La démoralisation du rêve américain dans The Great Gatsby (film) (document en anglais)

The Demoralization of the American Dream in The Great Gatsby

After World War I, soldiers came back to a very different America than they had left. People had lost the morals and work ethic that made America great, and were more focused on material possessions than traditional success. The American Dream had taken on a vastly different persona to the one they were used to. As such, in his novel The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald characterizes the American Dream as more of an ideal than an actuality; the materialism of America’s residents changed it from an attainable goal measured by happiness and achievement into a false ideal measured by wealth and material success. In a scientific study, “Schroeder and Dugal (1995) found a positive relationship between materialism and two constructs indicative of self-presentational preoccupation, public self-consciousness and social anxiety, and a negative relationship between materialism and the need for uniqueness” (Christopher). Essentially, materialism and selfishness is harmful to psychological health, and Fitzgerald is alarmed by the prevalence of these qualities among Americans following World War I. He uses precise diction to expresses his disapproval with the changing morals of the American people through the motifs of the Airedale puppy, the differences between geographic areas, and the green light.

The motif of the Airedale puppy displays the falsity of the characters in their interactions with one another and their mentalities of self-preservation. When Tom takes Nick and Myrtle to New York, he buys Myrtle a dog. Fitzgerald writes, “The Airedale — undoubtedly there was an Airedale concerned in it somewhere, though its feet were startlingly white — changed hands and settled down into Mrs. Wilson’s lap, where she fondled the weather-proof coat with rapture” (Fitzgerald 32). The salesman is obviously selling Tom and Myrtle a mutt, as Fitzgerald describes the dog’s feet as “startlingly white,” which is uncharacteristic of Airedales. This deception reflects Fitzgerald’s commentary on the new fate of the American dream, as people focus on making money for themselves without regard for others or achieving a sense of fulfillment. Furthermore, Mrs. Wilson expresses materialism after the purchase of the dog: “Throwing a regal homecoming glance around the neighborhood, Mrs. Wilson gathered up the dog and her other purchases, and went haughtily in” (32). The way that Fitzgerald portrays Myrtle gathering up “the dog and her other purchases” characterizes her as thinking of the dog as just another material, as opposed to an actual animal to love and care for. In a broader sense, this is Fitzgerald commenting on the overall materialism of the American people after the war and how they no longer have the qualities that made America prosper in the first place. Finally, the dog serves as the indication to Mr. Wilson that Myrtle is cheating on him. Michaelis, the man who accompanies Mr. Wilson after Myrtle’s death, holds up the dog’s collar. At this point, Mr. Wilson “stared and nodded. ‘I found it yesterday afternoon [,’he said.‘] She tried to tell me about it, but I knew it was something funny’ ”(187). The fact that Myrtle has a dog is indicative to Mr. Wilson that his wife is cheating on him with another man. Overall, the puppy signifies all that is wrong with America according to Fitzgerald. People have lost traditional morals in their daily lives, are too focused on material possessions, and are neglecting the loyalty they owe to their partners in order to please themselves.

Fitzgerald’s dichotomy between the geographical areas of the two Eggs and New York City contrasts socially acceptable and civilized behavior with that which is frowned on and denounced by society, and elaborates on his disapproval of the new American Dream as a whole. When Tom is at his home in East Egg, he displays behavior indicative of class and loyalty. He eats dinner with his wife, Daisy, and Nick, who says, “wedging his tense arm imperatively under mine, Tom Buchanan compelled me from the room as though he were moving a checker to another square” (16). Although not particularly tender, the motion of interlocking arms is generally a socially acceptable behavior used by the upper class. Conversely, Tom tries to hide his immoral acts, such as cheating on his wife, in New York City. Nick narrates, “So Tom Buchanan and his girl and I went up together to New York — or not quite together, for Mrs. Wilson sat

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