Nobody Understands Her Blithe Response to Her Family Misfortunes

The Nifty Gatsby is ordinarily studied in the Australian curriculum under Expanse of Report one - Text Response. For a detailed guide on Text Response, bank check out our Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response.

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Introduction

Call it the greatest American novel or ultimate story of unrequited romance—The Great Gatsby is undoubtedly a stunning snapshot of ane of the most American decades that America has e'er seen. The 1920s saw significant economic growth afterward WWI, and what's more American than textile excess, wealth, and prosperity? The stock market place was going off, businesses were booming, and people were having a great time.

Well, not everybody—and on the flipside, what'due south more than American than socio-economical inequality or the ever-quixotic American Dream?

In this weblog, we'll go through the novel in this context, examine some of its key themes, and likewise have a recall well-nigh the critiques it raises about American club. Nosotros'll also go through an essay prompt that ties some of these things together.

Life in the Roaring Twenties

This snapshot from the 2013 moving-picture show accommodation actually tells united states of america a lot about the 1920s. On the one paw, social and cultural norms were shifting—men no longer sported beards, and women were dressing more androgynously and provocatively. On the other hand, the modernistic, American economic system was emerging—people began ownership plush consumer goods (like cars, appliances, telephones etc.) using credit rather than cash. This meant that average American families were able to become these things for the first time, while more than prosperous families were able to alive in extreme excess.

In Fitzgerald's novel, the Buchanans are one such family unit. Tom and his married woman Daisy have belonged to the 1% for generations, and the 1920s saw them cement their wealth and status. At the same fourth dimension, the booming economy meant that others (similar the narrator Nick) were relocating to cities in pursuit of wealth, and (similar Gatsby) making significant fiscal inroads themselves.

The Great Gatsby traces how the differences between these characters can be destructive even if they're all wealthy. Add a drop of Gatsby'southward unrequited love for Daisy, and you have a story that ultimately examines how far people become for romance, and what coin simply can't purchase.

The answer to that isn't then obvious though. Aye, coin can't buy dearest, but it also can't buy a lot of other things associated with the lifestyle and the values of established wealth. We'll get into some of this at present.

Wealth and class

Fitzgerald explores tensions between three socio-economic classes—the establishment, the 'nouveau riche' and the working grade.

Tom and Daisy vest to the 'former money' establishment, where wealth is generational and inherited. This means they were built-in into already wealthy families, which affects their upbringing and ultimately defines them, from the fashion they speak (Tom's "paternal contempt" and Daisy'southward vox, "full of money") to their major life decisions (including marriage, symbolised through the "string of pearls" he buys for her—which, fun fact, is estimated to be worth millions of dollars today). Information technology also affects their values, as we'll see in the following section.
For now, consider this paradigm of their habitation (and those ponies on the left, which they also own), described as follows:

"The lawn started at the embankment and ran toward the front end door for [400 metres], jumping over sun-dials and brick walls and called-for gardens—finally when it reached the firm globe-trotting upwardly the side in bright vines equally though from the momentum of its run."

Nick Carraway also comes from a similar (though non as extravagant) groundwork—his family had been rich by Midwestern standards for "3 generations" before he came to New York.

Conversely, Gatsby belongs to the 'nouveau riche', or new coin. Unlike the Buchanans, Gatsby was built-in into a poor family, only coming to wealth in the 1920s blast. Specifically, he inherited money from Dan Cody later running away from home at 17.

Although they are all rich, in that location are significant cultural differences betwixt old and new money. Old coin take their own culture of feigned politeness which Gatsby doesn't quite become. When Tom and the Sloanes invite Nick and Gatsby to supper in chapter six, Gatsby naively accepts, to which Tom would answer behind his dorsum, "Doesn't he know [Mrs. Sloane] doesn't want him?" Even though Gatsby is financially their equal, his newfound wealth can't buy his mode into their (nasty, horrible) lifestyle.

Finally, this is contrasted with the working form, specially George and Myrtle Wilson who we meet in chapter two. They alive in a grey "valley of ashes", the detritus of a prosperous lodge whose wealth is limited to the 1%. Fitzgerald even calls it a "solemn dumping ground", suggesting that life is precarious and difficult here. Consider what separates George—"blond, spiritless… and faintly handsome"—from Tom (hint: $$).

Myrtle is described differently, however—she is a "faintly stout" woman with "perceptible vitality". This may be less of a description of her and more of a commentary on Tom's sexuality, and what attracts him to her such that he cheats on Daisy with her. Notwithstanding, Myrtle's relative poverty is evident in her expressions of desire throughout their coming together—"I desire to go ane of those dogs," she says, and Tom just hands her the coin.

Ultimately, looking at the novel through the lens of class, we meet a society where upward social mobility and making a living for yourself is possible, but not for everybody. Even when you become rich, it doesn't guarantee that you'll suddenly, seamlessly integrate into the lives of former money.

