Disillusionment In The Great Gatsby

The Lost Generation: Its History and Impact on Writing and Dance The horrendous effects of World War I changed the shape of the world, creating a growing sense of distrust as people realized the “war to end all wars” solved nothing. Distrust of political leaders and government officials permeated the minds of those who had witnessed the terror and destruction that the war brought about. A feeling of disillusionment spread across the world as people bitterly decided that their governments in no way knew how to serve the best interests of the people. This gloomy epidemic ultimately affected the youth of this time, creating a time of disillusionment and loss of hope. This period cultivated a generation of disenchanted authors and artists,
which developed into the literary movement known as the Lost Generation. The Lost Generation’s cloud of disillusionment is reflected through the writings of the authors of this generation, and this widespread attitude of disillusionment filtered through the creative community and resulted in revolutionary changes that had an important and incredible impact on other arts, such as dance. World War I, the cause of the disillusionment and loss of hope felt by the Lost Generation, initiated in many a feeling of distrust towards America and its values. This war caused much of the populace to lose hope in America’s promise that its citizens were protected and safe from the horrors of the world as people came to the realization that the war had irrevocably changed their universe (Johnson 50). Many young men who had grown up in a protected, safe “bubble” were thrust into a war where their eyes were opened to the perspective of a world that was violent and ugly. This exposure led to a loss of faith and hope as the world they knew was destroyed, buried under maimed and lifeless bodies. Their recognition that their physical and emotional worlds had been destroyed by war was the impetus for their deep sense of disillusionment. This disenthralled generation expressed their perspectives through their innovative and expressive writings and poetry during the Lost Generation literary movement. In T.S Eliot’s first section of The Waste Land titled “The Burial of the Dead,” Eliot reflects the Lost Generation’s perspective that society is a “wasteland” of broken hopes, destroyed dreams, and dead faith. Eliot’s first section of the poem illustrates his perception that the world he is living in is a morbid world as he writes, “What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow/ Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man,/ You cannot say, or guess, for you know only/ A heap of broken images where the sun beats, And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief, / And the dry stone no sound of water” (65). In this excerpt, Eliot demonstrates that the members of this generation are living in a desolate and barren world incapable of providing them with emotional sustenance. Eliot’s imagery speaks to a landscape ravaged by World War I as experienced by the people of this generation who suffered the effects of the war. Eliot’s language underscores their view of a broken world where man can no longer find a “sheltering” faith. In the final vignette of “The Burial of the Dead,” Eliot further illustrates this sense of hopelessness as he writes of the lost ghosts wandering the streets of London. As a writer of this literary movement, Eliot’s experiences revealed to him that he “had not thought death had undone so many.” World War I not only killed in excess of eight million people, but it killed the souls of many more. Eliot uses these “ghosts” to symbolize the people of this generation who have become soulless, aimless victims of disillusionment as a result of tragedy of World War I. As a result of the disenchantment which grew out of their realization that the innocence of their world had been destroyed by the war, the Lost Generation formed philosophies that were very different from cultural and social philosophies up to that time. The idea of self-expression became prominent in the literary and art movements of this age as the importance of creativity and individuality was emphasized in response to rebellion against traditional thoughts and values (Becnel, Hemingway 114). The authors and artists of the period embraced this idea by creating works that were very different in form and substance from those of earlier periods. After World War I, as this new generation of writers realized that the war solved no problems and broke many promises, this new philosophy began to take shape and influence the works being created. Because of their exposure to the horrors of war, these writers craved the freedom of expression to write of the gritty realities of life based on their personal experiences. This need to express themselves through their writing in a more realistic way was the impetus for the revolutionary change in style that occurred during this period. Another important philosophy of the Lost Generation was that of living for the moment though the sad purpose of this philosophy was to compensate for the emptiness that permeated their lives. Ernest Hemingway’s own life and the lives of many of his characters exemplify this philosophy of living for the moment (Becnel, Hemingway 114). Hemingway’s move to Paris to find himself resulted in many experiences that were often portrayed in his novels as he showed