Of America’s Collective Love of The Great Gatsby

Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby, details the life events of a cast of

characters that revolve around the enigmatic and initially deified Jay Gatsby and his pursuit of

The American Dream in prosperous Long Island during the Roaring Twenties or Jazz Age. The

novel examines the surety of achieving the American Dream, class distinctions, decadence,

resistance to social change, hedonism, social expectations, and love while romanticizing these

very aspects in a soap-operatic fashion to demonstrate the contradictory nature of America and

its idealism then and even now. Being such a novel that scrupulously depicts American culture it

has been widely eulogized as a contender for the substantial literary title of The Great American

Novel. Thus, it is pertinent in any discussion of the novel to recognize and analyze the social

justifications for why the novel has garnered such a vast quantity of veneration amongst a large

expanse of eclectic population groups- amongst Americans as a whole. The Great Gatsby is a

novel that is relatable to all Americans, it discusses issues that question American culture and

society, and conveys its message in precise and exemplary language; it is for these reasons that

many a reader can attach such a significant feeling of love for the novel.

The Great Gatsby appeals to the average American in a multitude of ways: it is

empathetic towards the American ideal, it describes American social dynamics, and it describes

the consequences that ensue from pursuing the American Dream within an American social

system. One of the major reasons that readers have amassed such love for the novel is that it

shares a recurring theme in American culture- the American Dream, the vision that if one works

hard enough, one can achieve anything. It is the story of James Gatz’s self-reincarnation as Jay

Gatsby- the story of the self-made man. Leading Fitzgerald scholar James L. W. West III states

that in this way The Great Gatsby “captured and distilled the essence of the American spirit (qtd.

in Donahue 1).” The novel clearly romanticizes this, describing Gatsby as a poor peasant from a

farming family, a “Mr. Nobody from Nowhere (qtd. in Donahue 1),” transforming himself to the

rich, extravagant, Great Gatsby. All Americans appreciate stories such as this because these

stories reflect their culture and support their beliefs in such doubtful abstract existences as free

will and the belief in controllable human ability and perseverance.

However, the novel also brings to light that the American Dream is not possible for

many, the novel clearly expresses the unfairness and social injustices that affected and continue

to affect Americans today. Gatsby’s demise is evident of that and the futility of his efforts were

realized well-before he even met Daisy- that no matter how hard one may try or even conceive of

trying, it is impossible to change the past. Unable to come to terms with this fatalistic reality

Gatsby, in a rush of emotions cries, “Can‘t repeat the past,” he continues, “Why of course you

can! He looked around him wildly, as if the past were lurking here in the shadow of his house,

just out of reach of his hand. I‘m going to fix everything just the way it was before (Fitzgerald

110-111).” The last lines of the novel clearly outline this by stating that Gatsby believed in “the

green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before…[that] eluded us (Fitzgerald

180),” and that people futilely “…beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into

the past. (Fitzgerald 180).” People, especially those who can relate to the insensitivity of the

world, easily attach to this as it is one of the few pieces of texts that addresses this aspect of life

from the perspective of one who seemingly achieved the so called American Dream.

Furthermore, The Great Gatsby directly highlights the strife of several Americans and the

inequalities they face. It is stated that “all the people in this world haven‘t had the advantages

that [Nick] had (Fitzgerald 1),” and that “a sense of the fundamental decencies is parceled out

unequally at birth (Fitzgerald 1-2).” This acknowledgement of social injustices in conjunction

with the condemnation of the hedonistic, decadent, and sybaritic attitudes of the time appeal to

readers who can relate to these very injustices. However, the novel is also able to appeal to those

who have the luxury of living carelessly by raising questions about their lifestyles and by

offering the story in the perspective of those who are already have the luxury of being born in the

social elite and by exposing the inequalities therein as well. For example, the woman’s rights

movement brought to attention the lack of freedom the female was allowed to have at the time

(which was even more limited for women of the social elite). It is described that “…the best

thing a girl can be in this world [is] a beautiful little fool (Fitzgerald 17).” Although, it is

important to note that a misunderstanding of the novel still led people to enjoy and love it as

evidenced by the commonality of “Gatsby parties… [that have been inspired] by the decadence

described in Fitzgerald’s book… (Seward 1).” Overall, the novel’s depiction of social injustices

appeal to the majority of Americans, remain relevant even today, and offer new views of the

world and of the American Dream- versions that show what has been proven to hold true and

versions that do not hide the lack of egality in American society.

In a similar regard, The Great Gatsby is able to garner so much affection because of the

depth and quality of its examination and criticisms of American society and culture which offers

new insights into American life. One of the first things the novel tackles is classism- a topic that

is relevant even today as evidenced by the ever increasing income gap and disparity between the

rich and poor. Indeed, “The Great Gatsby is a critique of the American dream (Seward 1),” and

that American society is most accurately represented as, according to the themes presented in the

novel, “[a] rotting underbelly of class and capital…(Seward 1). ” Americans want an

acknowledgement of this injustice and The Great Gatsby clearly provides for this.

