JUN 01: Lesson Two - The Great Gatsby

Lesson

INTRODUCTION

Coming of Age

The term "coming of age" is analytical shorthand for a story (fiction, non-fiction, drama) in which a young character, innocent (at least to some degree) about the ways of the world comes to a more mature understanding of life, relationships and himself. A character in such a story emerges into a new wisdom, a new sensibility, and/or a new maturity. This is what happens to Nick Carraway, the narrator and protagonist of The Great Gatsby. As he himself says in his narration, he came out East (where the novel takes place) with ideas about who he wants to be and wants to relate to the world, particularly the world of finance and fashionable society. As the result of the people, relationships, and situations he encounters, however, he "comes of age", learning that his ideas, in effect his dreams, are in fact illusions and essentially wishful thinking, that the happiness he believed not only possible but inevitable is, in fact, empty and soul destroying. It's important to note that the same sort of realization, the same sort of "coming of age", also happens to antagonist Jay Gatsby, whose dreams of renewing his idealized relationship with one-time beloved Daisy Buchanan are themselves revealed to be empty. It's interesting, however, that while Nick moves on with his life, taking it in a different direction as a result of his realizations (i.e., his "coming of age"), Gatsby never does - he is shot dead by the vengeful George Wilson before he has the chance. His coming of age is, therefore, in a sense, aborted.

Truth versus Lies

Several times throughout the narrative, particularly when it comes to the relationship between Nick and Jordan Baker, the question of honesty comes up. Nick, for example, comments that he is one of the most truly honest people he knows, and seems genuinely uncomfortable when he encounters and/or is forced to confront the falsehoods and misrepresentations of the other characters. On the other side of the coin, Jordan says she's honest, but is ultimately too self-interested to be entirely truthful. Her rumored cheating in sports feels as though it's a true and accurate expression of her character and of how she sees her relationship with the world (i.e., that no matter what it takes, her interests come first). Daisy is, interestingly enough, more truthful (particularly when it comes to her feelings about Gatsby) than is probably good for her, while the self-interested, self-righteous Tom is essentially living a life composed of a tissue of lies, all of which are sustained by money. This leaves Gatsby, whose entire identity is built on at worst a series of lies and manipulations, at best a series of secrets about his personal origins and the origins of his money. But perhaps the most significant component of the package of lies that define Gatsby's identity is the one that he is least consciously aware of - the lie he tells himself that the past (i.e., his past intimacy with Daisy) can be recaptured and reborn. This particular aspect of his character, and indeed of the narrative, is at the core of the third of the work's primary themes.

The Past as Illusion

Nick clearly indicates it, in narration, in the work's final chapter. The most important thing he learned as the result of his experiences, what the reader can see as the key trigger and/or component of his coming of age, and the reason for his return to what he has admitted is the lesser life of the west, is his discovery that the past is an illusion. He further discovers that any attempt to recapture and/or recreate the past in the present, or to define the future in terms of the past, is essentially futile. He learns this through the attitudes and actions of antagonist Jay Gatsby - more accurately, as the result of what happens when Gatsby acts on those attitudes and takes those actions. Gatsby's attempts to bring his cherished, idealized past into the present end ultimately in failure, perhaps even in what might be described as tragedy, in the classic sense of the word, and indicate to Nick that a life lived and defined by the present is a life lived more truly, and more effectively.

In this context, it's interesting to consider the attitudes and actions of Daisy, drawn for a while into the passion and power of Gatsby's illusions, not to mention his lingering love for her. Why does she allow this to happen? Because she has such high regard for herself that any attention that comes her way, particularly of the intensely adoring, or adoringly intense, sort proffered by Gatsby, is not only welcome, but perceived as being essentially right, or just. In other words, while she at first appears to be as drawn to a recreation of the past as Gatsby, thus fueling his dreams and illusions and intentions, she, in fact, has no interest whatsoever in the past except in terms of how it can enliven her present. She, unlike Gatsby, has the past in perspective - a perspective that, as he returns home, Nick probably shares.

The Perversion of The American Dream

Over the years, and particularly in the twentieth century, the so-called American Dream", as a concept, has undergone considerable revision and re-examination. Originally, both phrase and concept originated from, and were defined by, the founding principles of the United States of America - the right to life, liberty, and justice. Over the years, however, the phrase has come, in the minds of both Americans and non-Americans alike, to mean the entitlement to success, happiness, and independence, primarily financial but also social and emotional. The narrative and themes of The Great Gatsby have, in the years since its publication, been generally perceived by critics and commentators not only as manifestations of this evolution but as a condemnation of this apparent "perversion" of the ideals upon which America was founded. In other words, the self-indulgence, self-righteousness, insensitivity, and self-delusion of the main characters (Nick Carraway excepted) have been perceived and regarded as the dark side of that dream, manifestations of which have, it could be and often is argued, become increasingly common in American culture in the near-century since the novel was written and first published. It could be argued, in fact, that another of the work's primary themes, the idea of the past as illusion, is also a manifestation of this theme, Gatsby's loss of Daisy and their original intimacy and love reflecting America's loss of its original values.  - bookrags.com

LESSON
You will be reading the novel, The Great Gatsby, in five days, at a rate of approximately 35 pages per day. Use Ms. Nakaska's bookmarks, linked above, to find websites which will provide analysis of the novel, as well as discussion of its various elements.

Consider how the various themes presented above are woven throughout the entire novel. You may want to consider how tightly they are woven along with idealism and truth . . .