Parties In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

Gatsby has the reputation for throwing numerous parties, weekend after weekend. These decadent parties, filled with entertainment, alcohol, and food represent the indulgent excesses and vanity of the Roaring Twenties. Nick, the narrator of the novel along with Fitzgerald’s alter-ego gets invited to one of Gatsby’s parties and sees “buffet tables, garnished with glistening hors d’oeuvre, spiced baked hams crowded against salads of harlequin designs and pastry pigs and turkeys bewitched to a dark gold” and “enough colored lights to make a Christmas tree of Gatsby’s enormous garden” (40). Gatsby’s parties sure do a great job at revealing the luxurious lifestyle of the “new money” but the way that he purposely does everything he can do show off

his money as much as possible demonstrates that the setting can be taken in a crazy and comical way instead of lavish and extraordinary because the rich only care about their wealth and impressing one another.
Fitzgerald put such a big emphasis on drinking in the novel.

Though most people at Gatsby’s parties are wealthy, they seem to be very unhappy. We can conclude this because of the violence, and excessive drinking. It is well known that people drink to make themselves feel better but drinking should not be the only way to become better. Nick notices that, “Suddenly one of the gypsies, in trembling opal, seizes a cocktail out of the air, dumps it down for courage and, moving her hands like Frisco, dances out alone on the canvas platform” (41). In this example, alcohol changes the gypsies personality. She uses it to give her courage to dance. In addition, Nick refers to this women as a gypsy most likely implying that she is seeking attention. Even Nick, who has informed us that he has only been drunk very few times in his life falls into the trend of the party. He claims, “I was enjoying myself now. I had taken two finger-bowls of champagne, and the scene had changed before my eyes into something significant, elemental, and profound” (32). What Nick once saw as an excessive, superficial party, he now sees as something important. This really emphasizes the effect alcohol had on Gatsby’s parties and even the era as a whole. In addition, When Nick goes into Gatsby’s house to look for Gatsby, he sees an old man who says, “I have been drunk for about a week now and I thought it would sober me up if I sat in the library” (50). Owl Eyes isn't made a big character in the novel but he

does a crucial part of symbolizing the struggle in society. He is one of the only people who shows that he wishes to direct his partying lifestyle into one that is serious and studious and he shows that drinking was a big issue during this era. One other small character who made a big impact on helping describe the “carefree” lifestyle was the the women who, “had drunk a quantity of champagne, and during the course of her song she had decided, ineptly, that everything was very, very sad-she was not only singing, she was weeping too” (51). This women shows the hidden side to the fun, glamorous parties that contradict the front Gatsby puts on to make an impression. She hints at the bitter reality of the era that really isn't filled with happiness after all. To conclude, during this time period (the Prohibition), the Eighteenth amendment made it illegal for anyone to manufacture, sell, or transport alcohol. This just goes on to show the lack of morality of everyone.
The level of immaturity that the guests acquire shows heavy disillusionment. It is common for young children to play dress up and fantasize about being princesses, but there is an age where it is crucial to come in terms with reality in one’s lifetime.