UNIVERSITY OF GJAKOVA

FACULTY OF PHILOLOGY

Department of English Language and Literature

DIPLOMA THESIS

The decline of the American Dream in Franciss Scott Fitzgerald’s

“The Great Gatsby”

Supervisor: Candidate:

Prof. Dr.Lirak Karjagdiu Dorina Lleshi

Gjakovë, 2018

2

Contents

Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 3

Biography ............................................................................................................................ 6

a) Life............................................................................................................................... 6

b) Work ............................................................................................................................... 7

Relevant information .......................................................................................................... 8

Characters and their American dreams ............................................................................ 11

Jay Gatsby ......................................................................................................................... 11

Nick Carraway .................................................................................................................. 16

Myrtle Wilson ................................................................................................................... 19

Daisy and Tom Buchanan ................................................................................................. 22

Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 24

References: ........................................................................................................................ 26

3

Introduction

Francis Scott Fitzgerald is one of the most famous authors of American novels and short

stories who belongs to the Modernism period. Whenever there is a discussion about

American novels “The Great Gatsby” is not only mentioned and valued by critics of art

and writers but also considered by some as the greatest American novel ever written.

There are only a few books which can be compared to it for its popularity in general and

its impact for decades in particular. As Bloom (2006) points out “The Great Gatsby has

only a few rivals as the great American novel, doubtless they would include work by

Faulkner, Hemingway, Cather and Dreiser”. There are also cinematographic productions

of Gatsby, the first one was made in 1926 starring Alan Ladd and Betty Field, 1974

starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, 2000 –Toby Stephens and Mira Sorvino and the

newest movie adaptation in 2013 directed by Baz Luhrmann starring Leonardo DiCaprio

and Carey Mulligan.

There are many methods which can be used to analyze the novel and many themes which

merit attention but "The American Dream" more specifically the decline of the American

Dream is the epitome of the novel and the term is always related to the protagonist of the

story Jay Gatsby. I chose precisely this novel for my diploma thesis because of the fact

that it's a novel which has stood the test of time. I was mesmerized with the way which

the author chose to tell the fate of many Americans through its characters and the

consequences of their beliefs and actions.

For this Diploma Thesis I will use the Deductive method by presenting the facts and

events and deducing in the end the consequences of them.

Firstly, I've provided a two-part biography of the author focusing on his private life and

works. I've mentioned his life which was full of obstacles and professional life which

names his works in chronological order.

My focus for this diploma were the characters of the book. The first part is about Jay

Gatsby the protagonist of the novel where I've described his path towards the American

4

Dream, the second part is focused on Nick Carraway and how he comprehends it in the

end, the third part is about Myrtle Wilson's consumerist dream whereas the fourth part

deals with Tom and Daisy Buchanan and the corruption of their American Dream.

I’m thankful to my dear Professor and mentor Lirak Karjagdiu who was a great guide

during the whole process of writing this Diploma Thesis by offering advice, suggestions

and support.

5

Declaration

I, Dorina Lleshi, herewith pledge that I intend to work on my diploma paper/BA/ thesis

fully respecting academic standards of the University of Gjakova “Fehmi Agani”.

Therefore, any reference from published or unpublished work will be duly acknowledged

through quotation, summarizing and paraphrasing.

6

Biography

a) Life

Franscis Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on September 24, 1896. His

mother, Mary (Mollie) was a housewife and his father, Edward, a salesman from

Maryland. His desire of becoming popular goes early back in time, an objective which

was reached during grade school when he used to write songs, poems, and plays. His first

printed writing “The Mystery of the Raymond Mortgage “was a detective story and he

wrote it when he was only thirteen years old. In 1911, Scott was sent east to the

Newman School, New Jersey, and in 1913, attended Princeton University. However,

Fitzgerald never graduated since he didn’t excel academically as a student and instead

received a commission in the Army in 1917. In June 1918 he met and fell in love with a

girl named Zelda Sayre, the daughter of a Supreme Court Judge in Alabama. When the

war ceased and after his discharge in 1919 he was dismissed by Zelda and went to New

York to seek his fortune. Unwilling to wait for his goal to be achieved she broke their

engagement.

Fitzgerald began his drinking habit in 1920, there was even a period of time that he

believed his gift for writing came from alcohol. After a trip in Europe the couple settled

in St Paul where their daughter Frances Scott was born. In the same year he and Zelda

moved to Great Neck. In April 1924 , the Fitzgeralds went to France the place where the

author commenced writing “The Great Gatsby”. France was significant for author’s

personal life as well because his wife started a relationship with a French aviator and

there are people who believe that the “affair” was crucial for “The Great Gatsby’s

concept. Due to a mental breakdown, Zelda was hospitalized in 1930 -1931 and Scott

stayed in Nyon, Switzerland living nearby.

