Examples Of Modernism In The Great Gatsby
“The Great Gatsby” Essay
"The Great Gatsby" by F Scott Fitzgerald shows multiple examples of modernism, specifically the rejection of traditional themes and topics.
The first traditional topic that is absolutely rejected is the concept that marriage is a flawless institution. Marriage is supposed to be a sacred bond between two people that love and trust each other. In Gatsby’s flawed society; however, the women are flirty, aloof, and uncaring or invested in anybody other than the person they are supposed to be committed to. They are bored in their dead end marriages and go to the great parties that Gatsby throws in search of some "fun." The men are tired of their plain marriages and boring lives as well. These marriages are a total fraud …show more content…
because both sides are searching for more and find it more in extramarital affairs. A great example of this is Tom and Daisy Buchanan. For starters, they have no respect for each other. Daisy often makes fun of Tom, calling him “a great big hulking physical specimen” (Fitzgerald 16.8). Daisy knows Tom absolutely hates this, but she does it anyway just to get under Tom’s skin. She even repeats it after he asks her not to just to make the wound a little bit deeper. Secondly, it would appear that, “Tom’s got some [other] woman in New York” (19.9). Tom and Daisy are both involved in extramarital affairs, Tom with Myrtle and Daisy with Gatsby. This shows that they are not completely committed to each other and are therefore disloyal. Loyalty is one of the main aspects of a good marriage. So the lack thereof, as with the Buchanans, only reaffirms the rejection of the idea of the “perfect marriage.”
The second rejected traditional topic is the concept that the “good guy” always triumphs in the end.
The “good guy” in this case would have to be Gatsby himself. Gatsby wants one thing and one thing only, Daisy. Gatsby always hoped that “she would wander into one of his parties, some night” (83.6). If there is anything Jay Gatsby is famous for it is his elaborate parties. These parties were grand, happy affairs with booze and women galore. Most people thought that he threw those parties because he was a partier, but in reality it was all for Daisy. Gatsby desperately longs for what he and Daisy once had back in Louisville. Nick doubts Gatsby and his ability to resurrect the past, but Gatsby insists “of course you can [repeat the past]” (116.9). Gatsby believes the love that he and Daisy had was perfect. All he wants is to duplicate what they had just five years earlier, but that is not attainable. Time changes people, so Gatsby came back a new person. He recreated himself to be classy and rich in order to get the classy and rich girl. For a while it appears that Gatsby will succeed and get the girl, but that all comes crumbling down when Gatsby sees Daisy’s daughter. “He kept looking at the child with surprise” (123.6). Gatsby had known before that Tom and Daisy had a child, but the reality of it hit him like a ton of bricks when he sees the little girl. The reality was that no matter how much Gatsby loved Daisy, he could not win her over. Gatsby was willing to go to the
ends of the earth for Daisy. At one point he was willing to take the blame for a crime that Daisy had committed. Daisy was driving when she accidentally hit and killed Myrtle, but “of course [Gatsby] [will] say [he] was” (153.5). Gatsby loves Daisy so much that he would take blame for murder and risk going to jail so she won’t have to. That claim ultimately costs Gatsby his life when George, Myrtle’s husband, shoots and kills Gatsby. In the end, the “good guy” is dead and did not succeed in his ultimate goal of happiness with Daisy.
In conclusion, “The Great Gatsby” shows the rejection of traditional themes and subjects in that marriage is not a flawless institution and the good guy does not always triumph in the end.
Works Cited
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print.
"The Great Gatsby" by F Scott Fitzgerald shows multiple examples of modernism, specifically the rejection of traditional themes and topics.
The first traditional topic that is absolutely rejected is the concept that marriage is a flawless institution. Marriage is supposed to be a sacred bond between two people that love and trust each other. In Gatsby’s flawed society; however, the women are flirty, aloof, and uncaring or invested in anybody other than the person they are supposed to be committed to. They are bored in their dead end marriages and go to the great parties that Gatsby throws in search of some "fun." The men are tired of their plain marriages and boring lives as well. These marriages are a total fraud …show more content…
because both sides are searching for more and find it more in extramarital affairs. A great example of this is Tom and Daisy Buchanan. For starters, they have no respect for each other. Daisy often makes fun of Tom, calling him “a great big hulking physical specimen” (Fitzgerald 16.8). Daisy knows Tom absolutely hates this, but she does it anyway just to get under Tom’s skin. She even repeats it after he asks her not to just to make the wound a little bit deeper. Secondly, it would appear that, “Tom’s got some [other] woman in New York” (19.9). Tom and Daisy are both involved in extramarital affairs, Tom with Myrtle and Daisy with Gatsby. This shows that they are not completely committed to each other and are therefore disloyal. Loyalty is one of the main aspects of a good marriage. So the lack thereof, as with the Buchanans, only reaffirms the rejection of the idea of the “perfect marriage.”
The second rejected traditional topic is the concept that the “good guy” always triumphs in the end.
The “good guy” in this case would have to be Gatsby himself. Gatsby wants one thing and one thing only, Daisy. Gatsby always hoped that “she would wander into one of his parties, some night” (83.6). If there is anything Jay Gatsby is famous for it is his elaborate parties. These parties were grand, happy affairs with booze and women galore. Most people thought that he threw those parties because he was a partier, but in reality it was all for Daisy. Gatsby desperately longs for what he and Daisy once had back in Louisville. Nick doubts Gatsby and his ability to resurrect the past, but Gatsby insists “of course you can [repeat the past]” (116.9). Gatsby believes the love that he and Daisy had was perfect. All he wants is to duplicate what they had just five years earlier, but that is not attainable. Time changes people, so Gatsby came back a new person. He recreated himself to be classy and rich in order to get the classy and rich girl. For a while it appears that Gatsby will succeed and get the girl, but that all comes crumbling down when Gatsby sees Daisy’s daughter. “He kept looking at the child with surprise” (123.6). Gatsby had known before that Tom and Daisy had a child, but the reality of it hit him like a ton of bricks when he sees the little girl. The reality was that no matter how much Gatsby loved Daisy, he could not win her over. Gatsby was willing to go to the
ends of the earth for Daisy. At one point he was willing to take the blame for a crime that Daisy had committed. Daisy was driving when she accidentally hit and killed Myrtle, but “of course [Gatsby] [will] say [he] was” (153.5). Gatsby loves Daisy so much that he would take blame for murder and risk going to jail so she won’t have to. That claim ultimately costs Gatsby his life when George, Myrtle’s husband, shoots and kills Gatsby. In the end, the “good guy” is dead and did not succeed in his ultimate goal of happiness with Daisy.
In conclusion, “The Great Gatsby” shows the rejection of traditional themes and subjects in that marriage is not a flawless institution and the good guy does not always triumph in the end.
Works Cited
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York, NY: Scribner, 1996. Print.