[0:00]Hey friends, in this video, we'll talk about The Great Gatsby, the context around it, the themes, and also how it critiques American society. I'll also then direct you to an essay topic with an A+ response in it, so that you know how you can use the information that you've learned in this video in your actual writing when it's time for you to get that A+. If you're new here, you can probably tell, I'm Lisa, and each week I release helpful, straightforward, but effective advice to help you in your English and literature studies. If you're keen to learn these strategies and pieces of advice, then make sure you subscribe below and hit that notification button so that you never miss a weekly video from me. Life in the Roaring Twenties. This snapshot from the 2013 film adaptation actually tells us a lot about the 1920s. On one hand, social and cultural norms were shifting. Men no longer supported beards, and women were dressing more androgenously and provocatively. On the other hand, the modern American economy was emerging. People began buying costly consumer goods like cars, appliances, and telephones. Using credit rather than cash, this meant that average American families were able to get these things for the first time, while more prosperous families were able to live in extreme excess. In Fitzgerald's novel, the Buchanans are one such family. Tom and his wife Daisy have belonged to the 1% for generations, and the 1920s saw them cement their wealth and status. At the same time, the booming economy meant that others, like the narrator Nick, were relocated to cities in pursuit of wealth, and like Gatsby, making significant financial 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's unrequited love for Daisy, and you have a story that ultimately examines how far people go for romance, and what money simply can't buy. The answer to that isn't so obvious, though. Yes, money can't buy love, 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 this now. Wealth and status. Fitzgerald explores tensions between three social economic classes, the establishment, the nouveau riche, and the working class. Tom and Daisy belong to the old money establishment, where wealth is generational and inherited. This means they were born into already wealthy families, which affects their upbringing and ultimately defines them. From the way they speak, like Tom's paternal contempt, and Daisy's voice full of money, to their major life decisions, including their marriage, as symbolized through the string of pearls he buys for her. Which, fun fact, is estimated to be worth millions of dollars today. It also affects their values, as we'll see in the following section. For now, consider this image of their home, and those ponies on the left which they also own. Described as follows: "The lawn started at the beach and ran toward the front door for [400 metres], jumping over sun-dials and brick walls and burning gardens finally when it reached the house drifting up the side in bright vines as though from the momentum of its run." Nick Carraway also comes from a similar, though not as extravagant background. His family had been rich by Midwestern standards for three generations before he came to New York. Conversely, Gatsby belongs to the nouveau riche, or new money. Unlike the Buchanans, Gatsby was born into a poor family, only coming to wealth in the 1920s boom. Specifically, he inherited money from Dan Cody after running away from home at 17. Although they are all rich, there are significant cultural differences between old and new money. Old money have their own culture of feigned politeness, which Gatsby doesn't quite get. When Tom and the Sloans invite Nick and Gatsby to supper in chapter six, Gatsby naively accepts, to which Tom would respond behind his back, "Doesn't he know [Mrs. Sloane] doesn't want him?" Even though Gatsby is financially their equal, his newfound wealth can't buy his way into their, quote-unquote, nasty and horrible lifestyle. Finally, this is contrasted with the working class, particularly George and Myrtle Wilson, who we meet in chapter two. They live in a grave valley of ashes, the detritus of a prosperous society 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 makes George "blond, spiritless, and faintly handsome" from Tom, hint, has to do with money. Myrtle is described differently, however. She is a "faintly stout" woman with a "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, so he cheats on Daisy. Still, Myrtle's relative poverty is evident in her expressions of desire through their meeting. "I want to get one of those dogs," she says, and Tom just hands her the money. Ultimately, looking at the novel through the lens of class, we can see where upward social mobility and making a living for yourself is possible. Just not for everybody. Even when you get rich, it doesn't guarantee you that you will suddenly seamlessly integrate into the lives of old money. Morality and values. Added to the story of social stratification is a moral dimension where Fitzgerald can be a little more critical. Firstly, old money is portrayed as shallow. Daisy's marriage to Tom and the Sloanes' insecurity are elements of this. But another good example is Gatsby's party guests. Many aren't actually invited, they invite themselves, and they "came and went without having met Gatsby at all." Their vacuous relationship with Gatsby is exposed when he dies and they completely abandon him. Klipspringer, "the boarder," basically lived in Gatsby's house, and even then, he still wouldn't come to the funeral, only calling up to get a "pair of shoes" back. The rich are also depicted as cruel and inconsiderate, insulated from their repercussions by their wealth. Nick's description of Tom's "cruel body" is repeatedly realized, as he breaks Myrtle's nose in chapter two and condescends Gatsby with "magnanimous scorn" in chapter seven. After Myrtle dies, Nick spots the Buchanans "conspiring" and describes them as "smash[ing] up things and creatures and then retreat[ing] back into their money or their vast carelessness."