7

Fitzgerald started giving his contribution for the movie industry in 1927 to pay his debts,

willing to be there for a short period of time.

In United States, Zelda suffered her second breakdown and was institutionalized in

Phipps Clinic in Baltimore. As a result of Zelda’s condition and the handling of Scottie

the couple ended up their marriage. Fitzgerald went to Hollywood and met Sheilah

Graham , a movie columnist with whom he fell in love and by 1937 he became citizen of

California.Fitzgerald died because of a cardiac arrest on December 1940 in Sheilah

Graham’s apartment.

b) Work

He was scripts and lyrics’ writer for Princeton Triangle Club musicals and worked for

“Nassau Literary Magazine” and “Princeton Tiger”. His first novel is “The Romantic

Egotist” (1917) which the author wrote when believing that he would find death in the

war. He received many praises from Charles Scribner's Sons but they asked for a

resubmitted version. Although Fitzgerald believed that the novel would succeed it was

refused for the second time. His first novel now entitled “This Side of Paradise” is about

Amory Blaine’s career ambitions and his disappointment in love.

It was published on March 26, 1920 previously accepted by Maxwell Perkins, the author

described it a a “quest novel” and gave him the privilege of gaining rapid popularity.

1919 was the year in which the author began working for mass-circulation magazines but

later his focus was writing fiction until the end of his life.

He began giving his contribution as a writer for 'The Saturday Evening Post' The stories

'The May Day' and 'The Diamond as Big as the Ritz were part of 'The Smart Set'

magazine.His early stories about young love presented a strong American woman who

appeared in “Offshore Pirate” and “Bernice Bobs her Hair” Fitzgerald aimed a consistent

evaluation for his literary activity. The second novel 'The Beautiful and Damned'

published a story about Anthony and Gloria Patch and Tales of the Jazz Age came out in

1922. Flappers and Philosophers, his first collection of stories, was launched and made

him a top paid author. The Great Gatsby was released in April 1925, previously checked

8

as a manuscript by Perkins and revised in 1924. After receiving the response to Gatsby

the author was keen about creating short stories despite the success of “All the Sad

Young Men” which was published in 1926. In 1934, ''Tender in the Night '' was included

in the Scribner's Magazine and then released . reputation as a writer, however, his

“playboy image” was a barrier to receive the merited evaluation for his literary activity.

The compositions that followed in the upcoming years were the Crack Up essays . The

author started writing ' The Love of the Last Tycoon ' while in Hollywood and had

finished most of the work when he died. Nonetheless, both “ The Love of the Last

Tycoon” and “The Crack Up” were published after his death. (Fitzgerald, 2010, A Life in

Letters)

Relevant information

The Great Gatsby is a novel written during 1923-24 whereas it was published in 1925.

The story takes place in Long Island in New York City. It is set in America and

represents “Jazz Age” a period of great hedonism which mirrors the willingness of people

to forget the consequences of the First World War. The years between First World War

and The Great Depression was a period of economical and psychological obstacles.

Nicolas Tredell (2007) described the phenomena that followed after this period of time

which were the presentation of the gangster as a model of fear and obsession, the

economical growth, the extension of the organized crime, the advancement in the field of

transport as well as lack of sexual and marital diffidence. According to him one finds all

the above mentioned in “The Great Gatsby”.

Adams considers the American Dream as:

“The dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone,

with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for

the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have

grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely,

but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman can be able to attain to

the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognised by others for

9

what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position”. (Adams,

2012, The Epic of America)

Fitzgerald himself wrote the novel’s epigraph:

Then wear the gold hat ,if that will move her;

If you can bounce high,bounce for her too,

Till she cry “Lover ,gold –hatted ,high –bouncing lover\

I must have you!”

According to Bloom (2006) the main characters of the novel are as follows:

Nick Carraway, the story-teller of The Great Gatsby as he narrates the events in

retrospective, more specifically after two years. He moves to West Egg and becomes the

next door neighbor of Jay Gatsby.

Daisy Buchanan, Tom Buchanan wife and Nick’s cousin once removed.She and Jay

Gatsby met once and had a romance but it ended and instead she married Tom Buchanan.

Daisy is described as a smart woman yet distrustful.

Tom Buchanan, Daisy’s husband, mostly described as harsh,indifferent and wealthy.He

has an affair with Myrtle Wilson who is married to George Wilson, a garage owner.

Myrtle Wilson, Tom Buchanan’s mistress. She is described as a thick and arrogant

woman. Myrtle dies when Daisy accidentally kills her while driving Gatsby’s car.

