Knowing that the Great Gatsby is set in the 1920s, I had been looking forward to reading the book for so long. This decade has always fascinated me because of its creation of a new society, which--for the first time in history--is relatable to ours.
In my perspective, before the 1920s, history was bleak, the human lifestyle seemed near archaic, and nothing was the slightest bit comparable to the twenty-first century. But at the turn of a new decade, Roaring Twenties brought along the "New Woman" and the birth of mass culture, including a surge of trends and technology.
A curtain for my car window? Of course, I'll buy it!
However, in the Great Gatsby, I seemed to have forgotten that the book I was reading was about my favorite decade! Where's the excitement and innovation? Why aren't advertisements for the Model-T being shoved in my face? Needless to say, I was underwhelmed!
But I don't think I was alone in thinking this. In fact, Fitzgerald's message is that this new and exciting prosperity of a new era was over-glorified. He exposed the true nature of society as he described Doctor Eckleburg's eyes: "dimmed a little by many paintless days under the sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground." As a symbol of wealth, these eyes lose their brightness as do the spirits of the wealthy when their internal unhappiness shines through.
We no longer see money and novelties as the equivalent of happiness and excitement; instead, we dread the misery and drama that Fitzgerald's characters experience behind closed doors. And through this, he teaches us that a wealthy, materialistic society shouldn't be glamorized, but understood, really, as lonely and miserable.
In my perspective, before the 1920s, history was bleak, the human lifestyle seemed near archaic, and nothing was the slightest bit comparable to the twenty-first century. But at the turn of a new decade, Roaring Twenties brought along the "New Woman" and the birth of mass culture, including a surge of trends and technology.
A curtain for my car window? Of course, I'll buy it!
However, in the Great Gatsby, I seemed to have forgotten that the book I was reading was about my favorite decade! Where's the excitement and innovation? Why aren't advertisements for the Model-T being shoved in my face? Needless to say, I was underwhelmed!
But I don't think I was alone in thinking this. In fact, Fitzgerald's message is that this new and exciting prosperity of a new era was over-glorified. He exposed the true nature of society as he described Doctor Eckleburg's eyes: "dimmed a little by many paintless days under the sun and rain, brood on over the solemn dumping ground." As a symbol of wealth, these eyes lose their brightness as do the spirits of the wealthy when their internal unhappiness shines through.
We no longer see money and novelties as the equivalent of happiness and excitement; instead, we dread the misery and drama that Fitzgerald's characters experience behind closed doors. And through this, he teaches us that a wealthy, materialistic society shouldn't be glamorized, but understood, really, as lonely and miserable.
Nice, I've never really thought about when American society started to become comparable to today, but now that you point it out the 1920s does make sense. I feel like the advertisements, the consumerism and such were all implicitly in the book's background - they go hand in hand with the wealthy's lives. Maybe history has given us a false impression - the poor's suffering and certainly the wealthy's dysfunctional relationships are not recorded in the textbooks, only the end product being the Great Depression. It takes writers like Fitzgerald to bring to light and critique the societal problems from that era.
ReplyDeleteMan it really was underwhelming, for me personally I felt the underwhelmingness specifically because we started reading this right after Song of Solomon which was so full of detail and technique. I felt like the descriptions of parties and New York could have been drawn out and had more prominence, at least with my expectations of the book knowing what Fitzgerald was writing about. I still liked it though.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it really was underwhelming. In US History, it seemed to me like such a magical time, and no one had any problems. I think the reason Fitzgerald displayed the novel like that is to prove how messed up and unrealistic that kind of life is.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the fact that I was admittedly a little underwhelmed when I began reading the novel. I too always was in awe of what I heard of this era but I think you did a very nice job in clarifying how the authors purpose of writing this book was not to continue to glamorize the 1920's, but to give readers an up close understanding of what reality for many people behind closed-doors was.
ReplyDeleteI too was underwhelmed when I started reading the book. Whenever I heard the title of the book, I pictured something lavish and luxurious. I associated these qualities with positive things. However, Fitzgerald conveys an opposite message: luxury and wealth don't equate happiness or a high quality of life.
ReplyDeletesabrina this was so well written! I feel the same way about great gatsby - i was waiting for those sparkly descriptions of parties and dresses but it never really came. I thought that great gatsby would be more crazy asians esque (the books are literally descriptions of brand names without a plot). However, even though it wasn't what I expected, I still thought Fitzgerald did good to expose us beyond decade stereotypes and into the reality of both the elite and the middle class. (Sidenote: hopefully the movie of great gatsby will be more sparkly)
ReplyDeleteAgain, this was very well written. I totally agree about the over-glorification... Nice comparison with a quote! I never thought about how the novel didn't feel like it was in the twenties, but now that you mention it, I can't go without noticing it!
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