The Great Gatsby
Unrest in the Upper Echelon
By Caroline Huber
The concept of the so called “American Dream” is intertwined through the lives of the various characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby. The American Dream, a term that has been used since the birth of our country, describes the pursuit and attainment of wealth and success. Though it seems everyone in the novel has prosperity, achievements, and materialistic goods, we also see that no one appears content with what they have. In this paper I will expose the unrest of both old money and new by comparing Tom Buchanan to Jay Gatsby. Though Tom has never worked a day in his life, has a very attractive wife, and a large social network, he yearns for something his wife can’t give him. It appears that what he is searching for lies in a woman named Myrtle. Jay Gatsby, on the other hand, had to pursue his life of riches in the bootlegging industry. He struggles to the top with one thing in mind, Daisy Buchanan. Fitzgerald forms a variety of parallels between the two men, using both their lady interests and lifestyles. While Tom was born in the upper echelon of the higher-class, he longs for a woman who lives literally on the top of an auto shop. In contrast, Gatsby comes from nothing, hoping to build himself up enough to win Daisy’s heart. The amount of money in their wallets will never satisfy these two very well-to-do men because they long for something they can never have.
Jay Gatsby, born Jay Gatz, grew up poor, with little hope of moving out of his meager surroundings. He begins his struggle at a young age by mapping out his life in a day planner. In Chapter nine of the novel, Mr. Wolfshiem shows Nick one of these books in which a daily schedule is written in the back of it. Gatsby thinks he can improve himself by "practicing elocution, poise and how to attain it; reading one improving book or magazine per week; and being better to parents" (181). By going through this tedious process, Gatsby believes that he can gain the wealth he needs to win the heart of a lady of a higher class. Daisy was accustomed to the lifestyle that Tom provided; the high life where no one needs to work. The belief that unless you have enough money and social standing, you aren’t good enough for those who have it, was the social rule in the 1920’s and is still prevalent today. While there are good people that can’t rub two pennies together, there are also people that cheat on their wives and not work a day in their life who could burn their money in a bonfire and still have much more than enough. Gatsby has to be one of the latter in order to get Daisy. Unfortunately, Gatsby has to work a long time to make enough money before he didn’t need to anymore. In the 1920’s it was a very popular practice to sneak alcohol into the United States by bootlegging it and selling it in speakeasies, which is the likely method Gatsby chose to attain his goals.
Before I was even a twinkle in my mother’s eye, she and my dad were students at Purdue University. Just outside campus, in the town of West Lafayette, Indiana, there is a bar called Harry’s Chocolate Shop. The name was a cover like the many speakeasies created during the prohibition era. All over the country you can find speakeasies that have now been refurbished and continue to operate as regular bars. Most of the establishments maintain the authenticity; you can see how secretive they were, why it was very difficult for the police to uncover, and when the cops did find them, they were paid off and allowed in. It was that way for all of the wealthy folk. They could mess up the lives of people around them and pay them off to keep the matter quiet. For example, on page 187 of the novel, Nick describes Tom and Daisy as a “careless people… They smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they made” That was the beautiful advantage given to the rich in the 1920’s.
Tom Buchanan was born wealthy and quickly learned that it came in handy especially in the 20’s. As mentioned above, when anything went wrong with his family, he could cover it up or fix it with his money. I think that was one of the few reasons Daisy decides to stay with him despite his infidelity, because of the security that his wealth provides. Regrettably, Tom is not giving her as much love as he was giving to others. Tom spends a lot of his time “slumming” for enjoyment. He finds a girl named Myrtle Wilson who seems to please him, if only for a time. Myrtle is a gold digger, and this becomes clear when she talks about marrying George. In chapter two of the novel, she says, "I thought he was a gentleman . . . but he wasn't fit to lick my shoe . . . he borrowed somebody's best suit to get married in " (39). To Myrtle, George deceives her and in actuality is not the man she wants to marry because he didn’t have any money. To make up for her mistake, she becomes involved with Tom.
When Tom and Myrtle’s relationship is first exposed in the novel, they seem to be all too comfortable with the situation. Myrtle tells Nick about the story of their first meeting on a train to New York. Her nonchalant attitude makes it seem like everyone cheats on their wives and the wives accept it. But it becomes clear that Tom isn’t as comfortable with the situation as Myrtle. Myrtle shouting, “Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!” (Fitzgerald 41) makes Tom uneasy and he quickly pops Myrtle right in the nose, breaking it. It becomes easy to see that even though Tom is finding pleasure in slumming with Myrtle, he knows it will never last. Without “money in their voices”, they simply irritate him after awhile. This is another example of how controlled he is by his social status. Tom knows he has everything that any man could ask for, but he wants another woman for fun, but when she isn’t up to his status, he grows bored of her.
It is the same thing as the kid that wants a specific toy for Christmas. I remember one year that all I wanted was a Buzz Lightyear action figure of the movie Toy Story that made noises and talked. When I woke up on Christmas morning, there it was under the tree, waiting for me to rip open the paper and play with it. I did just that. My brother got the Woody doll, so we could act out the movie together. We played all day long, and had a great time, but by the end of the day, I wanted something else. I went to bed that night and all I wanted to do was clutch my favorite new toy, but couldn’t. Buzz was plastic, had wings, buttons that made noises, and hurt to squeeze. I fell asleep that night thinking, “Why didn’t I ask for Woody like David did? I could have slept with that.” After awhile people just get tired of things no matter how much they thought they wanted it.
It is plain to see that no amount of money will ever satisfy Tom Buchanan or Jay Gatsby. They feel that even though they have it all, they still need something more. Each man yearns for a woman from another class despite the fact that both females are unattainable. In Gatsby’s case, he could never get Daisy because she wants the security provided by Tom’s established wealth and place in the upper class. She would never risk losing her position and wealth by taking up with Gatsby and his “new money” and parties no matter how attractive it was to her. At the same time, Tom wants more than Daisy offers him. Though it appears that both men realize the impossibility of being with either of these women, we also see that neither of them will stop until they get what they want. Tom shows this when he runs into Nick on Fifth Avenue in New York City. In Nick’s mind, there are only two options for what is in his little package, cufflinks or a present for his new “Myrtle”. Even though Myrtle is dead, Tom is still seeking something more. Like Tom, Gatsby also doesn’t give up on his hope for Daisy up until the moment he dies. While Gatsby was lying in his pool one summer afternoon, Myrtle’s husband comes over to kill the person that killed his wife. Because it is Gatsby’s car, Gatsby was murdered and the chase for Daisy finally ended in his last breaths. So even though both of these men were surrounded by riches, they were flat broke in the pursuit of happiness.
Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. 1925.