[6:44]He sees them as fundamentally selfish. Gatsby is portrayed more sympathetically, though, which may come from his humbler upbringing and his desire to be liked. This is probably the key question of the novel: is he a hero or a villain? The moral of the story, or a warning: consumed by love, or corrupted by wealth? It's definitely food for thought, but also bear in mind this: 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 with shady business just to reignite his five-year-old romance with Daisy. We see this through the emergence of Meyer Wolfsheim, with whom he has unclear business "connections" and the resultant wealth he now enjoys. In chapter three, Owl Eyes describes Gatsby as a "regular Belasco," comparing him to a film director who was well known for the realism of his sets. This is a really lucid analysis of Gatsby, who in many ways, just like a film director, constructs a whole fantasy world. It's also 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 treat her as a person, but more like something that he can pursue, like wealth. I've got a resource for you in the description box that would be a great read about this, so I won't go into detail here. But just consider how many things have changed since Gatsby first met Daisy, like her marriage and her children, and how Gatsby ignores the way her life has changed in favor of his still stationary memory of who she used to be. Love, desire, and hope. All of this makes it tricky to distill what the novel's message actually is. Is it that Gatsby is a good person, especially cast against the corrupt old money? This analysis isn't wrong, and it actually works well with a lot of textual evidence. Where Nick resents the Buchanans, he feels sympathy for Gatsby. He explicitly says, "they're a rotten crowd...you're worth the whole damn bunch put together." Maybe love was an honorable goal compared to money, which ostensibly makes you cruel and careless. I wouldn't say he was cruel, but this reading is complicated by how he can be careless, choosing not to care about Daisy's agency and letting his desires overtake these considerations. Is it that Gatsby and his desire for Daisy were corrupted by wealth despite his good intentions? There's also evidence to suggest wealth corrupts. Nick describes it as foul dust that preyed on Gatsby, eroding his good character and leaving behind someone who resembles a vacuous elite. Although love might have been an honorable goal, it got diluted with money. Gatsby's paradigm for understanding the world becomes driven by materialism and he objectifies Daisy. He starts trying to buy something that he originally didn't need to buy, her love. She certainly didn't fall in love with a man who owned a mansion and a closet full of beautiful shirts. Thus, Gatsby is a sympathetic product of a system that was always stacked against him. He was a poor boy from North Dakota. That's capitalism, right? Is it that capitalist America provides nothing for people to pursue except for wealth, and therefore little reason for people to feel hope? Well, let's look past the basics. Structural economic tension and the doomed American dream. Now we want to start thinking beyond the characters, like if Gatsby was a good person or not, and also factor in their social, historical, political, and economic context, like if he was doomed to begin with by society driven by money. A key part of this novel is the American Dream, the idea that America is a land of freedom and equal opportunity, that anyone can, quote unquote, make it if they truly try. Value is paced on upward social mobility, I.E. moving up from a working class background, and economic prosperity, like making money, which defined much of the roaring twenties for some. For many others, though, there was significant tension between these lofty values and their lived reality of life on the ground. As much as society around them was prospering, they just couldn't get a piece of the pie. And this is what makes it structural. As hard as George Wilson might work, he just can't get himself out of the valley of ashes and into wealth. Indeed, you can't achieve their dream without cheating, as Gatsby did. So there's this tension, this irreconcilable gap between economic goals and actual means. Through this lens, the tragedy of The Great Gatsby multiplies. It's no longer just about someone who can't buy love with money. It's also about how nobody's dreams are really attainable. Not everyone can get money, and money can only get you so far. Everyone is stuck, and the American dream is basically just a myth. Thus, the novel can be interpreted as a takedown of capitalist America, which can convince people like Gatsby that the answer to everything was money. And he bolted after the green light allure of the cold, hard cash, only to find out that it wasn't enough, and that it wasn't the answer in the end. Consider what kind of message this sends to people like the Wilsons. If money can't actually buy happiness, what good is it to chase it? And remember that Gatsby had to cheat to get rich in the first place. Is [the novel's message] that capitalist America provides nothing for people to pursue except for wealth, and therefore little reason for people to feel hope? You tell me. With all that we've discussed here, I've got an essay topic for you to think about. What does Fitzgerald suggest about social stratification in the 1920s? Now that you know all of this information, I'm going to direct you to an essay topic, so you can give it a shot by yourself. Over on my blog, I have heaps more content about The Great Gatsby that you can utilize as well, to continue to build up your knowledge on The Great Gatsby. And I'm not 100% sure yet, but either at this time of this video, I will have a video out breaking down an essay topic, or it'll be coming out soon, and I'll make sure to drop the link when the time comes. Thank you so much for watching, and I'll see you in the next one. Bye.
