The Great Gatsby: American Doubt, Corruption and the Gangster

The 1920's is perhaps the most ironic of periods in American history. With the passing of 18th Amendment  and the Volstead Act creating the Prohibition, which was supposed to reduce crime but only served to usher in a period dominated by organised crime and made millionaires and celebrities out of the most vile and violent low-life's the country had to offer - Al Capone, Bugsy Siegel, "Lucky" Luciano and Arnold Rothestein, to name but a few. In the novel it's alluded to that Jay Gatsby is a bootlegger just like Capone and Luciano, and the character of Meyer Wolfshiem is a clear allusion to Arnold Rothestein, as both are rumored to have fixed the World Series. 

It is in this period that people started to notice the cracks in the American Dream and started to doubt the ideals, on which America was founded - if you work hard, you could earn respectability and a decent living, just like the character of Richard Hunter did in Horatio Alger's novel Ragged Dick. This cultural zeitgeist is captured at the heart of Great Gatsby, the most obvious example being George Wilson, who works hard in his garage but never manages to move beyond his blue-collar origins, which when contrasted with Gatsby's astronomical rise in fortune through bootlegging, shows clearly the cracks in the American Dream. As Jefferson once warned, America has become corrupted by the city, it has gone from a place of discovery, individualism and pursuit of happiness, to a materialistic, morally corrupt, greed obsessed culture typified by the gangsters of the time, and one that looks the same today as it did back then. 

Featuring a character who fixed the World Series, further highlights the corruption of America, because if the All-American sport could be tainted by greed and crime, then how long before this corruption consumed every aspect of American life. The effects of the "Black Sox Scandal" of 1919 can still be seen many years after, the 1989 film Field of Dreams (70 years after the scandal) features ghost of the Black Sox, in particularly Shoeless Joe Jackson, looking for redemption for their crimes in rural America, as if that was the only place they possibly could escape the corruption that had tainted them and kind find America again, paralleling Nick's flight from the city and return to the Midwest at the end of the novel. 

Perhaps by highlighting the corruption of the American Dream, is the reason gangster films, such as The Godfather, and TV shows such as The Sopranos, and Prohibition era Boardwalk Empire (featuring historical figures such as Lucky Luciano, Arnold Rothestein and Al Capone) have remained a prominent part of American culture to this day - 2012 saw release of Lawless and Killing Them Softly, and 2013 sees the release of The Gangster Squad. 

While it is undeniably a love story, it is in its depiction of the decline of the American Dream and the corruption of America that transforms The Great Gatsby into a Great American Novel. 

The Great Gatsby - Fatalism

Fatalism in The Great Gatsby.

Within The Great Gatsby there is a pervading sense of foreshadowing that dictates the conclusion of the novel. The sense of inevitability is driven by the by what the reader understands through the ideology present in the book.

Jay Gatsby is symbol of the rags to riches of the American Dream, he has achieved wealth, prosperity and social consequence displayed through his lavish parities. However the very fact that the novel takes place after Gatsby's rise in fortune indicates unresolved elements in his life. This implication of Gatsby's unfulfilled life, alludes to a character flaw of always wanting more, and this hubris is traditionally a narrative technique that supports the fatalistic demise of a character.

This is evident also in the character of Myrtle, a character that desperately strives to escape her inferior social status. Myrtle's pursuit of wealth and significance brought her into the company of Tom Buchanan, an event that again took place before the start of the book. Having seemingly secured the life she so desperately sought, Myrtle proceeds to reap its benefits whilst at the same time clung to it with a borderline manic devotion. As a consequence of her status, background and character Myrtle's death is an inevitability within the narrative as she is unable to take the place of Daisy as she wishes. Her character cannot be accepted as either the mistress or wife of Tom and only prospect is to remain Wilson's wife, a fate that becomes impossible to return as a result of her actions.

Daisy's character is another example of fatalism within Gatsby. Whilst she rekindles her romance with Gatsby and has desires to run away with him society would not have accepted this relationship; society would have ostracised herself and Gatsby. The indications of character the reader is shown indicate that Daisy hasn't the strength of will to abandon her husband, child and wealth, this then foreshadows her future with Tom and symbolises Gatsby's fate as he has devoted himself to her, and without Daisy he has only one fate.

