The Great Gatsby and the American Dream

The Great Gatsby is not only famous for his love triangle and spare tire story.

Admittedly, when this story faces the public, maybe-

Diaosi can read the thrill of counterattack and the blood of dreams.

Young writers and artists can read Gatsby's poetic view of love, lament his misfortune and anger him.

Ordinary young people think that Laozi is happy and enjoyable, so it is a good story. What does Haruki Murakami have to do with me?

There are a thousand Hamlets here, but if we want to evaluate this work at a higher level, we need to understand the big environment in which this story takes place and the significance of the times represented by the story itself.

Why does this work always mention "American Dream" and "Jazz Age"?

What is the "American Dream" and what does the "Jazz Age" mean?

There is no point in discussing the American dream.

Wikipedia's explanation is:

(American Dream) is a belief that a better life can be achieved in America through unremitting efforts, that is, people must work hard, be brave, be creative and have the determination to get rich, instead of relying on the assistance of specific social classes and others.

However, this high-spirited speech actually has an implicit premise-equality of opportunity and openness.

This novel was written 10 years before the Great Depression (19 19- 1929). Because of the popularity of jazz among white people, it is called "Jazz Age". The decades before the Jazz Age (1860- 19 18) were the golden age of rapid economic development in the United States (the rapid growth of the Second Industrial Revolution and the fierce profit-making in the First World War), especially after the Industrial Revolution, the social mobility was great for a long time. Well, in other words, the diaosi counterattack index is still very high.

However, with the development of society, the gap between the rich and the poor is growing, and the gradually solidified social structure will increase the difficulty of individual struggle. Because of Matthew effect, when a person's power and money accumulate to a certain extent, he will use his resource advantages to maintain or plunder more resources. Then build a high wall around your own class, and people outside the wall can only enter by relationships and privileges. Want to come in? Excuse me, is your father Li Gang? In this way, the chances of the poor turning over are getting smaller and smaller. When you can't live a distinguished life by personal struggle and acquired efforts, the American dream will come to nothing and become a great irony.

The whole Gatsby story is set in such an era.

The United States used to be a dream country. Immigrants who arrived in North America were full of illusions about this magical land, hoping to seize the opportunity to realize their ideals here. There are also many such cases in history (such as Franklin). However, the traditional American dream model has always been false. Especially in the early 1920s, American capitalism developed into a monopoly stage, polarization became more and more serious, and big bosses made huge profits. Coupled with the re-emergence of various social problems after World War I, it is obviously just a delusion for a person to get rich by virtue of character and thrift. In fact, daily newspapers often include those who are cunning, greedy and ignorant.

First of all, I quote Teacher Zhou @ Zhou Zuo's answer:

The Great Gatsby is not a petty bourgeoisie love story at all.

Fitzgerald is regarded as the representative writer of the "lost generation" in America and the poet laureate of the "Jazz Age". His masterpiece The Great Gatsby is considered to be one of the most outstanding novels in contemporary America (and Haruki Murakami's favorite novel). It is not a lame love story based on triangular relationship and a diaosi rebellious experience far beyond ordinary people's imagination.

Yes, the great Gatsby is not only famous for his love triangle and spare tire story.

Admittedly, when this story faces the public, maybe-

Diaosi can read the thrill of counterattack and the blood of dreams.

Young writers and artists can read Gatsby's poetic view of love, lament his misfortune and anger him.

Ordinary young people think that Laozi is happy and enjoyable, so it is a good story. What does Haruki Murakami have to do with me?

There are a thousand Hamlets here, but if we want to evaluate this work at a higher level, we need to understand the big environment in which this story takes place and the significance of the times represented by the story itself.

Why does this work always mention "American Dream" and "Jazz Age"?

What is the "American Dream" and what does the "Jazz Age" mean?

There is no point in discussing the American dream.

Wikipedia's explanation is:

(American Dream) is a belief that a better life can be achieved in America through unremitting efforts, that is, people must work hard, be brave, be creative and have the determination to get rich, instead of relying on the assistance of specific social classes and others.

However, this high-spirited speech actually has an implicit premise-equality of opportunity and openness.

This novel was written 10 years before the Great Depression (19 19- 1929). Because of the popularity of jazz among white people, it is called "Jazz Age". The decades before the Jazz Age (1860- 19 18) were the golden age of rapid economic development in the United States (the rapid growth of the Second Industrial Revolution and the fierce profit-making in the First World War), especially after the Industrial Revolution, the social mobility was great for a long time. Well, in other words, the diaosi counterattack index is still very high.

However, with the development of society, the gap between the rich and the poor is growing, and the gradually solidified social structure will increase the difficulty of individual struggle. Because of Matthew effect, when a person's power and money accumulate to a certain extent, he will use his resource advantages to maintain or plunder more resources. Then build a high wall around your own class, and people outside the wall can only enter by relationships and privileges. Want to come in? Excuse me, is your father Li Gang? In this way, the chances of the poor turning over are getting smaller and smaller. When you can't live a distinguished life by personal struggle and acquired efforts, the American dream will come to nothing and become a great irony.

The whole Gatsby story is set in such an era.

Greedy and unscrupulous people grab wealth. The younger generation found that in this era, "all gods are dead, all wars have been fought, and all beliefs in people have been shaken."

Many young Americans living in the 1920s not only experienced the prosperity of "Jazz Age", but also felt deeply disappointed and confused. "The richness of material and the emptiness of spirit make the younger generation oppose all traditional concepts, indulge in pleasure and spend money like water." Fitzgerald, the author of the novel, lived in such an era, and Gatsby, the hero of the novel, "regarded himself as the son of God" ... and devoted himself to the cause of the heavenly father and devoted his life to that broad, vulgar, empty and magnificent cause. Such an ideal appeal fully embodies the confusion and vanity of young people in that era.

For the sake of his American dream, Gatsby colluded with the underworld member Wolf Sam and became a "nouveau riche" in just a few years by illegally selling illicit liquor. Instead of being honest, diligent and down-to-earth to succeed. After Gatsby's death, his father came from his hometown to attend the funeral, bringing with him the Schedule of Work and Rest and the General Personal Code he wrote as a teenager. It can be seen that Gatsby has been strict with himself in all aspects since he was a child, studying hard, exercising, and paying attention to thrift ... These are the requirements of the traditional "American Dream" struggle model, which fully shows a young man's healthy and upward outlook on life. However, Gatsby betrayed himself when he was young as an adult. For the sake of wealth and status, in order to regain Daisy's love, Gatsby became an outlaw who pursued interests and results.

But-the reality is cruel. No matter how rich Gatsby is, he can't get into the privileged class represented by Tom because he lacks the foundation. If you think money is uncle, you are wrong. Among the American bourgeoisie, there are not only differences in wealth, but also differences between "new" and "old", namely "nouveau riche" and "clan". Many privileged people, represented by Tom, are well aware of this. Therefore, there is always an insurmountable gap between Gatsby's world and the privileged world. The arrogant and heartless Tom will never allow Gatsby, an "upstart", to be equal to him. No matter how respectful and gentle he is, he will always be despised and rejected by the upper class. The third chapter vividly depicts Gatsby's luxurious banquet. Although it attracted many celebrities from all walks of life, everyone just regarded Gatsby's home as a free entertainment place. Although they had a good time, they never missed any opportunity to express their contempt for their master and spread all kinds of gossip about him. This shows that it is not just Tom who opposes Gatsby, but the whole upper class. A person who is not recognized by society will always be a loser. Gatsby's American dream was completely shattered until he was shot in his yard. Gatsby's tragic ending is only the result of many reasons, and it is a long process of crushing camels with countless straws.