The Great Gatsby

Theodoricos said:
Movie was a bit over the top. Leonardo did a good job as Gatsby, though.

I should probably watch the '74 movie - it could be a better adaptation of the novel.

yeetyeetspagheet said:
How do the settings that Fitzgerald creates in The Great Gatsby reflect the divisions in society?

Fitzgerald employs settings as a narrative device in The Great Gatsby. He uses them to amplify the state and situation that characters are in and uses them to drive the plot and discussion of class. Through his utilisation of settings, Fitzgerald gives or takes power from characters in relation to their class. He further makes use of these settings to force characters to confront their class, and call attention to the class divide. Additionally, Fitzgerald draws on the settings in the novel to demonstrate the difference in power of those who build relationships with another of a different class. Overall, The Great Gatsby utilises the opposing settings of the novel to reflects upon the limitations of the differing classes, be it literal restrictions or the limitations placed on an individual’s identity, and how characters attempt to break past these constraints through the bridging of class divisions.

Fitzgerald utilises the settings in the novel to give or take power from characters in relation to their class. Fitzgerald illustrates this idea through the characterisation of Gatsby and the decisions he made during the party in the New York City Plaza Hotel. Throughout the party, Gatsby fought Tom for Daisy’s love, constantly stating that “[Daisy] never loved [Tom]” and that “she loved [Gatsby]”. However, despite Gatsby’s continuous actions of love, when Daisy tells Gatsby that she “wish [they] could run away”, Gatsby refuses, saying that they’re “going to live here, in this house”. Gatsby’s actions of declining Daisy’s request reveal Gatsby’s inability to give up his control. Gatsby greatly correlates his power to his own wealth, and having to give up his mansion to Daisy scares him as he doesn’t want to lose his wealth, and thereby his control. This idea is further demonstrated during Gatsby’s first interaction with Daisy at Nick’s house, wherein he struggles to maintain himself, constantly “trembling” with his “hands still in his pockets”. Gatsby’s discomfort correlates to his lack of control over the situation. Despite Nick’s house being in West Egg, he still has close to no power in this setting. Gatsby’s actions of putting up “unnecessary flowers” around the vicinity of the house further indicate Gatsby’s attempt at taking control; placing flowers everywhere as a means to create a setting similar to his own territory, to subside the fact that he lacks power. Similarly, the characterisation of Tom also demonstrates how he is given power through his wealth and his control over his mansion in East Egg. This was exemplified during Nick’s first dinner with Tom, in which Tom openly states he believes that they are “the dominant race”. Nick sees these views as “arrogant”, however is unsurprised due to Tom’s “freedom with money”. Tom is enabled to demonstrate these views through the control he has in his mansion. Tom’s “freedom” allows him to say what he pleases without consequence; his freedom is further illustrated through the “warm” atmosphere of his mansion, reaffirming how through the setting and his wealth, he is comfortable with saying these controversial views. Both Gatsby and Tom’s characters expose how society’s wealth-based class divide affects the way in which the characters view themselves. Whilst Gatsby’s inability to give up his control had trapped him to his home in West Egg, Tom’s wealth had enabled him to become arrogant, spouting his outlandish views as his freedom had allowed him to. Yet, despite the effect that money makes upon a character’s self-image, there is still a limit to how far characters can go with money alone.

Through the settings of the novel, Fitzgerald forces characters to confront their class and thereby calls attention to the class divide. Fitzgerald demonstrates this through the setting of Jay Gatsby’s mansion in West Egg. As stated by Nick Carraway at the beginning of the novel, Gatsby’s mansion was described as a “factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy”, thereby indicating an attempt at fabricating his house to appear as wealthy and similar to the inherited wealth in East Egg. The “thin beard of raw ivy” surrounding the perimeter of the mansion further justifies this, the “thin beard” suggesting that the mansion is new, yet had ivy planted on the walls in an attempt to be viewed as old and genuine. Through the way in which Gatsby built his mansion, Gatsby attempts to climb up the class hierarchy by having his mansion become an imitation of those in East Egg. However, he is ultimately unable to do so and is instead stuck to being a mere imitation. Additionally, this same pattern of the limitations of money is also exemplified through the characterisation of Myrtle Wilson and the settings of her apartment in New York City. The apartment was described as “crowded to the doors with a set of tapestried furniture”; the tapestried furniture, defined by furniture with rich and textile fabric with designs formed on it, indicates an attempt to be perceived as wealthy, yet the comment of the room being “crowded” by it suggests her overbearing attempt at that perception. Both Gatsby’s mansion and Myrtle’s apartment in New York City demonstrate an attempt at breaking into the rich class of society yet displays the limitation of attempting to break the class divide through money and perception alone which resulted in their failure to grow beyond their place in the social hierarchy. However, although this is the case, those in the higher levels of society are also often unable to form relations with those in the class below them for a similar reason.

Fitzgerald uses settings to call upon the difference in power of those who build relationships with another of a different class. This idea was demonstrated through Daisy’s relationship with Gatsby and how she reacted after Gatsby’s secrets were revealed during the party in the New York City Hotel Plaza. After Gatsby’s illegal acts of bootlegging were revealed to everyone by Tom, Daisy was described to have had “her frightened eyes told that… whatever courage she had had, were definitely gone”. Throughout the scene, the “large and stifling” atmosphere of the plaza room was noted, indicating Daisy’s unease and her demand to escape. Her lack of “courage” further demonstrates her inability to support Gatsby despite the history of their relationship, as well as her choice of placing her own image over her love for Gatsby. Through Daisy’s wealth and class, she is enabled to escape the relationship and completely avoid the inconvenient scenario which comes with it, demonstrating the power that she has over him despite their history together. This idea of power held by the higher class is further displayed through Tom’s apathetic actions after the death of Myrtle – “Tom’s Mistress”. Tom’s apathy was first exemplified through his reaction after seeing Myrtle’s death, in which he nonchalantly stated, “there’s some bad trouble here”. Tom’s description for stating the death of someone he loved as simply being “bad trouble” indicates a lack of sympathy towards the situation. Furthermore, once Tom had reached his mansion in East Egg, Daisy and Tom decided to eat a “plate of cold fried chicken”; although Fitzgerald depicts the chicken as “cold”, implying a sense of unease, they continue to indulge themselves in eating the chicken, thereby demonstrating their lack of care. The Buchanan’s mansion symbolising how they are safe from the consequences of Daisy’s actions. Both Daisy’s and Tom’s unsympathetic actions towards the relationships they built with those of a lower class illustrate how the inherited wealth are unable to hold responsibility for those below them and would often instead choose to run away and be free of the consequences.

It is therefore clear that no matter the class that characters have been placed in, there will always be some limitation or factor which influences the way in which they view their identity. Through Fitzgerald’s utilisation over the settings of the novel, power is taken or given to characters in relation to their class and the control they have over where they are. These settings are also manipulated by Fitzgerald to force characters into confronting their status, calling further attention to the class divide. The power imbalance of characters who build relationships with those below them is emphasised by the settings in which these characters have control over. Ultimately, Fitzgerald aims to utilise these settings as a means to demonstrate the effect that the class division has upon the world of the novel, the way in which it affects character’s self-image, how they view others and their overall limitations.