Theme on The Great Gatsby - Book Report/Review Example

1 THEME ON THE GREAT GATSBY To understand the main theme of The Great Gatsby as conceived by its perceptive author, Francis Scott Fitzgerald, we have to fully study and analyze the events prior to that fateful summer of 1922 and thus it is inevitable that we have to drag into the mainstream of events, such historical realities as World War I, the 18th Amendment , the Prohibition, the Feminist Movement, the Great Bull Market and the emergence of a new culture. The story of Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan maybe considered fiction , but the background was real and based on history. These historical events set the tone and provided the perfect background for the tableau that Fitzgerald wants to create for his novel. Without them, it is inconceivable how the theme of the novel be fully appreciated. The historical background Knowing that any war will not only be costly but will need to sacrifice American lives in the name of the principles it is fighting for, America tried its best to stay away from the war between the Allies and the Central Powers. But the sinking of Lusitania and several others by German U-boats that snuffed the lives of several innocent Americans, compounded by Germany's deliberate violations of International Law forced America to join the fray. So many Americans lost their lives and those who survived, tried later to expunge the bloody memories of the war and attempted to compensate by enjoying their lives to the hilt when prosperity ensued during the Roaring Twenties. Thus, both Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby, who were war returnees, tried to bask in the new opulence, affluence and the new kind of freewheeling lifestyle that was contrapuntal to the misery and bitterness of the war. In December 1917, the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution was approved by 2 Congress. This legislation "prohibited the manufacture, transport, or sale of intoxicating liquors" (Risjord 703). The resulting Prohibition taught America that this Amendment was a fatal mistake as it "made law evasion fashionable and it financed criminal syndicates" (Risjord 703). It was doomed from the start because beer and wine drinking had been ensconced in American life as a deeply rooted tradition. Banning it would force it to go underground. Thus the bootleggers and the speakeasies made their mark in this era. Bootleggers like Wolfsheim and Gatsby took advantage of the great demand , amassing tremendous wealth in the process and forming the new class called the nouveau riche. Most of them, like Gatsby settled in the West Egg area of Long Island, NY. Adjacent to it is the old aristocracy area of East Egg, where Tom and Daisy Buchanan built their palatial mansion. Between West Egg and Manhattan is the valley of the ashes or the dumping ground of the refuse of the wealthy and the spoiled. This is where George and Myrtle Wilson fixed their auto garage shop. Both West and East Egg denizens compete in an ostentatious display of wealth, licitly or illicitly acquired. In the 1920's American business offered stocks and securities to the public, which was readily responded to. Thus the great economic boom came which ushered a new culture of garish display of merriment and glitter in the form of lavish and extravagant parties, the "Jazz Era" (Flanagan 2), ballroom dancing e.g. Charleston, "bob hairdos, stylish dresses with boa feathers (Milford 178), natty men's suits, automobiles, hydroplanes, and new gadgets that herald "the appearance of electricity and the utilization of aluminum and plastics" (Risjord 705). All these marked the revolution in lifestyle and culture. The feminist movement also saw the entry of women in occupations and sports that were previously the domain of men. Thus Jordan Baker made a name in the sports of golf. 3 The Theme of the Great Gatsby Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald reiterates the theme of the decadence of the era despite the overweening prosperity and affluence of that era. Fitzgerald points out that the high standard of living and the acquisition of excessive material possessions brought with it the collapse and warping of moral values, the mechanization of emotions and the volatility of ideals that Americans had cherished for centuries such as loyalty, sincerity, charity and religiosity. Suddenly, there is a mad scramble for material things and people are agog with the pursuit of money and pleasure. This change of values was exemplified at the funeral of Gatsby. Gatsby's extravagant parties never failed to attract fun lovers, social climbers and racketeers but sadly at his funeral, none of them bothered to even thank him for all the food eaten. All of a sudden, people forgot to commiserate for the sorry lot of others. Another theme was the unrequited love of Gatsby for Daisy, by which all his efforts and energies were concentrated on winning back the love of Daisy and recapturing the beautiful moments they had 5 years ago. The loss of illusions Gatsby was characterized by Fitzgerald as an idealistic dreamer who invested in Daisy's persona, an image of perfection that epitomized all the qualities he looked for in a woman. He enshrined her as a paragon of virtues that must be attained at all cost. Gatsby set up a long-range plan to woo her again and recreate their unconsummated love that was broken by the war. What he conceptualized was that "he and Daisy should go back to Louisville and be married in her home and start life on" (Flanagan 3). He believed that only money can