The next issue that The Great Gatsby addresses is the widespread hedonism present in the

1920s. For the majority of Americans, engaging in such hedonistic behavior is far beyond what

is imaginable and as such decadence is scorned at and looked down upon. However, it was still

an experience that many Americans had never seen nor were able to connect with. The novel is

able to introduce readers to the realm of “the romance of the Roaring ‘20s (Donahue 1).” This

depiction of American culture represented the zenith of American life and so satiated the inner

curiosities of its readers further bringing in their affection for the novel.

Thirdly, The Great Gatsby elaborates on the inability of Americans to accept social

change. The very fact that the prosperous village of East Egg (new money) was separated from

West Egg (new money) is indicative of the people’s inability to accept the influx of a new

generation of, in this case, rich people. This distinction is foreshadowed when the relationship

between Daisy and Gatsby was once described as being where “She vanished into her rich house,

into her rich, full life, leaving Gatsby – nothing (Fitzgerald 149).” This aspect of American

society is still relevant as still, many Americans are unable to accept social change. The need for

a discussion on American social patterns and social acceptance was then subsequently fulfilled

by the novel.

The final reason why the novel is able to garner so much veneration is because of the

uniqueness and elaborateness of its lyricism, prose, and diction. Firstly, its lyricism and use of

symbolism is something worthy of commending. The Great Gatsby employs the usage of several

symbols to further its points and themes. An example of one such symbol is the Eyes of Doctor

T.J. Eckleburg and the subsequent character of Owl Eyes. The distinct connection between the

two is obvious and that direct reference between God and the eyes of T.J. Eckleburg explains the

fact that the two were used to depict God. The use of the character of God helps to symbolize the

demoralization in America. The greenlight being used to demonstrate “Gatsby’s infatuation with

social class (Seward 3),” is another example of this. The elaborateness of the lyricism in the

novel increases its deification as the Great American Novel and increases its readers love and

respect for the novel.

Secondly, the excellent prose of the novel and its literary eloquence help to bring the

story of the novel from a mere soap-opera to something that is worthy of the title of the The

Great American Novel. The prose is described as being “imperishable (Donahue 2).”

Furthermore, West states that “Fitzgerald had a pitch-perfect ear (qtd. in Donahue 2),” and

according to Nilsson, another literary scholar, “There’s not one flabby sentence (qtd. in Donahue

2).” The description of Gatsby’s smile on page 48 is evident of the complexity and

descriptiveness of Fitzgerald’s writing. No missive of praise could have done justice to the

ineffable prose found in The Great Gatsby. Indeed, “or Fitzgerald’s fans, it’s the language,

(Donahue 2)” that provides for why so many have amassed such a great amount of respect for

the novel.

Finally, the specific diction of the novel appeals to many readers which creates the

mystique of the novel or rather the aura of love and affection towards it. The word choice

Fitzgerald uses in the novel is extremely specific and important to note. For example, to enforce

Gatsby’s expectations of the true nature of the relationship between Tom and Daisy “He wanted

nothing less of Daisy than that she should go to Tom and say: ‘I never loved you’. (Fitzgerald

109).” Furthermore, Fitzgerald uses specific diction to set the tone of the text and thus establish

the themes within them. When describing Gatsby Nick states that Gatsby “…must have looked

up at an unfamiliar sky…A new world, material without being real, where poor ghosts, breathing

dreams like air, drifted fortuitously about…like that ashen, fantastic figure gliding toward him

through the amorphous trees (Fitzgerald 161).” The words “poor,” “new,” “ashen,” and

“fortuitously” help to establish the tone of Gatsby’s death and the hollowness that is left at the

end. As such, the use of this specific diction furthers the praiseworthiness of the novel and thus

boosts its reader’s veneration for it.

The Great Gatsby was able to garner so much affection, love, and respect from its

American readers because it was relatable to all Americans, it discussed American society and

culture, and because its language is exquisite. The relativity of the romantic American Dream,

the social system in place in American society, and the consequences of following the American

Dream futilely are all recognized by Americans and are thus relatable to them. Furthermore, the

novel’s discussion of classism, hedonism, and resistance to social change offered new insights

into American life and thus appealed to all Americans who yearned to learn more about their

culture from the perspective of the rich in the Jazz Age or rather the Roaring ‘20s. Finally, the

elegance of the language used in The Great Gatsby enticed many readers and allowed the novel

to bask in an aura of veneration. In surmise, The Great Gatsby has garnered so much love,

affection, and respect because it appealed to its American readers on a multitude of levels and

addressed their wishes while offering new interpretations of life in the United States of America.

Works Cited

Fritzgerald, Francis. The Great Gatsby. New York: Scribner, 2004. Book.

Donahue, Deirdre. Five reasons ‘Gatsby’ is the great American novel May 2013. 1-2. Printed.

Seward, Zacahry. The Sublime Cluelessness of Throwing Lavish Great Gatsby PartiesMay 2013. 1-3. Printed.