Morality and values

Added to this story of social stratification is a moral dimension, where Fitzgerald tin exist a trivial more than critical.

Firstly, old coin is portrayed as shallow. Daisy's spousal relationship to Tom and the Sloanes' insincerity are elements of this, only another adept example is Gatsby'south party guests. Many aren't actually invited—they invite themselves, and "they came and went without having met Gatsby at all." Their vacuous relationship to Gatsby is exposed when he dies, and they completely abandon him. Klipspringer, "the boarder", basically lived in Gatsby's house, and even and so he still wouldn't come to the funeral, only calling up to get a "pair of shoes" dorsum.

The rich are also depicted equally barbarous and inconsiderate, insulated from repercussions by their wealth. Nick's description of Tom'south "roughshod body" is repeatedly realised, as he breaks Myrtle's olfactory organ in chapter ii and condescends Gatsby with "magnanimous scorn" in chapter seven. After Myrtle dies, Nick spots the Buchanans "conspiring" and describes them as "boom[ing] up things and creatures and and then retreat[ing] dorsum into their money or their vast carelessness"—he sees them as fundamentally selfish.

Gatsby is portrayed more sympathetically though, which may come from his humble upbringing and his want to be liked. This is probably the primal question of the novel—is he a hero, or a villain? The moral of the story, or a alert? Consumed by love, or corrupted by wealth?

I'm going to leave most of those for the next section, simply I'll finish here with one concluding snippet: Lucille, a guest at his parties, tears her dress and Gatsby immediately sends her a "new evening gown". Weird flex, but at least he's being selfless…

Honesty

That said, a major part of Gatsby's character is his dishonesty, which complicates his moral identity.

For starters, he fabricates a new identity and deals in shady business just to reignite his five-yr-onetime romance with Daisy. We see this through the emergence of Meyer Wolfsheim, with whom he has unclear business "gonnegtions", and the resultant wealth he now enjoys.

In chapter three, Owl Optics describes Gatsby equally a "regular Belasco", comparison him to a picture manager who was well-known for the realism of his sets. This is a really lucid analysis of Gatsby, who is in many ways just like a film manager constructing a whole fantasy world.

It'south as well unclear if he loves Daisy for who she is, or just the idea of Daisy and the wealth she represents. Indeed, he doesn't seem to care for her as a person, but more like something that he tin pursue (like wealth). This is a good read, and then I won't really get into information technology here—just consider how much things accept inverse since Gatsby start met Daisy (similar her matrimony and her children), and how Gatsby ignores the way her life has changed in favour of his even so, stationary memory of who she used to be.

Love, desire and hope

All of this makes it catchy to distil what the novel's message actually is.

Is it that Gatsby is a good person, especially cast against the decadent old money?

This analysis isn't wrong, and it actually works well with a lot of textual prove. Where Nick resents the Buchanans, he feels sympathy for Gatsby. He explicitly says, "they're a rotten oversupply…yous're worth the whole damn bunch put together." Maybe beloved was an honourable goal compared to money, which ostensibly makes you "barbarous" and "careless".

I wouldn't say he was cruel, but this reading is complicated past how he can exist careless, choosing non to care about Daisy'due south agency, and letting his desires overtake these considerations.

Is it that Gatsby and his want for Daisy were corrupted by wealth despite his expert intentions?

There's also testify to suggest wealth corrupts—Nick describes information technology equally "foul grit" that "preyed" on Gatsby, eroding his good character and leaving backside someone who resembles the vacuous elite. Although honey might've been an honourable goal, it got diluted past money.

Gatsby's prototype for understanding the earth becomes driven past materialism, and he objectifies Daisy. He starts trying to buy something that he originally didn't need to buy—Daisy's love. She certainly didn't fall in love with this man who owned a mansion and a closet full of "beautiful shirts." Thus, Gatsby is a sympathetic product of a organisation that was always stacked against him (a poor male child from N Dakota). Commercialism, right?

Is it that capitalist America provides nil for people to pursue except for wealth, and therefore lilliputian reason for people to feel hope?

Well…

Past the basics: structural economical tension and the doomed American Dream

Now we want to commencement thinking beyond the characters (east.g. if Gatsby is a expert person or non) and also factor in their social, historical, political and economic context (e.g. if he was doomed to begin with past a society driven past money). This subheading does sound a bit much, but we'll suspension it down here.

A primal part of this novel is the American Dream, the idea that America is a state of freedom and equal opportunity, that anyone can 'brand information technology' if they truly try. Value is placed on upwards social mobility (moving up from a working-class background) and economic prosperity (making $$), which defined much of the Roaring 20s…

…for some.

