was filled with hedonism and coldness.

2 Main social aspects reflected Gatsby’s failure

2.1 Cruelty of the society

It was mainly in the conflicts between the New Rich and the Established Rich.

Firstly， they lived in different places. Tom， representing those people who had been already rich， lived in the East Egg， which was the residential districts of the bourgeoisie all the time， whereas Gatsby， representing the new rich， could only live in the West Egg， and had no access living in that hereditary land.

Then the old rich looked down on the new rich. Although the perseverance and spirit of struggle of pioneers in the west during the period of agricultural American could help them seek wealth， the way they used to get money was illegal and they had to make up stories to cover their unbearable past. As a result， those rich who inherited by family or legacy would not receive Gatsby， regarding themselves as gentlemen and noble men and those new rich as the vulgar.

3 Profound social significances reflected in the novel

3.1 Reflections on the Roaring Twenties

After the ending of World War I， people stepped into the Twenties， when lots of young Americans listened to neoteric and untrammeled jazz drank melting and intoxicant champagne and waited for the life of beautiful future. There were mainly two features in the roaring Twenties. The first feature was the prosperity of capitalism. America obtained large sums of fortunes during the World War I and rapidly changed their military industry into civilian production and promoting industry developed quickly. The other feature was the decay of spirit and occupation of morality of American. Audacious， dissolute dress and personal adornment and behavior became trend， and hedonism became the target of life. The young regarded the pursuit for materials the same as the pursuit for dream， and thought money as the data symbol of success and failure.

3.2 Views of Love

3.2.1 Sexual need

Tom transferred his love into Myrtle， which was false and was established on the basis of sex and was not true love at all. Tom cheated and controlled Myrtle who was born in the bottom class and gave her slender compensation of money， which was much less than those he gave to Daisy because he thought what he gave to Myrtle was quite enough. Without good cheeks and figure， what Myrtle possessed was sensual appeal that could arouse men’s sexual appetite， which made her become Tom’s sexual prey after he was tired of his marriage. In fact， Myrtle who was gotten easily and abandoned easily was a toy on the hand of the old noblemen represented by Tom.

3.2.2 Spiritual love

Gatsby’s love for Daisy continued for five years. To win Daisy’s love again， he took risks of bootlegging and he bought a villa after he became rich， where there were wonderful parties every weekend to wait for his goddess Daisy’s coming. In Gatsby’s heart， Daisy was holy and pure， and he never thought her a frivolous and materialized woman even when he realized that Daisy’ voice was full of the sound of money. After Gatsby and Daisy decided to tell Tom their love in a hotel， Daisy was too absent-minded to hit Myrtle to death and went away， and Gatsby took all the responsibility. Gatsby was filled with beautiful illusion and expectation about life. Regretfully， the love target in Gatsby’s heart was incarnation of his sweet dream.

3.2.3 Silly love and silly death

Wilson expected to enhance his social position and realized his American Dream by his effort， because he deeply believed only if he became a rich man could he marry Myrtle. He cheated Myrtle and married her， thus he received marriage but not love， which made him be mild to Myrtle and trust her no matter how rude and excessive she was. But his wife betrayed Wilson’s sincere love and had an affair with Tom. And after his wife’s death he believed Tom’s wrong information and then killed Gatsby and committed suicide， which showed his silly behavior toward love and death.

3.3 Material pleasure

Fitzgerald gave Gatsby’s luxurious banquet a detailed description that was a waste of money， which reflected the material pleasure for the common society. Daisy chose to marry Tom for better material enjoy at the cost of true love between Gatsby and her， but she regretted losing Gatsby and determined to go away with him when she realized that Gatsby was richer then Tom. Myrtle had a good husband who was poor but honest and treated her gently and was full of love， but she hated his poorness and stepped onto the way being a mistress of Tom to get a little material benefits and enjoyment.

4 Conclusion

Rereading classics is to understand the specific ages， and to recognize the guiding significance to us. There is no doubt that there is the similar phenomenon in our society nowadays in America with the Twenties. The values， morality， and spirit have experienced great changes and the main cause is money. People should not spend all their life in going for money， status， materials and hedonism and lose themselves. People should build a correct concept of values and refuse to suffer in the flaunty and wrong pursuit.

References

[1]Cowley， M. Fitzgerald. 1985. The Romance of Money. Modern Critical View. 30（5）： 49-72.