Alienation In The Great Gatsby example essay topic

For many people in America, the years immediately following World War I and World War II were characterized by anger, discontent, and disillusion. Society had been devastated by a global conflict that resulted in unmatched death, destruction and resentment. Survivors who came of age during these eras; the Lost Generation after WWI The Beat Generation after WWII, were left incoherent and alienated from both the world before and the new world that came into sight after. Unable to relate to either pre and / or postwar values, both of which, after the war, seemed deceptive and distorted, these social ways were abandoned by their country and left to rediscover and redefine themselves in a world that had silenced their hopes, dreams and beliefs.

It was during these times that literature surfaced in an attempt to capture the attitudes, emotions and opinions of their generations. Similarly, in the novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses the main character to demonstrate he is victim to the alienation by the surrounding society. The character is alienated because of his secluded and timid behaviors that do not allow the public to know every personal detail about him; due to Gatsby's lack of importance in society and social stance, he is alienated and ignored at his own party by the society that does not care to properly greet him or thank him. He becomes alienated because of the area he lives in and his past poverty life; his kind actions and caring for others' well-being is seen as estranged by the community and he is shunned as a result. In his novel; The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald displays the corrupt moral values of the culture and the society, as well; their assumptions are highlighted Jay Gatsby is alienated because of his class and creed and killed as a result of the alienation.

The mystique of Jay Gatsby appears to be strange to others in the society and they shun him as a result. To the citizens across Long Island, it is normal to know everyone's family situation, the latest town gossip, which people are dating, and who is having an affair. During a lunch at Tom's house, Jordan Baker calmly and nonchalantly tells Nick; "Tom's got some woman in New York" (p. 20, Fitzgerald). It is odd that a society agrees with and almost encourages separate relations and affairs with other people while married.

It demonstrates a society with poor morals and values. The openness of these people with each other and the depth and privacy of the conversations they have in public and with a complete stranger like Nick are normal to them. They are very open and curious people and these two traits are only a few of the appalling values influenced among others. When Gatsby comes into the social scene, he is shunned and made to feel out of place when no one really knows his gossip. No one knows of his past or his ideas for the future, how he made himself rich or how he came about Long Island or even where he studied as a youth.

Their lack of information leads some guests at his parties to come to some uninformed conclusions, some say "He [is] an Oxford man" (p. 50, Fitzgerald) while others say " [They] [do] [not] believe it", some even accuse him of " [killing] a man" and others that he " [Is] a German spy" (p. 51, Fitzgerald). The accusations the public makes of Gatsby without knowing his true character alienate him. He believes that one's affair or one's lifestyle is private and should not be shared openly for everyone to know and talk about. For this reason, the society sees Gatsby as abnormal causing him to be rejected from the society. Gatsby's reclusive behavior causes the society to perceive him as someone of no value of knowing. Gatsby is not a man of much interest to people and this is caused by the lack of outgoing attitude that he carries in public.

The society does not know much about him. They are only interested in knowing the time he will host his next party. During the social gatherings Gatsby hosts, he remains in solitude and is anti-social". [He] [stands] alone on the marble steps looking from one group to another, with approving eyes" (p. 51, Fitzgerald).

He is a mystery to his guests. All around him, are interesting movie stars, directors, sports players etc. no one cares to even bother asking Gatsby about his life or showing any interest in him at all besides his party nights. They demonstrate no concern or attempt to be polite to Gatsby, no one notices him. The group casually alienates him by being in their own groups, talking together and no one bothers to sit with Gatsby. On the same night, Nick observes "girls [... ] putting their heads on men's shoulders in a puppy ish, convivial way, girls [are] swooning backward playfully into men's arms [... ] but no one [swoons] backward on Gatsby, and no French bob [touches] Gatsby's shoulder, and no singing quartets [are] formed with Gatsby's head for one link". (p. 52, Fitzgerald). The fact that no one bothers to approach Gatsby at his own home alienates him from the society as they identify him to be unimportant and not worth talking to or getting excited over.

None of his guests make a fuss over him, as a result he feels perceived as an outsider. Fitzgerald demonstrates the superior way of thinking of one's self is present in this town and anyone who is not similar to their ways of doing so, as a result, is turned away from the group. Fitzgerald tries to relate to the reader that those of lower class are seen as unworthy of respect and acceptance in society. The higher-class, which consists of narrow-minded people who have inherited their vast amount of wealth through the old aristocracy, live in East Egg, while Jay Gatsby lives in West Egg. Those who live in West Egg are discriminated against because they are newly rich, they have worked hard to earn their money and some come from a family background of poverty.

Those who live in East Egg refer to Gatsby's lifestyle, without knowing the true facts, and they make unfair assumptions about his life. They automatically " [pick] him for a bootlegger the first time [they] [see] him" (p. 127, Fitzgerald). His class and lack of proper social stance imply to the society that he is a criminal and only makes his money in dishonest, illegal ways. The society makes assumptions that Gatsby is beneath them because of where he lives.

Tom assumes Gatsby is a "bootlegger" forcing a bad image upon him; leaving him feeling like a vagabond and different from the rest of the town. The discrimination continues and from people in town. Tom Buchanan's constant harsh statements make Gatsby secluded from others. Tom " [is] damned if [he] sees how [Gatsby] [gets] within a mile of [Daisy] unless [he] [brings] the groceries to the back door" (p. 125, Fitzgerald). Groceries are brought to one's doors bye someone who is only they " re slave or butler. Tom alienates Gatsby by showing his real feelings of people of Gatsby's class and what they " re real purpose in life is supposed to be.

The corrupt concept and idea of life that Tom and his class gain is evident and damaging to Gatsby's identity. Gatsby's politeness and caring for others is of peculiarity to the people in the society. His middle class moral values that he grew up learning about, due to his poverty life, have developed a healthy conscience in him that is not present in most of the habitants of East Egg, Long Island. Since most of the East Egg habitants do not think with reason and caring, but more for themselves and the way they look, they see "something funny" (p. 45, Fitzgerald) about Gatsby when, Lucille, who is a guest", tears [her] gown on a chair" (p. 45, Fitzgerald) at Gatsby's house, and out of caring and sympathy, he " [asks] [her] [her] name and address- [and] inside of a week, [she] [gets] a package from Croirier's with a new evening gown in it" (p. 45, Fitzgerald). When hearing this story from Lucille, instead of discussing the kind act of Gatsby, her friends discuss how strange it is of him to have bought the dress for her.

The kind act separates Gatsby even more from the society and what he thinks is the right thing to do for a lady, he does, and it turns out to make his character even more different and foreign to the normality of others' ways of life. For this reason, townspeople see Gatsby as a strange man and his ways are foreign to them. His strong conscience is evident at the end of the novel when Daisy killed Myrtle in Gatsby's car. Gatsby loves Daisy so he decides to take the blame for her and say", [He] was driving" at the time of the death. He makes up a story saying he "tried to swing the wheel-" but it was too late. He feels it appropriate to act as if he is the one who killed Myrtle.

As Gatsby takes the blame for the murder, a severe result occurs; Myrtle's husband shoots him. The culture of the society accepts this behavior of Mr. Wilson and does not shock anyone. He is alienated by their behaviors and beliefs because of his conscience. F. Scott Fitzgerald conveys to the reader societies' distorted moral values of their culture. Leading to assumptions that alienate Jay Gatsby due to his class and creed in the novel; The Great Gatsby.