Jordan Baker, a professionist golf player who lives at the Buchanan couple house. She

goes to Gatsbys parties and is the person who asks Nick to arrange a meeting between

Gatsby and Daisy. She and Nick have a romance story which doesn’t last long.

Jay Gatsby, the person who organizes grandeur parties at his extraordinary house. He

hopes to regain Daisy’s heart with whom he had a long romance five years ago.

10

The novel is divided into nine chapters. Jimmy Gatz the protagonist of the novel falls in

love with a wealthy novice whose name is Daisy. When they meet the former lacks

financial stability and as e result feels insecure to propose her marriage. He decides to

leave and achieve his goal of making fortune and then return in a way that he considers

would be appropriate for the social class she represents.The way that he earns his fortune

is illegal,through gambling and bootlegging. Everything he possesses is “new money”

including his house and his car. He buys a house near Daisy’s having only one thing in

mind attracting her attention by throwing grandeur parties believing that one day she

would participate and fall in love with him once more.

Nick Carraway who is Daisy Buchanan’s cousin settles near Gatsby’s house and when

Gatsby becomes aware of who he is, he asks Nick’s help to arrange a meeting so that he

can see Daisy. When they encounter each other Daisy is fascinated by Gatsby’s “new

status”. However ,Daisy in not how he believed her to be.

After a confrontation between Tom and Gatsby in Manhattan at the Plaza Hotel,which

follows after consuming alcohol together ,they leave in separate cars, specifically Daisy

with Gatsby whereas Jordan and Nick with Tom. A terrible thing happens on the way

back home since Daisy while driving strikes down and kills Myrtle Wilson. The latter is

Tom Buchanan’s lover who seems to come into their direction as if to meet and tell them

something. Daisy and Gatsby drive away whereas George, Myrtle’s husband becomes

anxious and kills Jay. Nick, Gatsby’s father and a partygoer are the only ones who attend

Gatsby’s mortal ceremony.

11

Characters and their American dreams

Jay Gatsby

Jay Gatsby is the best candidate to represent the American Dream, to be more exact the

fall of it. When he met Daisy he was a poor boy and they had a romance together.He

didn’t propose her marriage because they didn’t belong to the same social class, instead,

he chose to come back from the war with the status of a wealthy person who owns an

extraordinary house and throws grandeur parties. He hoped to gain her attention and

meet with her again in new circumstances. According to Weinstein (1993) during the

whole book we might be directed by fiction, and that there is war between what is real

and how others want it to be, that is facts and fiction against each other. This is related to

the first thing that our protagonist did “reinventing” himself from Jay Gatz into Jay

Gatsby. Firstly, he denied himself by refusing his parentage heritage which can be

illustrated with the following quote:

“I am the son of some wealthy people in the Middle West-all dead now.I was brought up

in America but educated Oxford because all my ancestors have been educated there for

many years. It is a family tradition.”(Fitzgerald, 1925, pp. 52)

While claiming that he is saying “God’s truth” in fact he only presents the person which

he has invented and the whole passage is anything but the truth. The determination to

achieve his goal of regaining Daisy’s heart goes that far so as to deny the fact that his

father is alive whose existence we understand in the end of the novel. As for the past of

his ancestors they were unsuccessful people and he abandoned them, still, chooses to lie

and guarantee that he is continuing a family tradition even by mentioning some of the

most famous colleges in the world, Oxford, though he was part of it time for a shord

period of time. He chooses to erase his past,,his history and metaphorically said he ”kills”

Jimmy Gatz. Gatsby does not want other people to know for his bootlegging activities,

12

either. Through this way he seems to please himself and make people have the same

perception about who he is and what he represents hoping to achieve his dream by

making people believe his story based on the way that he wants to narrate it. (Nigro,A.

1984. The Diagonal Line Separation and Reparation in American Literature)

Secondly, he denies the past by refusing to accept Daisy’s marital status and the fact that

she is a mother. Just the idea of proposing to a married woman despite the fact that she

was his former lover shows how indifferent he chooses to be when it comes to facing the

present, the reality. If in normal circumstances marriage would serve as a barrier and as a

result the person would change his or her mind this is not the case when considering

Gatsby’s perception about his relationship with Daisy. On the contrary, he believes that

he can destroy their marriage and as a result they can get married together. When it

comes to her status as a mother, his refusal to accept it is best shown by Nick’s comment

on chapter 7 “he kept looking at the child with surprise, I don’t think he had really

believed in its exitence before” while referring to Gatsby’s reaction. (Fitzgerald, 1925,

pp. 124)

