Artha Theodore Kendro

Mr Doug Wielenga

English HL

2/9/2023

"In The Great Gatsby, how does Fitzgerald utilize an exaggerated portrayal of the rich

to criticize the darker reality of the American Dream?”

Kingdoms are built on the backs of visionaries. Trailblazers who were limited to

nothing but their tremendous imagination, and who possessed the power to create their own

future through unyielding effort and determination. This is the concept of the ‘American

Dream’, the promise of fulfilment that came to those who worked hard. In the early 1920’s

America entered the jazz age, an era marked with raving hedonism and immorality. Here,

many looked towards the grandeur of the American Dream and equated its promise of

fulfilment with that of immense wealth and self-indulgence. The Great Gatsby, written in

1924 by F. Scott Fitzgerald criticizes the make-up of that dream and underscores its societal

implications. As social classes begin skewing towards polarizing ends of the spectrum while

moral decay spreads between them, Fitzgerald questions the core values of society. Should

success be defined by material possessions? How would such a lifestyle impact those around

them? Through an exaggerated portrayal of the rich, and an exploration of those affected by

them, Fitzgerald questions the grandeur of the American Dream, leaving readers to realign

their own aspirations and consider its heavy costs.

The Great Gatsby casts light upon the extravagant lifestyles of the uber-rich

populations of New York. While one would customarily associate these wealthy men and
women with characters of class, Fitzgerald chooses to unearth a darker side of their existence.

Through utilization of exaggerated imagery and thematic motifs, Fitzgerald characterizes the

degenerate upper echelon and their various moral depravities.

Parties are a well utilized motif in such depictions of exaggerated degeneracy

throughout the story. Chapter 3 sees protagonist Nick Carraway’s invitation to one of

Gatsby’s great parties, an illustrious event that boasts a high reputation throughout the

affluent West Egg. Upon his arrival, Nick observes that “people were not invited” and that

they “just showed up” (31). Such carelessness is a reoccurring theme through the parties, as a

juxtaposition is made between the often-comical actions of its attendees, and the forced

elegance of its setting. As Nick traverses the golden blur of Gatsby’s mansion he encounters

“old men pushing young girls backward in eternal graceless circles” and “superior couples

holding each other tortuously” (35). He writes about how “People disappeared, reappeared,

made plans to go somewhere, and then lost each other, a few feet away” (28). Such phrases

speaks to the presence of those who attended the party, as their characters and identities begin

to disappear into an amalgamating mass of drunken hordes, stumbling through the wide halls

of the seemingly endless mansion. This dizzying atmosphere is amplified by the auditory wall

of blaring music coming from the various orchestras and singers performing. While the

“celebrated tenor” and “notorious contralto” began playing in elegant jazz, people began

“performing stunts” and collapsing around the room (Page 35). Using such parties, Fitzgerald

makes a point in the graceless nature of these gatherings, where “Adult Playgrounds” are

disguised behind great parties.

The beguiling setting of The Great Gatsby further develops thematic ideas of

hollowness and insecurity between the uber-rich. Through its fantastical locations, Fitzgerald

creates an almost medieval landscapes where kings live in castles, and peasants are left to rot
in the ashes. Perhaps most iconic of those locations is Gatsby’s mansion where he hosts his

magnificent parties. In describing it, Nick writes that “it was a factual imitation of some

Hôtel de Ville in Normandy “(Page 5). In another notable description he writes about how the

house was “stocked with gins and liquors and with cordials so long forgotten that most of his

female guests were too young to know one from another” (Page 30). Through diction such as

“imitation” and “forgotten” Fitzgerald points towards the houses’ uninspired flare. This

notion is furthered when considering the various, often excessive features like a fully stacked

gothic library (probably left untouched) and “more than 40 acres of lawn and garden” (Page

5). Rather than resembling any form of expression or identity, the house represents an

amalgamation of thoughtless expenditure, as if failing to capture the royalty of a castle. In the

pursuit of wealth and its titles we seem to lose our independence and individualism, instead

following in the footsteps and dreams of those that came before us.

Alcohol and its influence have a core role in the characterization of the wealthy.

