Jay Gatsby spent his entire life creating an elaborate façade to enable himself to climb the social ladder to “greatness”. Climbing the social ladder to greatness is an American dream that so many adhere to but what is the greatness that we seek, is it for us all to equally enjoy, and can it ever be truly obtained? The title of the book suggests that Gatsby had in the end realized his dream of greatness but what is this greatness that Gatsby pursued and arguably achieved? The use of color as metaphor runs throughout this book and can be used to decipher the greatness that Gatsby yearned for.
From the very beginning Gatsby is depicted as yearning for a small green light in the distance. This light is far off and while we learn throughout the book that Gatsby equates the light with Daisy it is interesting that the light is described as green and small. There is an inherent duality in the meaning associated with the color green. Green evokes thoughts of money and greed but also thoughts of life and growth. Often people subconsciously equate the two meanings as one and therefore believe that through money there is new life. We discover as the story progresses that Jay Gatsby fell into this line of thought.
Gatsby gave up his past to recreate himself as one who is socially deserving of wealth and indirectly then of the honor of being known as great and powerful. The green light is constant but only a small part of the landscape surrounding Gatsby. This light consumes Gatsby’s vision and yet Fitzgerald describes it as small. Not everyone had a green light at the end of their dock and that green light, although seen by many, was only meant for a few. It was not an all-encompassing light or even a light that was all that useful. Perhaps that little green light represented only 1% of all the light of the night sky.
The majority of America’s wealth, some argue, is held by only 1% of the total population. Power as gained through wealth can affect many things socially and politically and when that extreme power is held by the very few, the interests of the majority are easily lost. The Occupy Wall Street Movement is a social movement of this era that aims to fight the power that comes through wealth in our society.[1] Like this movement of today, Fitzgerald highlights to ultimately critique the social power through wealth model for society. Fitzgerald points out existing class distinctions and how they can be traversed, but in the end he demonstrates that the system was not broken. In the end the only people who were born to money were the only people who came away from the series of events completely untouched physically and socially. There is a strong tradition of power derived through money in America and I can not help but wonder if Fitzgerald was pessimistic or optimistic about this dynamic changing over time.
An object’s described color was not always stagnant throughout the book. The color of Gatsby’s lawn changes depending on what it is being compared to. When Nick Compares his own lawn to Gatsby’s he calls it lush and green but when Gatsby’s lawn is compared to the small green light in the distance, Nick describes Gatsby as being firmly planted on his blue lawn. This brings up the idea that everything is relative, that wealth to one or in one situation is blue or blue-collar in another.
Often there is a desire to continually strive for what one perceives as “up” socially. Fitzgerald seems to present to his readers that seeing “green” as the way to life can only result in “green” as the way of life and that this way of life is all consuming, individualistic, and the end potentially hollow. The title of the book says that Gatsby obtained greatness, but that “greatness” left him buried by a friend of three months, a man he never met, and his Father whom he physically abandoned on his quest for social greatness. I see The Great Gatsby as a warning to not allow society define what “greatness” means for you personally. The issue of class lines and class structure are still alive and relevant today, as illustrated by the Occupy Movement. The issue may seem overwhelming and all too ingrained in our society but does that make it not worth fighting to change? Perhaps the change should start with each person redefining their own concept of “climbing the social ladder to greatness”.
[2] Fitzgerald, F. Scott, The Great Gatsby (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons 1925).
America prides itself on being the country of independence and individualism. As Jenna commented on, the character of Gatsby clings to these ideas and falls into the world of consumerism – and yet another human being ends up being Gatsby’s downfall. It strikes me as an interesting juxtaposition that we as a country strive to be so free and independent, yet cling to others in hopes that they will solve our problems for us. Do we really want to be free and independent?
I am also interested in the connections Jenna made between the current Occupy Movement and the difficult class distinctions made in the Great Gatsby. It is very interesting that this novel is still very much applicable to today’s elite scene. As we become more socially aware of this 1 percent, it seems so unusual that this is relatable to the 21st century. Elitism is alive and well.
Jenna, I enjoyed your post! Especially, your discussion about the colors evoked in the novel. Fitzgerald also references the color pink. In one instance Gatsby is noted wearing a pink suit. What are your thoughts on the ways pink is incorporated into the text?!
Thanks Ashley! Pink is an interesting combination of two other main colors that come up in the book: white and red. On page 19 Daisy talks fondly of her childhood referring to her “white girlhood, our beautiful white girlhood.” This comment about her childhood is made after Tom’s worries about “the rise of the colored empires” on page 12 and the reassurance of Tom that all present are white. It is therefore unclear what Daisy means specifically by calling her childhood white. It could mean mean purity, innocence, or even possibly privilege. Red is often associated with passion and blood. In the story we hear of Myrtle’s red blood staining not only the dust of the Valley of Ashes but also the workbench of her husband. This blood signifies a prevailing guilt, the frailty of humanity, and a passion that has been lost. In the end of the story Gatsby has a pink suit on and is standing in his doorway looking out towards Daisy and the green light. Earlier he was described to wear white but after the death of Myrtle and his conversation with Daisy and Tom, Gatsby is tainted. It seems to signify for me that innocence was lost and that passion and the frailty of life have begun to seep more deeply into Gatsby’s facade and therefore life.
I like the idea of seeking to redefine our own concept of climbing the social ladder to greatness that Jenna brings up. I’m not sure how to actually do this though. By taking financial success or gain out of the equation, you have family bonds, strength of character, having a fulfilling career… etc. These things are key elements for happiness, and it would seem that they are part of the idea of the American Dream. But can you achieve these things without financial success? I know there is a huge gap between financial stability, and the type of wealth held in the top 1%, like that in Gatsby. Can you achieve greatness without money? Many leaders, speakers, and activists have done this without the financial greatness achieved by the top 1%, but you have to admit, it seems a bit easier to make a splash when you have money within your grasp.
I think there is an illusion of greatness associated with the wealthy 1% of this country, whether they deserve it or not. I wonder what F. Scott Fitzgerald’s reaction would be to our society today.
While I agree that Fitzgerald and the Occupy Movement are both commenting on social and fiscal inequalities in our society, I wonder if comparing them takes both out of context? Fitzgerald does not predate the economic philosophies which form the foundation of the Occupy Movement but he does predate their popularity. Was Fitzgerald commenting on the rigidity of social class as a negative or the perils of attempting to reach beyond one’s station in society?
I have a hard time thinking that Fitzgerald would condone people to stay in their station in society. I do see how it is presented that the only ones to seemingly traverse the class barrier wound up dead but for that argument I would think that he would then make Daisy and Tom as characters who deserved their station so that in the end of the story there was a feeling of relief that all is now how it should be. Instead I was left with the feeling that societal tradition had prevailed despite temporary fluctuations in the class lines. Therefore I would have to say he is more commenting on the negative aspects of the rigidity of social class. And yes, I do believe that comparing the book to the movement takes them both out of context to some degree but I also feel that in order to make history valid, sometimes it is better to extrapolate the essence to relate it to the present… I know that can skew intentions to accomplish our own goals and that is risky business in the museum world but I meant the comparison more as an illustration that this is not an archaic topic – the woes of social structure and unbalanced power is a living, breathing, movement, and concern of the present.
I also thought the use of color in the book was very interesting. It made me wonder how much our associations with particular colors have changed since the 1920′s. Has green always been associated with money, or is that a modern construction?