Despite the denial of the past, a thing which characterizes Jay Gatsby is his never giving

up attitude. If there is any character who deserves to have the epithet “pure dreamer” that

protagonist is undoubtedly Jay. His determination and his hope fascinates Nick when he

claims that he possesses “an extraordinary gift for hope, a romantic readiness such as I

have never found in other person and which it is not likely I shall ever find again”. While

some readers are mesmerized by his imagination and his way of thinking others may also

compare it to Don Quixote by Miguel de Servantes due to the fact that they are both

eternal optimists. As we are seeking to to fulfill the dream we are not asked to analyze

possible obstacles, hard moments, or the fact that other people might face the

consequences of the achievement of our goal and of the road towards it. (Knights &

McCabe, 2003, Organization and Innovation Guru schemes and the American Dream) In

addition to his “new self” he adapts his manners ,he uses the expression “old sport”, lives

in his extraordinary mansion in West Egg, drives a fancy car but all these his effort are

useless because he missesthe moral in his American Dream. The best way to show this is

13

through the way which he has become rich, bootlegging and his association with

Wolfshiem (Bruccoli, 1985, New Essays on the Great Gatsby)

The first time we meet the protagonist, Nick is intrigued to meet him in person.The

rumors about him assume his dark side. Ironically, these comments come from people

who enjoy his hospitality and are regular attenders of his parties. Right when the narrator

wants to introduce himself we have this description of his:

“A figure had emerged from the shadow of my neighbor’s mansion and was standing

with his hands in his pockets regarding the silver pepper of the stars.Something in his

leisurely movements and the secure position of his feet upon the lawn suggested it was

Mr.Gatsy himself,come out to determine what share was his of our local heavens.

…he stretched out his arms towards the dark water in a curious way,and far as I was

from him I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward -and

distinguished nothing except a single green light,minure and far away that might have

been the end of the dock” (Fitzgerald, 1925, pp. 24)

This is the first glimpse that we get from him though of course we don’t have a clear

picture about who he is. He seems to enjoy his loneliness but later we find out that he

bought that mansion for Daisy only hoping that one day she will notice him. This is just

the beginning of his obsession with his dream. This light and his imagination follow us

during the whole book.

Nonetheless, it is right imagination which makes him great. In order to reach his dream

he is ready to do all that it takes. Some of the sincerest opinions which serve as a warning

is Nick’s remark that he cannot repeat his past and Jay’s answer “Why of course you can”

shows how fundamental his dream is to him though he is trying to live again something

which happened five years ago All that is asked from Daisy is telling Tom she never

loved him,but all in vain. She refuses to do so by saying “oh you want too much” and

claiming that she loved him too (Gatsby). This is the answer which should have served

as a “wake up alarm” for Gatsby but even in this phase he continues with his dream

14

believing that Diasy is confused.Some may argue that Daisy is only a physical

representation of his “American Dream” As Bloom(2006) points out:.To him,” the dream

itself matters far more than the person in whom he found expression”.

Though for a short period of time, Gatsby is able to recapture the relationship that he

once had with, he realized that the obsession for Daisy lies on the memories they shared

together in Louisville and not in genuine love for her. After all this time having this

dream and being committed to it, despite his many means used he can not relieve the

past. His ”American Dream” however impossible to comprehend doesn’t seem to end

when Daisy chooses her husband and not him. He still keeps the hope that she will call

him and everything will continue how it used to be before. In one of the hardest moments

of Daisy when she strikes down and as a result kills Myrtle Wilson, Gatsby protects

Daisy this way taking the blame for Myrtle’s death. This shows his sacrifice and his

obsession with his dream. Even in these extraordinary circumstances Jay refuses to give

up on his dream hoping that she will call him. It seems that the punishment for having

believed a single dream if bigger than experiencing Daisy’s refusal and finding out that

she is not how Gatsby had believed her to be for he in the end is killed by George Wilson.

As if that is not sufficient, Daisy doesn’t attend his mortal ceremony and even chooses to

go away and not even answer the phone. Nick was right when considering Daisy and

Tom careless people and letting Jay know that “they’re a rotten crowd “ and that “he is

worth the whole damn bunch put together”. It was the only compliment that Jay received

from Nick His end is sad all the he did was in vain, couldn’t win Daisy’s heart and

couldn’t achieve his dream. His death is also the death of his dream. Words below come

from Nick who stays by his side until the end:

“Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before

us. It eluded us then,but that’s no matter-tomorrow we will run faster ,stretch our arms

farther and…

And one fine morning – So we beat on,boats against the current,borne back ceaselessly

into the past”(Fitzgerald, 1925, pp. 193)

15

The power of the American Dream lies on the promise that the unachievable can be

achieved. When Nick says “we”, Nick is not referring to Gatsby only, on the contrary he

is including himself, and possibly all human beings. Though dreams are always beyond

us, the perception that they are just close to us remains. By having the conviction that we

can relieve something which is gone we strive to create the past once more. Yet humans’

struggle to move on remains impossible.