his characters living life to the fullest, making impetuous decisions, and living for the moment. The characters in Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises are perfect examples of lost, disenchanted souls seeking fulfillment through lives lived in the moment – lives filled with, perhaps, excitement and excess, but lives that were also shallow and empty and devoid of real meaning. Because of their disillusionment and their deep need to try to erase it, many members of the Lost Generation were set adrift in lives of excess; many of the characters in the writings of the time were reflective of an over-the-edge lifestyle. Part of the philosophy of the Lost Generation of living for the moment led to their trying to overshadow the horrors of the war and the emptiness of their lives with excessive use of alcohol and gambling (Moss 147). Just as
F. Scott Fitzgerald and Hemingway lived their lives in excess, many of the characters in their works reflect these same types of extreme, self-destructive behaviors. Fitzgerald and Hemingway’s novels are filled with damaged characters, such as Dick Diver in Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night, as well as numerous characters in The Sun Also Rises, seeking relief in alcohol and/or gambling and using those excesses to try to cope with crumbling, dysfunctional lives and relationships. The drinking and the gambling, the living without restraint, was indicative of the disillusionment of the Lost Generation as they used these addictions to help deal with their physical and emotional wounds. Just as the characters in the novels of this period were reflective of behaviors correspondent to the time, another hallmark of the superb works created in the Lost Generation literary movement was that the disillusioned writers of this period often created disillusioned characters who were reflections of themselves. Many novels of this movement, such as Tender is the Night and The Sun Also Rises, are filled with disenchanted, aimless, and often hopeless characters who channel the disillusionment of the novels’ writers (Becnel, Hemingway 49; Becnel, Fitzgerald 213). Jake Barnes, Hemingway’s protagonist in The Sun Also Rises, is a prime example of this trend. A war veteran, disillusioned by the war, living in Europe, sought to forget his shallow, unfulfilling existence through drinking and shallow, unfulfilling relationships, seems in many ways to be a blueprint of Hemingway’s own life. Thus, the lives of many of the memorable characters created by this generation of writers parallel the lives of the authors who created them, and Hemingway and Fitzgerald are perfect examples of writers whose characters reflect the aimlessness and disillusionment of the world of the Lost Generation. On the other hand, literary works of this period also include characters that embody a greater purpose and rise above the disillusionment by which they are surrounded.
In The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, Jay Gatsby does not reflect the disillusionment of the Lost Generation; he represents who the disillusioned desire to become (Moss 64). Gatsby’s need to win Daisy gives his life purpose, and this purpose drives him, fuels his success, and allows him to believe in himself and in the strength and purity of his love. Gatsby’s wealth enables him to provide the alcohol, the parties, the excesses to the disillusioned who surround him; yet he does not let their disillusionment control him. Even with his flaws, because Gatsby is a character who stays true to his personal values, he is viewed as a “hero.” Despite Fitzgerald’s own personal disillusioment, through characters like Gatsby, Fitzgerald created unforgettable characters who represented the ideal in a time where disillusionment overshadowed his life and the lives of many
others. Many of these disillusioned members of the Lost Generation sought a new start as they fled from the constraints of a stifling American society. “Escaping from dying American dreams,” (Johnson 26), most expatriates sought refuge in Europe because they viewed European society as one that would allow them to live freely and express their creativity fully. As expatriates, such as Hemingway and James Joyce, came together in European cities, particularly in Paris, many literary niches were established. These gathering places included Sylvia Beach’s book store, where influential writers were drawn together to exchange ideas and support one another. As the Lost Generation literary movement developed, the expatriate scene in Paris flourished and had a major and lasting impact on the writing of the authors developing this new literary style. In Noel Riley Fitch’s biography, Sylvia Beach and the Lost Generation, Fitch writes of Beach, saying her “young, friendly, fresh, heroic, electric” personality produced a positive effect on writers, such as Hemingway and Joyce, who gathered in her book store – writers she encouraged to create and explore new avenues in their writing. Although not an author herself, Sylvia Beach played a significant and influential role in the literary movement of the Lost Generation in Paris as she established a bookstore for American and English literature in Paris that provided a haven for expatriate writers and encouraged and supported their creativity. Beach’s personality kindled a light that would bring many writers out of their gloomy states which encouraged, motivated, and