The Great Gatsby - Consumerism
Consumerism, and the accompanying self-centeredness, may be the final legacy of the "roaring" 20s. During the 20's it was proven that the industrial revolution was meant to fatten man's wallet not expand his soul. The selfless fervor and broad perspective that accompanied the progressive era gave way to a different ideology in which everything was a commodity and success was measured in the accumulation of these commodities. This new dogma, however pleasing it was in the short term, eventually produced a generation of disgruntled and disillusioned writers, one of which wrote what remain the most scathing critique of the era in The Great Gatsby. In it he explains the paradox of consumerism: it is essentially trivializing because where everything can be assigned a value nothing can transcend this mundane existence. This is the unfortunate position of the hapless characters in TGG, they all are locked in to seeking one goal that they believe will improve their life not based on fact but on an invented ideal. Idealism that becomes warped into a selfish quest for a single goal will ultimately devour one's life because by idealizing a goal makes it unattainable yet irresistible. Fitzgerald's first casualty in his merciless depicti
Fitzgerald argues that Gatsby never saw the rest of the world while he was questing for Daisy, he was enthralled in the chase and did not look up to see the rest of the world and paid the price. He had never seen anything "commensurate for his capacity for wonder" and thus never understood his place. Without the perspective of being awed in the presence of something greater then himself he could not break his idealized view of himself and release himself and Daisy from the oppression of his ideals. on of errant self-interest is Tom's mistress, Myrtle. She is a casualty because she is caught in a situation to which there is no escape; she cannot ever become part of Tom's social group nor can she return to her current marriage. She has become nothing more than an automaton, blindly stuck to her faith that if she persists in courting Tom, he will eventually marry her. There is a dual irony here, first of all, it is apparent that Tom will never marry her. Their relationship has none of the foundations of marriage nor will it ever because it based on Tom's need to dominate and Myrtle's willingness (and perhaps need) to be dominated. The second irony is that even if Myrtle's plan were to succeed, there would be no guarantee that the life she envisions with Tom would be realized. If Daisy's experiences are any guide, then it is certain that Tom & Myrtle would be just as unhappy together as Tom & Daisy and the cycle perpetuates itself. As the book unfolds it becomes apparent that Myrtle is so addicted to her quest for material wealth through marriage that nothing will deter her from pursuing this singular goal. No amount of abuse from Tom, ranging from the near-constant verbal and psychological abuse to physical assault can change her mind because she is convinced that the only road to happiness lies through Tom and his wallet.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1514
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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