16

Nick Carraway

The notion of “American Dream” is defined as the idea in which all people have the

possibility of prosperity and success, by any means necessary. Fitzgerald, emerged after

WW1, was preoccupied and enthralled by this idea, that he completely composed a work

according to this concept. As such, much of the novel’s core is rooted in its exploration of

the American dream. “That’s the whole burden of this novel—the loss of those illusions

that give such color to the world so that you don’t care whether things are true or false

as long as they partake of the magical glory” (Fitzgerald, Life in Letters, pp. 78). These

were the words Fitzgerald used to describe his novel to his companion Fowler.

One of the characters struggling with achieving the American dream, in the novel, is Nick

Carraway. Coming from a rich family, Nick decides to settle in East Egg, the promised

land of parties, alcohol and frenzy nights, after he graduates in Yale and after coming

back from WW1. "Instead of being the warm center of the universe---so I decided to go

East and learn the bond business. Everybody I knew was in the bond business, so I

supposed it could support one more single man" (Fitzgerald, 1925, pp. 3). During his

period on East, he associates himself with other characters such as, Daisy, Tom and

Gatsby, all of which are struggling with reaching the American dream. Along this period,

he experiences lies, corruption, tragedies, misconceptions, false hopes, all of which

ultimately portray the benevolent human nature as greedy and consumerist. Infatuated by

all this drama, Carravay comes to the conclusion that the American dream is just an

illusion, a useless one. Infatuated by the recklessness of Daisy, lies of Baker, the mistress

of Tom and Gatsby’s ultimate ending, shatter his American dream. "I couldn't forgive

him or like him, but I saw that what he had done was, to him, entirely justified. It was all

very careless and confused. They were careless people, Tom and Daisy---they smashed

up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast

carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up

the mess they had made..." (Fitzgerald, 1925, pp. 191)

17

In the core of the novel stands Nick whose task is to guide Gatsby reaching his

aspirations with the American dream, revealing the importance of the green light at the

end of the Buchanans’ dock beyond Daisy to the promises of the future offered by

America throughout history.

“I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors’ eyes—a

fresh, green breast of the new world. Its vanished trees, the trees that had made way for

Gatsby’s house, had once pandered in whispers to the last and greatest of all human

dreams; for a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath in the

presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither

understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something

commensurate to his capacity for wonder”. (Fitzgerald, 1925, pp. 182)

At the end of the novel, Nick comes to a revelation that only America, the land of

promise and opportunity, is commensurate with the human capacity for aspiration and

wonder.

The way the reader may read and understand Nick Carraway — as a believer, or as a

skeptic — will drastically influence the way he or she interprets the novel and its

revelations. The questions about Nick’s character, credibility, and reliability do not go

away; they have kept critics, readers and art lovers since its publication.

The novel’s heavy symbolism, as well as its particularly unique convergence of form and

content, with Nick Carraway’s involved, and at the same time detached, participant and

observer narration giving shape to the theme of American dream and disillusionment,

provided a rich mine of material for debate. There are three areas that we can identify as

thresholds in the criticism of this period, influence studies, the examination of narrative

perspective in the novel, and explorations of symbolic patterns and their relationship to

the American dream and other themes that are interrelated.

18

Across the span of the decade, critical “conversations” begin to emerge along the lines of

intersection between these various approaches. For example, influence studies, which

most commonly pointed back to Joseph Conrad, as well as the lessons of Henry James,

typically come at some point to focus in on the central role of the first-person narrator,

Carraway; the question of Nick Carraway’s impact on the meanings of the novel has

proven inexhaustible to this day. Similarly, essays centering on Nick’s ambivalent role

share concerns with those that examine what seems to be Fitzgerald’s larger ambivalence

toward the American scene he depicts.

The essay of Philip Young “Scott Fitzgerald’s Waste Land,” tries to indicate and examine

the structural and thematic similarities and differences between The Great Gatsby and

The Waste Land” of T.S. Eliot. It is obvious that the modernist, T.S. Eliot noticed

Fitzgerald’s direct references to The Waste Land in Gatsby; for instance, Nick Carraway

once refers to the desolate Valley of Ashes as a “waste land” (Fitzgerald, 22), and on

another occasion describes the “throbbing taxi cabs” (p. 47) lining the darkened streets of

New York City, borrowing an image from Eliot’s Tiresias, who waits “at the violet hour,

when the eyes and back / Turn upward from the desk, when the human engine waits /

