The Great Gatsby - That Ol' SPOILED Sport

What a difference context makes! I read this book two years ago and didn't find it nearly as satisfying as I did this time. On the one hand, I think it was more enjoyable because I already knew the basic plot movement and didn't need to wonder or worry about where the story was going. On the other hand, I had An American Tragedy for comparison.

Like An American Tragedy, The Great Gatsby is about money. In many ways James Gatz/Jay Gatsby is like Clyde Griffiths, a boy of humble origins who falls in love with wealth, wealthy culture, and a beautiful and rich girl. In An American Tragedy, Clyde had no chance of moving up the social ladder, but by marrying the right girl, he hoped he could. Gatsby wants to climb the social ladder so that he can marry the girl of his dreams. And Gatsby can and does move up that social ladder . . . to an extent.

He is wealthy, there is no doubt about it. Everyone wants to take advantage of his parties and his generosity, but his money is new. And because it's new, it's suspect. All the rumors circulating around Gatsby are because old money has an existing history, a family to point to. Buchanan and Daisy are from old money, and they see Gatsby's parties as vulgar. Gatsby's counterpoint is of course Myrtle whose party is more vulgar and distasteful. Compare both parties to the cultured ease of the opening dinner at the Buchanans. Buchanan doesn't have hydroplanes and a "circus wagon"--he has converted his garage to a stable, for goodness sake--how cultured is that? And the true social and cultural inroads made by Gatsby are revealed by his funeral. So he can be rich, but he cannot ever have what Buchanan and Daisy have. The money is Daisy's voice that both Gatsby and Nick admire is something you are born into.

And what does Daisy see in Buchanan that makes her love him? God knows that he is nothing but an ass to us readers. Gatsby's not the bee's knees, but he sure is more likable than Tom. But to Daisy, Gatsby, for all his charms is not of the same social standing as Tom, no matter how much money he has. It is a doomed love affair from the beginning. At 30, Daisy is not the 18 year old romantic girl ready to run off with Gatsby.

I love how Gatsby is not self-made, but that Wolfshiem takes full credit for making him.

Nick is fascinating to me as well, but since all my posts are too long as it is, I shall cut myself short. Where does Nick fall in this scale of wealth and social position? He seems both rich from childhood (as the opening sentence suggests) but also rather poorly positioned in his home on West Egg. I love how Nick gets disgusted with just about everyone.

And speaking of West Egg, what do you make of the Midwest v. East distinction? It seems to move from a comment about America to something about the East Coast. Is this East v. West distinction echoed in East v. West Egg?

I'd write more, but I hate to bore.

Happy readings!