The Great Gatsby and the theme of Loss, Relevant to America today?

One theme that I found whilst reading the Great Gatsby, is the theme of loss or the threat of loss. Throughout the book there are instances of loss or the threat of loss. The most prominent form of loss detailed in the novel is the loss of life. These instances are the death of Myrtle and the subsequent death of Gatsby.

The fear/threat of loss is also prominent in the novel with many characters in situations that could result in them losing everything. One such situation is that of Daisy. She is in an abusive marriage and her husband Tom is having an affair, the most logical course of action would be to leave Tom, however she does not because she would not only lose her status in her community, she would also lose her child. Another instance of this is that of Myrtle, Tom's mistress. In her situation she is a lower class women playing with the money of an upper class man, but she is at a constant threat of losing that as Tom could leave her at his own will and move on to another woman, and Myrtle would be straight back into the situation she is desperately trying to escape from. In the end Myrtle loses something that is more important than money, her life.

The theme of loss and the threat of loss, follows the idea of American doubt very well. The idea that America is not the secure nation where social mobility is a possibility, but is instead a unstable platform that at an instance can drop an individual from the highest point in their society and drop them to the bottom.

These ideas are very relevant to America today, an economically weakened America that is clawing its way through the mud of debt and economic crisis, where homers face the threat of being repossessed, where workers face the threat of losing their jobs and the prominent ideal of the American Dream, is more of a fantasy for all but the most well off individuals that led to the situation that America finds itself crawling away from.      

Symbolism of 'The Great Gatsby' Continued...

Video: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gatsby/

The Green Light at Daisy's dock

"Situated at the end of Daisy’s East Egg dock and barely visible from Gatsby’s West Egg lawn, the green light represents Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for the future. Gatsby associates it with Daisy, and in Chapter 1 he reaches toward it in the darkness as a guiding light to lead him to his goal. Because Gatsby’s quest for Daisy is broadly associated with the American dream, the green light also symbolizes that more generalized ideal. In Chapter 9, Nick compares the green light to how America, rising out of the ocean, must have looked to early settlers of the new nation." - Taken from SparkNotes - 'The Great Gatsby' - http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gatsby/themes.html

Elaborating on that, Fitzgerald cleverly used the metaphor 'The light at the end of the tunnel' to represent Gatsby and his goal.In relation to the idea of the American dream in this instance, it represents the dream in a more personalised view. Over years, when people have been asked what they believed the dream actually means, they refer to the generic view that is means success, wealth, etc. Whereas in Gatsby, the dream is taken on a personal journey for him to win back his true love. It's interesting how in the very last paragraph of the book, Nick makes reference to the green light and suggests how that must have been what  the first settlers saw America as when they first arrived here. This suggests new beginning, so it almost leaves the reader with a positive outlook for the story as, although Gatsby is dead, it implies that Nick's life is having a do over and will become something of greater importance now that he's starting over.

The Great American novel- themes then and now?

I have chosen to focus on how the themes in the novel The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald such as adultery and divorce may at the time be seen as a more serious offence than in today's society.It is arguable that in today's society these themes in the novel are perhaps seen as tame compared to some of the books on the bestsellers list today such as Fifty Shades of Grey.It is possible that the themes in the Great Gatsby that are meant to carry the 'shock factor' do not have the same impact on a 21st century audience.

 In the novel It appears quite obvious that Daisy wants to be with Gatsby and Tom wants to be with Myrtle, and yet there does not appear to be mentioned the idea of divorce. There are several reasons for this, the first being the impact it would have on the characters status in society, in the 1920's divorce was still seen as a rather negative shameful thing, Daisy and Tom had wealth and status within society and it appears they may not have considered a divorce for those reasons. In the case of Toms character he would never marry Myrtle as he would be marrying down in society which again would be the subject of gossip. It is possible also that for Daisy she may have stayed with Tom because she feared losing her child.In today's society divorce is arguably no longer a totally negative thing. This can be seen in the new phenomenon of a divorce party; a party to celebrate the end of a marriage.