Like a taxi throbbing waiting” (pp. 215– 17). While he focuses this provocative

discussion on the waste land setting of the valley of ashes, the “dead center of the book”

(p. 225), Young argues that the rot at the center of the ash valley is depicted throughout

the varied landscapes and societies of the novel: “As in the earlier waste land, one telling

symptom of general chaos in Gatsby is that most traditions are broken or lost. There is no

religious faith; God’s functions are taken over by an advertisement for eyeglasses. Tom, a

decayed survival of what may once have been a competent aristocracy, is reduced to

corruption and the vicious ignorant speeches he makes” (p. 226). Young’s reading of the

famous ending passages of the book again connect back to Eliot; just as the protagonist of

The Waste Land gathers, perhaps ineffectively, the “fragments I have shored against my

ruins”, so too does Nick Carraway look beyond the waste land of the East in seeking

solace in more enduring values: “Nick Carraway finds himself (like the protagonist of

Eliot’s poem) brooding on the superiority of the past, and appealing to certain traditions

of an earlier era” (p. 227).

19

“The Eyes of Dr. Eckleburg: A Re-Examination of The Great Gatsby” by Tom Burnam is

another essay analysis on the connection between the American dream, as the main theme

of the novel, particularly its social criticism, and its structural form. Burnam indicates

that the novel features a “duality of symbolic structure” in which a primary theme

regarding aspiration and disillusionment (as symbolized by the green light on Daisy’s

dock) runs, at the same time, with, and at times counter to, a “subtheme” concerning

larger questions of chaos and social decay (as symbolized by the omniscient yet artificial

billboard eyes of Dr. Eckleburg).

Myrtle Wilson

Born poor and married to a garage owner whose name is George Wilson though a minor

character, she represents the American dream from humble roots and in the end the

decline of it. The first time that we meet her she is described as an arrogant woman

considering the way which she treats her husband and the truth behind that attitude of

hers. We later find out that she betrays her husband with Tom Buchanan. The reason that

she has a relationship with Tom Buchanan seems to be her wish to be in a higher social

class. Myrtle’s lust for an expensive life leads to her having an affair with Tom

Buchanan. This affair interferes in her marriage with George, causing her many

problems. The first time we see her transformed from her previous appearance is at the

party in New York. It causes her death and sacrifice of happiness. Myrtle is described as

a weak personality whose faults dominate and interfere with the real values. She is the

person which adapts to any kind of situation but that takes her to a point of absurdity. The

most truthful part which proves the impression of a naive woman is Nick’s conviction in

the first time he sees her: “I’m going to make a list of all the things I’ve got to get. A

massage and a wave, and a collar for the dog, and one of those cute little ash-trays

where you touch a spring, and a wreath with a black silk bow for mother’s grave that’ll

last all summer” (Fitzgerald, 1925, pp. 40). Her greed to have those ‘imaginable objects

20

of affection’ make the truthful identification of her profound needs and ideas since all she

dreams of and all that gives her blur thoughts is the upper society. She is convinced that

all the solutions are found under the cover of money. Fitzgerald displays the American

Dream “mission” even through Myrtle’s character considering that she is not one

ambitious or a lady with a crucial plan. She is a dreamer who struggles living in the world

where Tom’s presence is essential. Despite the shallowness which characterizes Myrtle,

she is as everybody else, looking for happiness as equally she doesn’t hide the urge for

money.

“Mrs. Wilson had changed her costume some time before and was now attired in an

elaborate afternoon dress of cream colored chiffon, which gave out a continual rustle as

she swept about the room. With the influence of the dress her personality had also

undergone a change. The intense vitality that had been so remarkable in the garage was

converted into impressive hauteur. Her laughter, her gestures, her assertions became

more violently affected moment by moment and as she expanded the room grew smaller

around her until she seemed to be revolving on a noisy, creaking pivot through the smoky

air.” (Fitzgerald, 1925, pp. 34)

Here we see her desperation to become wealthier than she truly is, when she changes her

costume there is a change in her personality as well. She keeps bragging and showing off

to them to give an image that she wants to present, however compared to the protagonist

of the novel, Gatsby, she is considered to be more transparent. A change in her behavior

towards Tom is a moment when she keeps shouting Daisy’s name and claiming that

she’ll say it as many times she wants to. It is this moment which points out a glimpse of

her American dream’s decline. “You can’t live forever” is what she refers to a principle

she gains in life after meeting Tom Buchanan. The one who inspires her to become the

lady who can desire everything and the one who at a certain time believed she was

entitled to the benefits life can give including living the adventure of her imaginary

world. The man that fits very well with all ‘the proportions” of the luxurious lifestyle

remains Tom. Considering the misery she often finds herself involved in, Tom represents

the savior and the top of her world. She seems to illustrate or even maybe justify her

21

deeds behind her belief that one can’t live forever meaning it all can vanish in just a

moment and you’re supposed to be left without an option. She definitely believes in

taking advantage of the time you can get away with something and seize the day which

cannot be judged cruelly.

