The Eggquirer Notes
The Inside Scoop:
In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby’s parties are the peak of the extravagance of the rich during the 1920s. Through their portrayal in the book, one can learn a significant amount about the culture of the time as well as about Fitzgerald himself.
The “roaring 20s” did quite literally roar – music was of huge cultural significance during the era, and it was during this time that jazz became widely popular. Gatsby’s orchestra reflects this, and although it is not exclusively jazz, the music is described as turning towards jazz at some points.
Another significant facet of the 1920s in America was Prohibition. Stretching from 1920 to 1933, this made alcohol illegal – but of course this didn’t stop people who wanted to drink. Bootlegging (like Gatsby) was always an option, or one could take Fitzgerald’s path and simply go to a place where alcohol was legal (in his case, France).
The way the article is written serves to further exemplify the times: the prestige and pretentiousness of places like Fitzgerald’s East and West Eggs led to a lot of gossip. The Great Gatsby does not leave this aspect of the 20s out, of course – Gatsby’s guest are constantly gossiping about their host and trying to figure out his story.
Since Jay Gatsby quite obviously reflects numerous aspects of F. Scott Fitzgerald, it seems only natural that his parties would further this connection. For both, the extravagant parties were an effective way to avoid dealing with the problems around them: Fitzgerald could focus on the extravagance, opulence, and alcohol to ignore his mentally ill wife and lack of well-selling books; Gatsby could focus on the music, the fancy guests, and the possibility of attracting Daisy to ignore his loneliness and his new money that would never become the old money he so desired it to be.
Both Gatsby’s and Fitzgerald’s grandiose parties hid their own problems and desires behind an impressive representation of the culture of the 1920s. The music, alcohol, and gossip of the times tied the two together: both were swept up in the roar of the 20s. However, with their big dreams came significant problems that both tried their best, but ultimately failed, to hide.
Obituaries:
Clearly, Jay Gatsby’s life is based off of Fitzgerald’s own. Both begin their lives in the Midwest: young, innocent, and not yet exposed to the infatuations that would ultimately bring them to their demises. Later on, though, both succumb to those obsessions, resulting in some (at least figurative and symbolic) uncanny parallels between the two men’s deaths.
Gatsby was born in North Dakota, and as he worked his way east, he lost his innocence. First at college in Minnesota, he decided that the traditional way of achieving status (getting a degree and then a job) wasn’t right for him. Further east, at Lake Superior, he met Dan Cody and began to desire wealth, which led him to change his name and discard his old self. His most Eastern move landed him in Europe, where the war made him lose his innocence, and where he was consumed by a desire to become wealthy and again find Daisy. Finally, he settled on the East Coast, where corruption reigned supreme in his parties and attempts to win back Daisy.
Similarly, Fitzgerald began in Minnesota. He traveled east to New Jersey for college, where he, like Gatsby, turned off of the “get a degree and a job” path. He also went to war, although he never was deployed. Fitzgerald’s eastern excursion to Europe came in the form of escaping Prohibition. Here, he also lost the last of his innocence, ultimately falling into extravagance and alcoholism.
While there are obvious parallels between Zelda and Daisy, Fitzgerald actually seemed to care less about Zelda than his lifestyle, since he used drinking as a way to avoid her. Therefore, the greatest connections can be drawn between Fitzgerald’s alcoholism and Gatsby’s infatuation with Daisy. Not matter what the circumstances (financial stability or separation by an ocean), neither gave up their obsession. Ultimately, too, these led to both men’s deaths: for Fitzgerald, his alcoholism damaged his health and probably had much to do with his heart attacks; for Gatsby, his love for Daisy made him support her unconditionally, even though that meant covering up Myrtle Wilson’s death and then getting killed by her husband.
In the end, it was each man’s heart that killed him.