In today's society if adultery is discovered its a serious issue however unlike in the novel it could be resolved with divorce which as previously mentioned was not an option for the characters. In my opinion the fact that in the novel many people know about Tom and Myrtles affair and yet say nothing perhaps reflect the idea that's is a very taboo subject that people don't speak off. However this could also be seen as reflection of how adultery is accepted at the time;no one appears to say otherwise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9tFPkhT9QUA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fPcE6XSiSo The first video here is a Macys black Friday commercial with Justin Bieber. It is interesting how although Justin Beiber’s fan base is mainly young girls yet here in this commercial we see Men, Women and children fainting at his infamous ‘wink, nod ,smile’, this appears to be an attempt to appeal to all audiences. The commercial also sees an African American man faint at the sight of Bieber, in perhaps an effort to include the minority groups in this advert. Almost at the end of the commercial it is mentioned that if you buy the product $2 from the sale will be donated to charity. The fact that this is briefly mentioned at the end suggests that is not the reason people are going to buy the product; it almost appears to be an afterthought. In fact like the charity the perfume itself is barely mentioned suggesting that people will purchase whatever Justin Beiber puts his name to. The second video is Justin Bieber’s official commercial for his fragrance ‘Girlfriend’ Although Canadian Bieber is portrayed as the all American boy on a road trip with a girlfriend. There is no girl seen in the video as any Beliebers out there are made to feel he is their boyfriend! It gives the impression that by buying this product you could be hanging with Justin Bieber going on road trips across America. Again like the first video the product itself doesn’t really have centre stage it’s the celebrity selling it, almost like they all have ‘Bieber fever’ or something!

Coca-Cola - Holidays Are Coming

Nothing screams Christmas than the first time you see the Coca Cola trucks rolling across your screen to the chanting of "holidays are coming". In this advert we see many signs of Coca-Colas American-ness, none more obvious than the product being the consumer product most synonymous with America, more than anything else. 

Founded in 1886 in the city of Atlanta, Georgia, the iconic Coca-Cola is now sold in over 200 countries world wide, grossed over $46.5 billion worldwide in 2011, owns 4 of the 5 top selling global soft drinks (Coca-Cola, Diet Cola, Fanta and Sprite) and it is claimed that 94% of the world now recognise the logo and the word Coke is second most recognised worldwide after "okay." After all at one point it was believed that drinking Coke meant you were more likely to support their foreign policy, and along with McDonald's having Coca Cola in a country shows it's been Americanized - as can be seen with good old Father Christmas, who was originally green until Coke turned him red. Also note the top comment on the above YouTube video is "oh, I am so looking forward to see this commercial on Czech TV every Christmas." 

The magical light decorations on the trucks and sparked on the house and trees as they pass by signifies its American-ness by demonstrating the consumer influenced over dramatics of holiday celebrations in America. It too portrays the myths of the modern American Dream with the joy seen in the faces of people the trucks pass by, especially the father and son at the end of the advert sitting in their pick-up (a typically American vehicle) demonstrating that America is a place where joy and happiness can be achieved more so than any other country - through the purchasing of consumer products of course, showing that the advert too represents the modern consumer culture that has developed in, and by, America post-WWII. 

Lights, Camera, AMERICA!

AmEx (a.k.a American Express) is a multinational financial services cooperation located in New York, founded in 1850. The company is renowned for its credit cards, charge cards and traveller’s cheques and is said to account for approximately 24% of the total dollar volume of credit card transactions in the US.

The clip above is a commercial from a 2000 American Express commercial released on the night of the first Oscar Awards of the millennia. The man in the restaurant is writer/director and actor M.Night Shyamalan, who that year was nominated for ‘Best Director’ and ’Best Writer, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen’ for his classic film The Sixth Sense starring Bruce Willis. Unfortunately, he lost his awards to Sam Mendes and Alan Ball for American Beauty. Shyamalan is also famous for films such a Signs (2002) and The Village (2004).