magnetize her back to 4 his arms besides giving him respectability that Daisy can be proud of . This illusion disintegrated because his deification was not realistic, failing to see that Daisy was a flawed mortal whose values had been corrupted by the strong current of materialism. "Gatsby has lived too long with a single dream and when it shattered" (Flanagan 2) Gatsby was left with nothing to clutch on to. Daisy did not even bother to say thank you to Gatsby for shouldering her culpability in the homicide of Myrtle and instead fled to escape scandal that might taint their high stature in society. Daisy herself entertained the illusion that she can have the best of both worlds, the undying love of Gatsby and the security that Tom's money can give her. When pressed to make a choice, she opted to favor Tom's old wealth status . Flanagan came to Daisy's defense by saying that Daisy was actually scared of the risk of Gatsby's world and was more afraid to lose her family (Flanagan 2). Daisy's illusion was merely chipped but not totally lost because materialism has fully controlled her being. When Gatsby realized that affluence cannot bring Daisy back to him and his illusion of recreating that enchanting past had burst , Gatsby was completely ruined. George Wilson's murder of him was merely a coup de grace because when Daisy signified that all was lost, he was as good as dead. In contrast with him, Daisy's loss of illusion was only superficial. Daisy had always accepted Tom's frailties. She's definitely aware of Tom's womanizing as he never bothered to hide it, parading Myrtle even in popular cafes (Fitzgerald 17). The Magical Glory Jay Gatsby was born James Gatz, a scion of impoverished farmers in North Dakota. 5 He used to work as clam digger, fisherman and janitor in a Lutheran school. Because of poverty, he longed to transform and self-invent himself into a persona that commands power and influence. He must fulfill this transformation and that to him is magic. To Gatsby's mind, having a lifestyle in which everything is at your fingertips' behest and everybody is at your beck and call is magical glory. Even when he had already reached the pinnacle of material success, Gatsby still loves to weave magical stories that are inventive. Living in his dreamland was partaking of that magical glory. When he was reintroduced to Daisy by Nick, all the moments they were together , was a taste of magical glory. It was magical because the impoverished James Gatz had been touched by a magic wand and transformed and self-invented into Jay Gatsby. As to Daisy and Jordan Baker, the donning of those fabulous dresses and jewelries, and all the fun in lavish parties was partaking of the magical glory. There never was anything like that. There was therefore a transformation of lifestyles, which was ephemeral as this era was followed by the Great Depression. As to Nick, even this man experienced an inner transformation. At the start, he was a mere passive observer, a confidante for those who were troubled. He was looked upon as a safe guy. But after vicariously experiencing the travails of people like Gatsby, George and Myrtle and the meaninglessness of those parties and the unproductive exercises of the mind and body, he called it quits and refused to be drawn to the quagmire of crass materialism and fully rejected the idiocy of all those merriment. He broke off with Jordan, packed and returned to old Midwest, where staid conservatism and values remained intact. This transformation and maturity also partake of magical glory which is unique because it shows growth of character. 6 Fitzgerald's perspective of Gatsby and Daisy Fitzgerald's conception of the characters of Gatsby and Daisy are not stereotyped. These are not traits we expect from people who have reached an exalted state due to hard albeit illicit work (in Gatsby's case) or sheer ambition ( in Daisy's). These characters may be plausible but the interpretations of their personalities are pushed to the extreme. There are so many tales of unrequited love but Gatsby's on the brink of madness. We must question Fitzgerald's treatment of Gatsby which borders on the ludicrous . We have to suspend belief when one who has reached the pinnacle of success insists on throwing millions for expensive parties that don't even ensure that his ladylove, who is much married, can ever witness. Much more, to commit criminal acts for the love of a woman, who is happily married is questionable. Fitzgerald's depiction of Daisy is too cynical to be believable. She's even stoic to her own daughter. Is materialism enough to paralyze one from feeling the deepest of emotions Conclusion The theme tackled by Fitzgerald is certainly unique. The background of the decadent Roaring Twenties and the excesses of the era makes the novel so tangible to the readers. As Flanagan described it, there is so much color , verve, charm and attraction. We commiserate with Gatsby for the destruction of his dreams and we shudder at how materialism has completely conquered Daisy. For Fitzgerald, we send our felicitation for a novel so well conceptualized. 7 BIBLIOGRAPHY Fitzgerald, Francis Scott. The Great Gatsby. Cambridge University Press. 1991. Flanagan, Thomas. Fitzgerald's Radiant World. The New York Review of Books. Vol.47, no.20. 2000. www.nybooks.com/authors/39. The Great Gatsby: Information and Much More. Answers.com. http://www.answers.com/topic/the great-gatsby Milford, Nancy. Zelda. Avon Publishing. 1970. Risjord, Norman. America: A History of the United States. Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1985. Read More