Fitzgerald’s Satirical Portrait of Modern Society
“The Great Gatsby,” a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, depicts life in the 1920’s. “The
Roaring Twenties,” a nickname given to the decade laden with flippancy, is a time where the rich
people in society have little to do, and a lot of money to spend in many ways. Jay Gatsby, one of
the “newly” rich people, chooses to spend his money throwing wild parties every weekend in the
summer. Fitzgerald paints a picture of modern society by writing about the lavish parties thrown
by Gatsby and the behavior of the guests who attend them.
When Nick Carraway describes the scene at Gatsby’s mansion while preparing for a party,
“At least once a fortnight a corps of caterers came down....On the buffet tables, garnished with
glistening hors d’ oeuvre, spiced baked hams crowded against salads of harlequin designs and
pastry pigs...In the main hall a bar with a real brass rail....By seven o’clock the orchestra has
arrived” (44), he tells of the luxuries provided by Gatsby in order to impress his guests.
Fitzgerald is mocking the way people in society try, at great extents, to impress each other.
Gatsby’s careless spending of his money parallels the decadent spending of people in modern
society. One of the “twins” tells Nick about how Gatsby bought her an expensive gown, “When I
was here last I tore my gown on a chair, and he asked me for my name and address- inside a week
I got a package from Croirier’s with a new evening gown in it,” (47). This shows that Gatsby
spends his money in an exorbitant manner, much like the way modern society spends money.
The people at Gatsby’s parties often stay for days and are uninvited. Most of the guests
don’t know Gatsby, let alone care about him. The loss of manners and self-centeredness of
modern society are exemplified by the way the guests treat Gatsby, and how they gossip about
their host. They impose upon his hospitality and outstay their welcome, “A man named
Klipspringer was there so often and so long that he became known as the boarder- I doubt if he
had any other home,” (67). When Gatsby is not around, the guests often fabricate stories about
his life. “He’s a bootlegger. One time he killed a man who had found out that he was nephew to
von Hindenburg and second cousin to the devil,” (65). Rumors of his personal life circulate his
parties and grow as his guests embellish on them.
Gatsby is a powerful looking man who insists on having his house filled with nonstop parties. The guests at these parties spend much of their time gossiping about Gatsby, some saying things such as, ?he killed a man once? and ?he was a German spy during the war? (44...
In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby provides the reader with a unique outlook on the life of the newly rich. Gatsby is an enigma and a subject of great curiosity, furthermore, he is content with a lot in life until he strives too hard. His obsession with wealth, his lonely life and his delusion allow the reader to sympathize with him. Initially, Gatsby stirs up sympathetic feelings because of his obsession with wealth.
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Gatsby throws lavish parties to create a image of wealth for those attending. However, the people who show up do not care about Gatsby, rather they care about the “show” he puts on through these celebrations. The party-goers are only seeking an escape, they are lured to the bright lights and excessive alcohol, like moths to a flame. Not ever paying attention to a wondering Gatsby (if in fact they even know
Gatsby, one of the short term happiness is his parties. We can see the vast amount of unknown people coming to his party ever so often(39). These people come and go. They are not his friends, in fact, they are fake friends who also on the other hand, are looking to have the feel of a high standard of life. For instance,"Sometimes they came and went without having met Gatsby at all, came to the party with simplicity of heart that was its own ticket of admission"(41).
Gatsby is shown to be a narcissist time and time again. His relationship with Daisy and how he perceives her as well as his perception later in life shows his narcissism. The way he mistreats others also shows how small-minded he is. Even his condescending manner of speaking shows that his mind set is of one of himself, not of others. When he finally meets his untimely demise his absence of people who care for him illustrates how little he cared for other people. By developing Gatsby’s narcissistic character, Fitzgerald delves into the mind processes of narcissism and helps uncover why people develop this trait.
"The Demise of the 1920s American Dream in The Great Gatsby – InfoRefuge.com." Info Refuge. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Apr. 2014
Gatsby strives to belong in a class where he is truly an outsider looking in. He throws many extravagant partie...
Gatsby is not so great because he is a liar. From the very start Gatsby is said to be an alumnus from Oxford, who fought in WWI, hunted big game, and had parents from the Midwest. He even justifies himself when Nicks asks and Gatsby pulls out a picture of him at Oxford and a WWI medal that he carried around in his pocket. He even changed his name, James Gatz to Jay Gatsby, but why? “James Gatz – that was really, or at least legally, his name. He had changed it at the age of seventeen and at the specific moment that witnessed the beginning of his career” (6). Gatsby is mysterious and mystifying, known for his large parties yet no one knows why he has them. Keep in mind this is the prohibition era, but at Gatsby’s parties there is always plenty of alcohol to go around and no one knows where it comes from or how he acquires so much, one of the many mysteries. In attendance at these parties there are people like Meyer Wolfshiem “the man who really did fix the 1919 World Series” (118), to the mayors and governors. More questions arise in this company as to how Gatsby is associated with gangsters and why they attend these large parties. It is completely ironic how so many attend these parties but none ...
Notably, Gatsby’s house is described specifically with luxurious items, such as cocktails, gardens and bars. Ultimately, his parties are generally described with “faces and voices and color under the constantly changing light”(41). Gatsby is clearly shown as a wealthy, prominent person, living and hosting dozens of parties. Gatsby is shown as more of a powerful figure compared to the other residents of West Egg. He is single handedly known to be one of the wealthiest among the West Egg. Although, While Nick and Jordan were in Gatsby’s luxurious mansion, Nick noticed something quite strange. He stated while music was playing, members of the party “swooned backward playfully”(50) into their husband’s arms. He noticed that no one “swooned backward on Gatsby”(50). Gatsby does not participate in his own parties. Except, he remains silent, watching over everything play out. This is ironic because a wealthy man like Gatsby would be considered as a “lively” host, but instead, sits and blends with the members of the party. Ultimately, Gatsby tends to sit silent and watch over the party, similar to the Eyes of T.J. Eckleburg looking over the valley of ashes. Thus, Gatsby symbolizes god looking down over society’s norms, Gatsby could be referred as “the god of wealth”.
It is human nature for people to question the character of those around them, and in Gatsby’s case, his friends did not have much information about him. Since little is known about Gatsby, his neighbor, Nick, must depend on misleading rumors about the man of mystery. At one of Gatsby’s glamorous parties, a group of women gossip, “One time he killed a man who had found out that he was the nephew to Von Hindenburg and second cousin to the devil” (61). Other guest place Gatsby as an illegal bootlegger or as a German spy during the war. While some of these stories may be true to his past, most are the outcome of society’s ignorance of Gatsby.
Gatsby is known for his lavish parties and the outrageous guests that attend, yet to his dismay are not his friends and does this because he is unable to attain the true meaning of love which he greatly strives for
The 1920’s were a time of social and technological change. After World War II, the Victorian values were disregarded, there was an increase in alcohol consumption, and the Modernist Era was brought about. The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a perfect presentation of the decaying morals of the Roaring Twenties. Fitzgerald uses the characters in the novel--specifically the Buchanans, Jordan Baker, and Gatsby’s partygoers--to represent the theme of the moral decay of society.
The people who go to Gatsby's house on Saturday night only go to have a good time. The guests get drunk, get into fights, and act like complete idiots. This behaviour is apparent when Nick goes to one of Gatsby's parties for the first time. Nick says,
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