Utilizing the prevalence of alcohol throughout the story, Fitzgerald establishes an integral

point on the distortion of moral judgement between them. In an earlier chapter, Nick attends a

small house party hosted by Tom, and his scandalous mistress Myrtle. The rather awkward

atmosphere of their gathering in Tom’s apartment is broken up when Alcohol is served. Nick,

who claims to have been drunk just twice before this occasion relieves himself with Whiskey

and begins to talk to the attendees more actively, saying “after the first drink, we referred to

each other with our first names”. While Nick’s moral judgements have previously been a

source of ambivalence towards Tom, Myrtle, and Daisy, he almost enjoyingly partakes in

their conversations and stays till next morning, despite his initial desires to leave.

Alcoholic characters like Tom, often portrayed as the embodiment of wealth and

stature, are worsened due to their drinking habits. While his short temper is a noted fact

throughout the novel, we see that its negative implications are further amplified through
drinking. Seen in his party, Myrtle who drunkenly chants “daisy, daisy” to get under his skin,

is slapped by Tom in an act of dramatic brazenness that under sober circumstances might

have been reconsidered. Rarely is Tom seen without the glass of wine in his hands and is

typically the to bring out alcohol in parties. Alcohol and its influence can be viewed as a

catalyst for temptation, in which a characters’ darker desires are brought forth. As the poster

boy for the wealthy populations of East Egg, Toms synonymity with Alcohol pinpoints yet

another societal flaw, deeply rooted in the hedonistic values of the uber-rich.

Perhaps the penultimate form of Fitzgerald’s’ exaggerated portrayal of those living

the “American Dream” comes from its contrast with those who aren’t. The Valley of Ashes is

characterized through its masses of grey mist and those who live within it. Its fantastical

name could be attributed to a capitalist structure, where the raging consumption and

excessive expenditure of the wealthy burns like a fire, leaving its ashes to pile and rot. Nick

describes the Valley of ashes as a “fantastic farm where ashes grow like meat” while being a

“desolate piece of land” (Page 18). Through its almost Tolkienesque name and depiction, the

gravity of its pitiful reality is emphasized and extrapolated exponentially. Nick speaks to the

valleys’ appearance, writing about its “Gray lands”, “spasms of bleak dust” and the “Ash-

Gray men stirring up an impenetrable cloud” (Page 18). Through the bleakness of the valleys’

colourless landscape, Fitzgerald stresses its comparison with the overly opulent vibrancy of

West and East egg, further juxtaposing the polarizing sides of wealth through imagery.

The valley’s piling of dust and ash serves to symbolize its inhabitants as much as its

environment. As the rich get richer, the residents of the Valley of Ashes remind us of the vast

population trapped in a perpetual cycle of inopportunity and turmoil. Fitzgerald utilizes

Myrtle and her relationship with Wilson as a personification of the poor’s desperation and

unsatisfaction. When referring to her marriage, she says that “I married [George] because I

thought he was a gentleman”. Their squeamish life is personified through George, where due
to their lowly status amongst the ashes, is cheated on by Myrtle. Through Myrtles’ various

interactions with Tom who provides her with an escape into wealth, her true intentions are

made clear. Upon meeting her in the Valley, Nick notes her aura of “perceptible vitality”, that

morphs into an “impressive hauteur” after meeting Tom and changing into an expensive dress

(Page 24). Her infatuation with wealth represents an innate desperation for change which

manifests in her surrounding aura. The reality for Myrtle and those who live in the Valley is

exposed by Tom’s reluctance in marrying her, where their relationship is limited only to

short, momentary pleasures. While able to glimpse into its glamorous splendour, the

American Dream proves to be an unobtainable peak for those beneath the Valley.

The Great Gatsby explores the promise of the American Dream and its inclusion into

society through its exaggerated world of fantastical factions. On one hand, those who are

living the dream seem to be drowning in the pleasures of hedonistic materialism, shown

through their excessive lifestyles and insufferable attitudes. Meanwhile, those who live

beneath their shadow lead a life of instability and dismay, trapped in its perpetual cycle. The

exaggerated world of Gatsby is not as distant as one might think. In our modern world that

grows to resemble that of Gatsby’s in its values and morality, we question whether our

societies have been built around a dream, or a nightmare.

Works Cited

Fitzgerald, F. Scott, and Malcolm Bradbury. The Great Gatsby. Campbell, 1991.

Word Count: 1500