Response to 1970 open prompt
Authors have long since written about the corruptive and harmful nature of society on the individual. Frequently, the individual tries to reach a proposed ideal, only to fail in the process. The acclaimed novel The Great Gatsby is one of the most prominent works depicting how a society pressures a character and corrupts him in turn.
Gatsby's relationship with Daisy went on hold when he was shipped overseas by the army during World War I, and he returned five years later, determined to increase his status so she can love him. This reinvention included illegal bootlegging and other illegal activities, a mansion, and lavish parties designed to win the favor of the upper class. It's a telling sign of the emphasis that the 1920s culture placed on wealth and status. The Roaring 20s epitome of bettering oneself and his station in life, but for all the culture's attempted control for the sake of morality, it frequently demanded that the individual go about advancement by illegal means.
Bootlegging, gambling, 'fixing' large-scale events, and obtaining large amounts of money through mysterious measures are the low activities that Gatsby stoops to in order to elevate his status. While ironic in itself, it also speaks to how suffocating the society is in which he lives-- that in order to achieve one's dreams, one must be at the top of the totem pole and able to influence others. This may or may not be the reality in The Great Gatsby's culture, however what is reality is the impression that the culture's ideal caused.
Also prevalent are the amount of lies told about personal history. For all the guests at Gatsby's routine parties, hardly any of them know the first thing about their host, who is not an active participant. Gatsby claims that he went to Oxford, and takes care not to talk about the past where he was known by his family name of 'Gatz.' The fact that the high-reaching characters do not believe they can achieve as themselves takes reinvention to such a high step that they actually become what they most fear. Only Nick, Gatsby's father, and a few of his servants attend Gatsby's funeral, evidence that he leaves no lasting memory behind in the constantly forward-moving world. The focus on greed and obtaining more does not breed personal connection. The real tragedy of Gatsby might well be that despite all of his work and suffering to obtain a lofty ideal, material possessions do not automatically translate into human connection. His legacy fades away.
Gatsby's relationship with Daisy went on hold when he was shipped overseas by the army during World War I, and he returned five years later, determined to increase his status so she can love him. This reinvention included illegal bootlegging and other illegal activities, a mansion, and lavish parties designed to win the favor of the upper class. It's a telling sign of the emphasis that the 1920s culture placed on wealth and status. The Roaring 20s epitome of bettering oneself and his station in life, but for all the culture's attempted control for the sake of morality, it frequently demanded that the individual go about advancement by illegal means.
Bootlegging, gambling, 'fixing' large-scale events, and obtaining large amounts of money through mysterious measures are the low activities that Gatsby stoops to in order to elevate his status. While ironic in itself, it also speaks to how suffocating the society is in which he lives-- that in order to achieve one's dreams, one must be at the top of the totem pole and able to influence others. This may or may not be the reality in The Great Gatsby's culture, however what is reality is the impression that the culture's ideal caused.
Also prevalent are the amount of lies told about personal history. For all the guests at Gatsby's routine parties, hardly any of them know the first thing about their host, who is not an active participant. Gatsby claims that he went to Oxford, and takes care not to talk about the past where he was known by his family name of 'Gatz.' The fact that the high-reaching characters do not believe they can achieve as themselves takes reinvention to such a high step that they actually become what they most fear. Only Nick, Gatsby's father, and a few of his servants attend Gatsby's funeral, evidence that he leaves no lasting memory behind in the constantly forward-moving world. The focus on greed and obtaining more does not breed personal connection. The real tragedy of Gatsby might well be that despite all of his work and suffering to obtain a lofty ideal, material possessions do not automatically translate into human connection. His legacy fades away.
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