For many others, there was meaning tension between these lofty values and their lived reality of life on the ground. As much as social club around them was prospering, they simply couldn't become a piece of the pie, and this is what makes information technology structural—as hard as George Wilson might work, he simply can't become himself out of the Valley of Ashes and into wealth. Indeed, you tin't achieve the Dream without cheating (as Gatsby did).

And then, there'southward this tension, this irreconcilable gap between economic goals and actual means. Through this lens, the tragedy of The Nifty Gatsby multiplies. It's no longer but about someone who can't buy love with money—it'southward about how nobody'due south dreams are actually attainable. Not everyone can get money, and money tin but get you so far. Everyone is stuck, and the American Dream is basically just a myth.

Thus, the novel could be interpreted as a takedown of capitalist America, which convinced people similar Gatsby that the answer to everything was money, and he bolted later the "green light" attraction of cold, hard cash but to find out that it wasn't plenty, that it wasn't the answer in the finish.  (.

Consider what kind of bulletin that sends to people like the Wilsons—if money can't actually buy happiness, what good is it really to chase it? And retrieve that Gatsby had to crook to go rich in the first place.

Is [the novel'due south message] that capitalist America provides nil for people to pursue except for wealth, and therefore little reason for people to experience hope?

You tell me.

Prompt: what does Fitzgerald suggest about social stratification in the 1920s?

Whenever you become a new essay topic, you can use LSG's Think and EXECUTE strategy, a technique to help yous write better VCE essays. If you're unfamiliar with this strategy, then check it out in How To Write A Killer Text Response.

Let's try applying this to a prompt. I'll italicise the key points that have been brought up throughout this mail service.

Firstly, social stratification clearly divided society forth economic lines. This could be paragraph one, exploring how class separated the Buchanans and Wilsons of the world, and how their lifestyles were and so completely dissimilar even though they all lived in the prosperity of the Roaring 20s. George Wilson was "worn-out" from work, but he all the same couldn't generate upwardly social mobility for his family, stuck in the Valley of Ashes. Conversely, Tom Buchanan is built-in into a rich family with his beach-facing mansion and polo ponies. Colour is an important symbol here—the Valley is grey, while East Egg is filled with color (a dark-green light here, a "blue coupe" there…).

The next paragraph might wait at the cultural dimension, exploring how you just tin can't buy a style of life. This might involve analysing Gatsby's wealth as deluding him into thinking he can "echo the by" by ownership into the life(style) of sometime coin. This is where Fitzgerald disillusions us about the American Dream—he presents a reality where it isn't possible for anyone to 'make information technology', where the Buchanans all the same treat y'all with contemptuousness even if you're but every bit wealthy. Gatsby's dishonesty is ultimately a shallow i—attempt equally he might, he just cannot fit in and win Daisy back.

Finally, we should consider the moral dimension—even though the wealthier socioeconomic classes enjoyed more lavish, luxurious lifestyles, Fitzgerald likewise argued that they were the well-nigh morally broke. Money corrupted the wealthy to the point where they only did non care about the lives of the poor, every bit seen in the Buchanans' response to Myrtle'due south death. Even Gatsby had to compromise his integrity and deal in shady business in order to go rich—he isn't perfect either. Social stratification may look ostentatious and shiny on the exterior, but the rich are actually portrayed as shallow and decadent.

A proficient essay on this novel will typically combine some of these dimensions and build a multilayered analysis. Stratification, beloved, wealth, morality—all of these big ideas can exist broken down in terms of social, economic, cultural circumstances, then make sure to consider all angles when you write.

Accept a go at these prompts!

one. Nick is biased in his assessment of Gatsby—both of them are no improve than the decadent, wealthy Buchanans. Do you lot concur?

two. In The Great Gatsby, money is a stronger motivating cistron than honey. Practise you lot concord?

3. Daisy Buchanan is more innocent than guilty—explore this statement with reference to at least ii other characters.

4. What does Fitzgerald say about happiness in The Great Gatsby?

5. Is money the true adversary of The Keen Gatsby?

6. The women of The Great Gatsby are all victims of a patriarchal order. To what extent do you agree? (Hint: are they all as victimised?)

Challenge: Co-ordinate to Fitzgerald, what actually lays underneath the façade of the Roaring 20s? Brand reference to at least 2 symbols in The Great Gatsby. (Hint: façade = "an outward appearance that conceals a less pleasant reality" – think virtually things like colours, apparel, buildings etc.)

Resource

The Ultimate Guide to VCE Text Response

How To Write A Killer Text Response Report Guide

How to embed quotes in your essay like a boss

How to turn your Text Response essays from boilerplate to A+

5 Tips for a mic drib worthy essay conclusion

The Importance of the Introduction

Nobody Understands Her Blithe Response to Her Family Misfortunes

Source: https://www.vcestudyguides.com/blog/dissecting-an-a-essay-using-the-golden-age-by-joan-london

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