Marxism In The Great Gatsby
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” Located within the Declaration of the Independence, this proclamation has ringed throughout the passage of time. Jefferson proudly declares that all men: the king, the clergy, the nobles, and even the peasants, are equals, and not one is inherently superior. Such is the foundation of the American Dream. As a result of the rights of Life, Liberty and pursuit of Happiness bestowed upon all Americans, every person has the opportunity to fulfill their dreams and passions, or at least in theory. Depicting the reality of this ideal, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby portrays the life of Jay Gatsby, and his interactions with different people from various socioeconomic
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While many certainly would envy Gatsby’s possessions, the reason why he has such things is not because of his free will, rather the societal pressures of being part of a nouveau-riche, or the class of people who struck it rich in the 20s. Via the need to appease his peers, --and especially Daisy-- Gatsby was thrust into the decadent life of those living in the 1920s regardless of what he wanted to do. In order to maintain a popular public persona, he threw massive parties, bought lavish shirts, and hired many servants to impress people, all of which were used to earn respect. He may seem to have full control over his expenditures, but in reality, he is strongly compelled by society to live his life in a hedonistic and materialistic …show more content…
Working his way from humble beginnings to building immense prosperity, he appears to be the ideal of Colonial literature, and yet his life shows little parallel to the Dream. Gatsby had his wealth come from dubious means, was left tethered to his dreams and social pressure, and in the end, died to inherited wealth. This was not without reason, of course. The Great Gatsby shows the corruption of the American Dream by making Jay only slightly resemble the ideal, yet diverge so greatly to make the Dream only barely recognizable. Sure Gatsby came from humble beginnings and led a life many would only dream of, but deeper down, he remained in shackles; he was constrained by his desires, his need to maintain image, his illegal connections, and lack of inherited
While many certainly would envy Gatsby’s possessions, the reason why he has such things is not because of his free will, rather the societal pressures of being part of a nouveau-riche, or the class of people who struck it rich in the 20s. Via the need to appease his peers, --and especially Daisy-- Gatsby was thrust into the decadent life of those living in the 1920s regardless of what he wanted to do. In order to maintain a popular public persona, he threw massive parties, bought lavish shirts, and hired many servants to impress people, all of which were used to earn respect. He may seem to have full control over his expenditures, but in reality, he is strongly compelled by society to live his life in a hedonistic and materialistic …show more content…
Working his way from humble beginnings to building immense prosperity, he appears to be the ideal of Colonial literature, and yet his life shows little parallel to the Dream. Gatsby had his wealth come from dubious means, was left tethered to his dreams and social pressure, and in the end, died to inherited wealth. This was not without reason, of course. The Great Gatsby shows the corruption of the American Dream by making Jay only slightly resemble the ideal, yet diverge so greatly to make the Dream only barely recognizable. Sure Gatsby came from humble beginnings and led a life many would only dream of, but deeper down, he remained in shackles; he was constrained by his desires, his need to maintain image, his illegal connections, and lack of inherited