I found this commercial, along with many others for American Express and I found something they all had in common – film and celebrity. It is a topic that without even a second thought we will immediately relate to America, seeing as its film industry is the largest in the world. But this commercial isn’t only revolving around film; it’s also linked with another large aspect of America – the money. Put them together in a commercial and they represent some of the most respectable factors of the world’s most powerful nation.

The clip is set in a restaurant and a very high class one too. Could it even, deep between the lines, be portraying the American dream?

M. Night Shyamalan is from Pondicherry in India, can he came to America to succeed and it would seem that he definitely has reached success and living the high life.

The commercials below are just a small minority of other American Express adverts. One is from 1985, starring American author, Stephen King, author of Carrie, The Shining, IT and many other classics that were ground-breaking in American literature and have all been made into Oscar winning movies. The second, is a littler longer but stars characters from 'The Adventures of Seinfeld and Superman'. Superman particularly is an excellent representation of America as the superhero figure brings out the superiority America feels they had over the rest of the world.

Stephen King - 

Seinfeld and Superman -  

Detroit, The Motor City, Chrysler and Famous Figures

During the global economic downturn that started in 2008, the city of Detroit was one of the hardest hit cities, with virtual collapse of Detroit's motor industry. Now after being bailed out by Obama and now on the rise again, commercials by car companies based in Detroit such as Chrysler follow a similar theme of the idea that just as Detroit has risen from the ashes, so too can the rest of America and become a "strong" nation once again. 

This first commercial, featured during halftime of the 2012 NFL Super Bowl, one of the most watched annual sporting events not only in America, but in the world. The commercial features American Film icon Clint Eastwood talk about how during the economic downturn, America was a divided nation where blame was thrown around and there was little in the way of thought on how to recover. The commercial continues on to talk about how America is now entering its "second half" where the nation will continue to be rebuilt through the unity of the American people and the commercial uses the resurrection of Detroit as a sign that although difficult there is a way for America to rise form this economic crisis. 

This commercial does not advertise a single car, it is more like the Levi's jeans commercial shown in last week's lecture. The commercial is a statement towards American values that will help rebuild the nation, values such as unity and the strength of the American nation and its people, as it states in the commercial, America is not a nation that can be knocked out with a single punch. The main basis of this commercial is to inspire those who watch and although it does show the cars of American car companies these take a back seat (no pun intended). This commercial, as well as many of the newer American car commercial finish with the tag line "Imported from Detroit". The way I interpret this statement is that its not just about the cars, its about the people who made the cars and the values the workers of Detroit have shown to help stabilize the industry of Detroit, values that are at the heart of America such as unity and hard work, values that were forgotten during this crisis. 

Other commercials for Chrysler feature "famous" figures of Detroit such as rapper Eminem and Detroit Lions (NFL) Defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Each commercial is for a specific Chrysler car, but both commercials show values of not only the people of Detroit, but also the people of America. The first of these commercials is focused on the idea of humble beginnings and how they can be used to gauge an individual's success whilst staying true to who you are. Ndamukong Suh is a good example of this ideal because he goes from being a normal collegiate athlete to one the future stars and dominant defensive forces in the NFL and whilst he appears intimidating and awe inspiring the humble act of visiting home is how the commercial and the tagline in the video description is thus, "Show where you are going, without forgetting where you are from".  What this tagline shows is that regardless of who you become you should never forget where you come from, this fits in well with American values and history due to the immigrant nature of the first American people and it also fits in well with the evolution of cities such as Detroit because in whatever direction Detroit heads in, it will never forget its base in the automotive industry for that is why it is called Motor City. 

The final commercial featuring Eminem focuses again on how the values of hard work are a crucial part of America and how that value of hard work has taken Detroit out of "hell" and brought it back into prosperity and a positive future. My interpretation of the presence of Eminem in this commercial also shows the value hard work, because Eminem came from virtually nothing, growing up poor in Detroit and having to fight his way into a predominately "Black" area of the music industry. 

The main underpinning values of these commercials is not solely about the cars, the cars are empty shells that have been injected with the values of the American people, the most important part of these commercials is to inspire unity though out the America and to help support America's economic resurrection through values of hard work, and the use of Detroit as a blueprint to that resurrection and the cars are the product of this Motor City resurrection.