"The character of Jay Gatsby symbolises the corruption of the American Dream in 'The Great Gatsby.'"- To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Jay Gatsby speaks of his Oxford education, but in reality has only dreamed of attending such a school. He effectively constructs a 'new' person in an attempt to 'recapture' Daisy. He changes himself to fit the model person he believes she wishes to be with. His striving to regain Daisy's love, and effectively remove five years of memory and life to start over in their relationship, is demonstrative of the apparent preference of progression over tradition, or 'new' over 'old', true to both society and Gatsby. The unhappy irony is that the past he so desperately tries to change holds something that Gatsby longs for; his time with Daisy. Eventually, it is his accumulation of money and possession, and strife for acceptance that are fundamentally what cause the crumbling of Gatsby's vision or hopes for the American dream. He believes the only way to achieve his dream is through money and material possession, but this fails to capture Daisy, primarily due to the fact that she already has the wealth and possession that Gatsby has to offer. This idea, demonstrated by Gatsby, of self promotion, re-invention and eventual self destruction was common throughout the society of the 1920's era. The idea of re-invention is present in many aspects, none more so than in the theme of place.

Gatsby moved from the West to the East, in effect changing his way of life from tradition to progression. His move also involved a change of character, a dream which Gatsby achieved through the use of elaborate deceit. This move from west to east highlights the importance of setting in the novel. West egg is representative of the traditional life, and East egg is that of the progressive way of life. The original American dream was initially associated with the West of America, and Fitzgerald, using Gatsby's downfall in the East seems to be suggesting that the American dream cannot exist in the changing, modern world of the East of America. Gatsby's death seems to be a metaphorical death of the American dream when it comes to the East.

Following the literal death of Gatsby, Nick leaves the East, possibly due to the realisation that the past must be accepted in order to live in to the future, something that Gatsby failed to do. If this idea is pursued, it could be argued that in this sense Gatsby is representative of the corruption of the American Dream, and that others may learn from his mistakes.

The parties that Jay Gatsby was known for, where his guests would party, eat and drink until the night was over, effectively overwhelmed his persona, Gatsby was simply an observer of his own parties. This is where the idea of 'self promotion' becomes evident. Gatsby's parties are an effective method of self promotion, both to society and to Daisy. Many of the guests would make an appearance simply to be reported in the local newspapers, having no real knowledge of their host, and having no conversation more stimulating than to gossip about the host of these fantastic parties. The "pulp less halves" and the "empty" guests, appear to be nothing but soulless beings intrigued by image and wealth. "Every Friday five crates of oranges and lemons arrived from a fruitier in New York-Every Monday these same oranges and lemons left his backdoor in a pyramid of pulp less halves". Although ironically, it can be argued that the people entering the party were never 'full' as the fruits were. As chapter four opens, Nick reveals a list of those attending one of Gatsby's parties. The extensive record is descriptive of many of the guests, labelling some as 'bums and drunks.' These elaborate parties are essentially empty, though crowded with people. Each person is void of that which Gatsby possesses, that immense passion to achieve what he desires. Each person seated at a table has no time to set aside to pursue what is 'guaranteed' to grant them happiness. If you take this view on society, one could argue that in actual fact, Gatsby is the only fool of society, the others simply 'drift', because they do not possess the blissful ignorance as Gatsby does.

A key corruption of Jay Gatsby, and of the American dream, is the way in which money is made. Gatsby obtains his fortune through the illegal sale of alcohol or 'bootlegging', even though the sale of alcohol was prohibited in America during the 1920's. Using this fortune, Gatsby creates an ideal and beautiful image of himself as a member of the upper class. He surrounds himself with beauty; the mansion, the distinguished suits and the luxurious automobile all contribute to his desire for magnificence. Gatsby's house is a palace of superficiality originally bought to impress Daisy; a corrupt way of winning ones love. This house becomes part of Gatsby's personality, and primarily a factor in the resulting deprival of Gatsby's American dream. Gatsby fills his house and his parties with bodies of idealistic superficiality, but his books are real, and his ornaments are antique. These guests are shocked at the realism of the books, as one guest voices to Jordan and Nick, "I quite believed them to be made of cardboard". This is indicative of the 'idealistic vs. materialistic' theme present throughout the novel. This guest would have almost preferred the books to be unreal; the superficiality would put such people at ease. Gatsby fills his house with such guests only during parties, but those items with which he lives in direct contact with are antique and very real. The only room he ever really uses in the house, his bedroom, happens to be empty of material items, in comparison to the other rooms of the house which are 'swathed in rose and lavender silk and vivid with new flowers.' Gatsby suffers conflict between the idealistic and materialistic aspects of life. He uses materialism to achieve his idealistic goals, a prime example of which is his attempt to entice Daisy using Wealth of money and possession. One could argue that this makes Gatsby corrupt in his way of life, but his character shows that in actual fact, it is more indicative of the lengths to which Gatsby is willing to go to achieve that of which he dreams.

Fitzgerald expresses the need for hopes and dreams to give meaning and reason to all of mans efforts. Striving towards some ideal is the way by which a man can feel a sense of identity. Gatsby, with his extraordinary gift of hope which allows him to retain his idealism, seems to achieve an almost 'heroic greatness'. It seems that Fitzgerald is right, the failure of hopes and dreams and even the American dream itself, is unavoidable, because the ideals some of us set are sometimes too fantastic or unreal to be attainable. Gatsby earns the great presentation by reaching for the impossible American Dream. It seems as though his deceitful self re-invention should portray him as corrupt, but in fact it highlights the corrupt society in which the fantastical character lives. The Great Gatsby is an excellent portrayal of the corruption of the American dream as more immoral values filled the nineteen twenties society, showing us the way in which American popular culture became simply hedonistic. The main character, 'Jay Gatsby' is the only one whose personality is preserved to the end of the novel. This unique personality, his appreciation of beautiful things and the surrender of his own life mark him as an extraordinary person. Gatsby desperately seeks Daisy's love, and love is often valued as pure, although throughout Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby', it is portrayed as corrupt and almost dangerous. Following the theme of 'poisonous' love, one can look at the terrible irony that is Gatsby's love for beauty. Such love is a key instrument in his death, as his beautiful love Daisy was driving his beautiful car, ("He saw me looking at it in admiration...I'd seen it. Everybody had seen it") when it struck, and killed, Myrtle Wilson. Gatsby's two most beautiful possessions had combined to set off a corrupt chain of events that would end in his brutal murder. Gatsby's sacrifice to protect Daisy could almost prove the title of Fitzgerald's novel correct, as it is true that Gatsby's personality, eye for beauty and sacrifice make him a worthy recipient of the title "Great." However, Gatsby's dream is ultimately shown to be worthless. Daisy is proven to be unworthy of such a sacrifice, and Gatsby's failure to realise this almost seems to lessen our admiration of the character. Despite this, one must agree with Nick, that Gatsby is indeed, within such a society as ruled the 1920's, "worth the whole damn bunch put together."

Word Count - 1,965

Bibliography - www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk

School notes distributed during lessons

Emily Organ

Centre Number - 31295

Candidate Number - 8132

'Literature Complementary Study of The Great Gatsby'