Myrtle left speechless many at first, but she was an insecure lady who later on

demonstrated the flaws of hers as a woman. She represented a fragile girl whose only sin

was to be part of the society she wanted to fit in.

Myrtle is a lady who embraced the fact that she could be significant in the aspect of

finding a path for her life to move forward but what she actually provokes is being seen

as an object of satisfaction and that's where she is then considered as a woman who is

able to do anything in order to be in Tom's arms, that being a ticket to her future

intentions as another mistress more. "Dream of abundance" was the attention towards the

material possessions making it a remarkable point for the direction which the society

maintained. It ultimately affected the human values as it interfered with all the citizens

back at the time. (Owbny, 1999, American Dreams in Mississippi: Consumers, Poverty,

and Culture)

Another key issue here was “Dream of Novelty” representing consumerism, for which

Myrtle goes along with keeping updated with the fiery magazine covers. She is constantly

inspired by the manner other rich people lived but unfortunately no one had mercy for her

in the end.

Her tragic death showed even better the people's faces she was surrounded with. Being

left on the street without anyone who would take care of her makes us question the

sensibility the characters had. Whether they valued life or if they were so blinded by

anger and enormity, still keeps us in doubt. This kind of death also transmits the wild

message of the American Dream which defines you only by your success otherwise if

you're left trusting and loving, you get lost. It was hard to get into the circle who were

22

already considered the "old money" as it was easy to notice the consequences once you

got in it.

Daisy and Tom Buchanan

Tom Buchanan is undoubtedly one of the most important characters of the novel who

represents a millionaire of "old money" which described in simple terms means that he is

not a self-made man but he has inherited his wealth as well as the privileges which come

from it. Tom Buchanan represents the decadence of people from East for various reasons.

His enormous inheritance makes him the opposite of a self-made man. The first

description that Carraway makes for him he is "in riding clothes... standing with his legs

apart on the front porch". The way he stands and his clothes let us now that the manner

which he has created his wealth has nothing to do with productive work. Once a rugby

player and now being a polo player, his economical status gives him the opportunity to

play sports wherever he wants. According to Veblen "Sports afford an exercise for

dexterity and for the emulative ferocity and astuteness characteristic of predatory life".

This shows the link of his with violence. During a party at his apartment he breakes

Myrtle Wilson's nose because she mentiones Daisy's name. Buchanan is always seeking

to express his physical superiority. One the most famous quotes by Carraway which best

describes Tom and Daisy is

"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy -they smashed up things and creatures and

then retreated back into their money or bast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept

them together, and let other people clean the mess that they made". (Fitzgerald, 1925, pp.

191)

Besides being a perfect quote for their characters in general, it also presents the sign of

social power. The initial carelessness marred with the idea that his deeds have no

consequences for him make him and Daisy behave as careless people. His main feature

23

presented from the beginning of the and novel is his muscularity. (Bloom, 2010, Bloom’s

Modern Critical Interpretations:The Great Gatsby)

The tendency of his to protect family values can be illustrated with the example"

Nowadays people begin by sneering family at family life and family institutions and next

they'll throw everything overboard.” Paradoxically, he has an affair with a married

woman and has had previous experiences even before when he got married to Daisy.

Another piece of his decay is his racist concept “Civilizations is going to pieces”

We understand that he appreciates Stoddard’s theories and as a millionaire he wants to

defend his social position. Their carelessness is shown during the night of the car which

strikes down and as a result Myrtle Wilson finds death. He notices the couple "sitting

opposite each other " lacking any intimacy which exits between a normal couple.

He and Daisy have no mercy and don't take responsibility for their actions. (Bloom,

2010, Bloom’s Modern Critical Interpretations:The Great Gatsby)

Living the luxurious life together and having shared the same life principles Daisy and