inspired their writings. Her most significant accomplishment for this literary movement was her role in the publication of James Joyce’s novel Ulysses. As a result of Beach’s contributions to the movement, many great works and great authors received the recognition they deserved and earned a lasting place among the works of great literature. Overall, the disillusioment that permeated the Lost Generation literary movement ultimately created a conflict between traditional forms of writing and the newer, experimental practices being pioneered by the authors of this literary movement. Members of this generation rebelled against the traditional Victorian literary style and its stifling rigidity, which they felt hampered creativity and free expression (Johnson 84). Writers of this period explored new avenues of expression, new styles of and constructions for prose and poetry, and touched on subjects that had previously been considered taboo. This revolution in creativity and the experimentation of new forms and styles also expanded to include other arts, such as dance. Just as there was a revolution in literature occuring at this time, during this period a revolution in dance, a rebellion against traditional, established forms of dance, was also developing and growing. Isadora Duncan, the author of this rebellion in the art of dance, broke away from the traditional, rigid forms of dance and created a style that was sensitive to emotional stimuli (Martin 137). Duncan defied tradition by asserting that classical ballet was ugly and unnatural because of its narrowly defined focus on posture and movement. In opposition to classical ballet technique, Duncan pioneered a type of dance based on natural movement and free expression of both body and emotion. Duncan’s choreography expressed awareness of the connecton between the mind, soul, and body. Duncan’s incorporation of free-expression developed innovative movements that reflected a new direction for modern dance. Dance innovators of this period reflected their disillusionment through their departure from traditional dance and through their use of dance to express political and economic views. Because of Duncan’s incorporation of her views in her choreography, Duncan became known as a “propaganda dancer” who used her art as a forum to convey her nontraditional values and beliefs (142). Duncan often traveled between America and Europe, exposing her to new cultures, new philosophical ideas, new perspectives; ultimately, this led to her disillusionment with American values. Duncan often wore costumes that represented her beliefs, such as wearing the French flag to show support for France after France was defeated by Germany at the Battle of Verdun and wearing a red scarf on stage to illustrate her support for Communism. Many choreographers of the time used dance as their gateway to escape their disillusionment. Inspired by Walt Whitman’s poem “I Hear America Singing,” Duncan translated that thought to a desire to see America dancing. Duncan shed a new, bright light on the world of dance; Duncan created a style of dance that made room for passion and self-expression so one could break free from the restraints of conformity (Needham 196). Just as the writers of the Lost Generation created new styles of writing, Duncan created a new form of dance that had a lasting impact around the world. Duncan channeled her disillusionment through expressive, uplifting movement to ascend beyond the chains of her disenchantment. Duncan’s desire was to inspire people to have the opportunity and freedom to dance, to make them “beautiful beings,” and to show that dance is an art whose movements are as “eloquent as words.” A time of sweeping changes in literature that resulted in concomitant changes that transformed the art of dance, the Lost Generation transfigured the arts and continues its influence to this day.
Synthesizing the deep disillusionment that characterized the movement with innovations that shattered traditional expression in writing and dance, the authors and artists of this period revolutionized beliefs about what makes art beautiful, memorable, and enduring. Though aimless and disenchanted, this Lost Generation, nevertheless, made important, lasting changes and contributions to all areas of the arts and elevated the arts to new heights. However, despite the positive effect on creative expression that the Lost Generation ultimately produced, it was still a time mired in disillusionment and weighted down by a loss of hope; it was a time, as Fitzgerald describes, of “all gods dead, all wars fought, all faith in man shaken.”
Works Cited

Becnel, Kim. Bloom’s How To Write About Ernest Hemingway. New York: Bloom’s Literary Criticism, 2009. 49-115.
Becnel, Kim. Bloom’s How To Write About F. Scott Fitzgerald. New York: Bloom’s Literary Criticism, 2008. 213-214.
Eliot, T.S. The Waste Land and Other Poems. New York: Barnes & Noble Books,
2005.
Fitch, Noel. Sylvia Beach and the Lost Generation. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1983.
Johnson, Claudia. Class Conflict in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Farmington Hill’s MI: Greenhaven Press, 2008. 26-51.
Martin, John. America Dancing. New York: Dance Horizons, 1968. 129-148.
Moss, Joyce, and George Wilson, eds. Literature and Its Times. Vol. 3. Detroit: GALE, 1997. 147-148.
Needham, Maureen. I See America Dancing. Champaign, IL: Thomson-Shore, Inc., 2002. 196-199.