Tom Buchanan represented the hidden standards of the "American Dream". Considering

the concept that stands behind the famous saying both of the characters reveal the

contrary of what is usually believed when the American dream is mentioned. Daisy finds

satisfaction in her shallowness which offers her the comfort zone which merely makes

her addicted. She pretends to prefer the static status she has instead of trying to have any

kind of triumphs making us realize that the last she wanted was being one of the ones

who fights and achieves what she loves. However the effect of the American dream is

experienced differently considering her character. Through Daisy's eyes the world wasn't

worth to be taken seriously, the ignorance was an undeniable feature of hers as she wasn't

the one to value what is called morals or also, the efforts people make to reach their

goals. Even though she was constantly in between her past and actual lifestyle, she

definitely appreciated the fact she was living surrounded by wealthy people. This was

what she called accomplishment and she continued to believe in some made up

perceptions that sometimes hadn't anything to do with the reality. Meanwhile Tom

24

Buchanan, husband of Daisy and a heir of a wealthy family, is another case of

misconception of the American dream. Being a child whose wishes were completed as he

was the one who always has done the way he wanted it to, make the audience doubt his

relation with reaching the unreachable dream! None of his characteristics rationalize the

life he has, but he was one of those people who are "lucky enough". For Tom, dreaming

about something wasn't hard since it was his background which allowed him lead that

certain path.

Conclusion

Though 93 years have past since its first publication in 1925, the popularity of the Great

Gatsby endures. Bloom made the description about the novel claiming that “Its freshness

never wears off”. One may find itself intrigued by it in one way or another and it is

relevant for today’s readers as well because it deals with fundamental things of life,the

persuasion of dreams, social classes, love, power.

The corruption of the objectives of the American Dream to material acquisition grasps

only the most superficial aspects of the concept. Gatsby is guilty of this simplification.

He gains wealth without acquiring knowledge or wisdom. He has a large library, but he

has an extremely limited frame of reference, unlike Nick Carraway, and his thinking is

limited almost exclusively to current events, the bond market, and his romance with

Daisy. Within the tradition of American realism, he is an abject failure. From a Realistic

perspective, Gatsby is responsible for what he made of himself, an issue at the center of

Nick Carraway’s contemplation of the meaning of the summer of 1922. Nick is also

chasing the American Dream, although he has a far more profound response to the quest.

For Gatsby, the only objective is Daisy, and his obsession with money is as a means

rather than an end. For his part, Nick seems little interested in the bond business that

employs him: he says almost nothing about it in the entire novel. Instead, he is more

concerned with the inner lives of the other characters, with their values, emotional

commitments, and personal dilemmas. Gatsby’s life was built on external appearances;

Nick’s is focused on personal psychology, those needs that drive the action. He is the

only one who understands Gatsby, his idealistic longing, his optimism, his dreams. Nick

25

seems to admire Gatsby’s commitment to his dreams but Nick’s cynicism makes it

difficult for him to share in it. Rather, he knows life will be difficult, offering a daunting

quest with disappointment and disillusionment, something he faces with resignation. That

is the meaning of the nautical metaphor he offers as a conclusion.

The American Dream is presented by Fitzgerald through its characters each one of them

having its significance Through the protagonist of the novel, Gatsby, we learn that even

the purest dreams can become corrupted, which he unfortunately understands too late as

he finds death because he is killed by Wilson. The decline of his American Dream is the

refusal of Daisy, and his death in the end. His long path to achieve his dream includes

reinventing himself, denying his past, showing his immense wealth. The thing which

characterizes him is his extraordinary hope that he will achieve it. He paid a high price

for living too long with a single dream. Nick Carraway settles in East wishing to be part

of the bond business, instead of finding the promised land he encounters a superficial

world. The decline of his American Dream is discovering that the American Dream is

nothing but an illusion. Although Myrtle Wilson is a minor character of the novel, she

represents the consumerist dream. Her aspiration is living a better life, totally different

from the one she has with her husband by being the mistress of Tom Buchanan. Like

Gatsby, she finds death instead of the life which she desires. Tom and Daisy Buchanan’s

morality is in contrast to the ideals of the American Dream.

26

References:

Fitzgerald.S.F. (2010). A Life in Letters.

Bloom,H. (2006). The Great Gatsby. New York, Chelsea House Publishers.

Tredell,N. (2007). Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. London, Bloomsbury Publishing.

Lee,V. (2011). F.Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Australia, Insight Publications.

Nigro,A.J. (1984). The Diagonal Line Separation and Reparation in American

Literature. London, Associated University Presses, Inc.

Bloom,H. (2010). Bloom’s Modern Critical Interpretations:The Great Gatsby-New

Edition. New York, Infobase Publishing.

Owbny.T (1999); American Dreams in Mississippi: Consumers, Poverty, and Culture,

1830-1998, The University of North Carolina Press

Knights,D,Mccabe(2003) Organization and Innovation:Guru schemes and American

Dreams. Berkshire,Open University Press

Weinstein,A(1993) Speech, Self, and Place in American Fiction from Hawthorne to

DeLillo, New York, Oxford University Press

Young.Ph (2000) American fiction, American Myth; Pennsylvania, The Pennsylvania

State University Press

27

Adams, T, J (2012) The Epic of America. New Jersey. A Division of Transaction

Publishers