I’m sure I wouldn’t be the first to say this, but I really like F. Scott Fitzgerald as a writer. For years now I’ve had a short story collection that I’ve carried around with me that I’ll pop open when I’m bored. Part of this comes from my own fascination with romanticizing The Roaring 20’s, but it’s also because he is a master of precision in language. He doesn’t need to write thousands of pages to convey the struggles of man. When you read “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” (my actual favorite of his), you’re astounded that he’s capable of making fashion into this greater commentary about societal norms and being accepted by your peers.
But again, I love so much of the iconography of that time. Part of it may stem from the fact that I know so little about how to access it. I only ever knew one author (Fitzgerald, two if you consider Zelda) who made me understand that time as something majestic and wonderful. I especially love the flapper gowns, the cloches that they wear, and those dances. It’s maybe not that life seemed simpler then, but there was a public fashion that seemed so extravagant, so carefree. I am confident that everyone has a period of their country’s history that creates this hypnotic allurement to them. For me, the 1920s is one of those periods.
What exactly speaks to me about Fitzgerald and this time? I think the obvious start and endpoint is “The Great Gatsby,” which is often considered The Great American Novel™. I do think it’s interesting that the most symbolic art of this country – see also Citizen Kane (1941) – are all about the demise of The American Dream. There is this belief that hard work doesn’t breed happiness, but instead takes away from the human condition, forcing mankind to dream of something simpler. Somehow even with these cautionary tales, it’s a cycle that keeps coming back, serving as this ironic reality of The American Dream. Given that Fitzgerald died while not feeling like a big success DESPITE writing “The Great Gatsby” only shows how the monetary and social sides of this culture impact our views of ourselves.
To begin with, I don’t exactly know what I have that could add to the discourse surrounding “The Great Gatsby.” I have now read it for two different classes in two different decades, finding myself growing with those pages. As I understand my place in the world, I begin to see the cautionary tale as something richer. Despite the precise language, there’s so much symbolism in a single page that you can mull over, understanding something deeper with each new read. The language is so fluid, where the first AND last paragraphs are some of the most memorable committed to the page. Over 150 pages, he creates a story that could only be written about the 1920s, and yet feels like it exists to this day.
The reason I say this is not specifically because it’s about The Jazz Age. While it’s true that this informs a lot of the atmosphere, I think it’s more important to look at where American culture was in the Mid-20s. This was coming out of World War I. The automotive industry was starting to boom and become a luxury (along with various housewares we take now for granted). There was Prohibition and bootlegging. These are things that, for better or worse, have defined a lot of history going forward and it’s to Fitzgerald’s keen eye that he brought it all together to present a world starting to become something greater. It may have been far from the industrial boom, but it was a clear demarcation from a simpler way of life.
I for one think that Fitzgerald secretly named the love interest Daisy Buchanan after “Daisy Bell (A Bicycle Built for Two)” which is about the simple joys of riding a tandem bicycle. It’s innocent and sweet, and I feel conveys the themes of the story perfectly. Also, I love that Jay Gatsby’s obsession with a green light both symbolizes money and the idea of a car in motion, trying to move forward. He wants to, but maybe he’s going down the wrong way of the street. He is so distracted by this extravagance, losing sight of his own career, rebuilding himself to fit some perverted view of The American Dream.
That is the thing that’s brilliant. It’s easy to get caught up in the luxury. As narrator Nick Carraway would suggest, it’s appealing at first but slowly begins to lose its muster. When you realize how these characters have torn apart their souls just for wealth and status, it becomes clear that this isn’t what America should be. Sure it looks great (I’m partial to the costume work from the Baz Luhrmann film), but what is there inside? Gatsby is a delusional man who has lost sight of his own morality. He’s dreaming of something nostalgic, his life officially over before he’s had the chance to grow old.
What was it all worth? What were those parties for where he sat in isolation, waiting for Daisy to show up? Here is this man of mystery and all he can do is live in the past, unable to humor his party guests and find a life beyond that moment years ago. He is artificial now, unable to sound like a real person because he believes that “Old sport” will get him accolades. He’s earned it through war and bootlegging, things that have torn apart this country’s innocence. All he wants is to not have that corruption in his heart, and it’s why he’s a compellingly flawed character. Still, when viewed from Nick’s perspective, it’s very clear how shallow his trauma is and that Fitzgerald’s ultimate takeaway from The Jazz Age isn’t that it was the best years of our lives, but shallow exploitation.
I can’t speak to the history of how this book was perceived by different generations, but I imagine it’s like every other modern masterpiece. It’s the reality of being misunderstood or underseen at the time but has grown in stature as audiences discovered it, finding the deep pain inside. I definitely would agree that it’s smart to have this book added to the school curriculum, though I also feel that this approach sometimes creates a taboo for young, reluctant readers who are forced to read the book instead of casually enjoy it. I can only hope those who give it a chance are able to see the human themes, not feeling isolated by the dated ideas that lie in the pages.
The question is whether this is still a candidate for The Great American Novel. I think it all depends on what you’re asking for from these criteria. Is it simply an example of a great novel written with great use of language? Is it the story that most compels readers? Maybe it is the idea that this book symbolizes something significant about America, and it’s what Fitzgerald did so perfectly. He found a time when the country was shifting to a more modern way of thinking and production, where luxuries were more readily available. Every decade (nay year) has their big shift that could be used for great literature, but it’s rare that it all culminates in something magnificent and poignant of something greater.
What is the best novel to have come since? If one trusts PBS’ Great American Read series, it is arguable that “The Great Gatsby” isn’t necessarily holding onto that title. The current holder is Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which also benefits from being about a very difficult subject matter indicative of America’s identity. Even then that backs up the idea that this category of best books has something greater to say about this country, where racism is something that needs to be openly discussed and altered. Others like this are raising a question as to whether “The Great Gatsby” is durable enough to be considered the best for much longer.
Will a changing view of entitled white characters change how the book is seen by new generations? Will they be looking for something more contemporary that speaks to a more digital world? I do believe that there’s something vital about the social gossip of Fitzgerald, but I fear it’s not enough to speak to a young audience.
If I had to provide a personal guess, I would argue that we’re on the verge of seeing a very strong candidate. I’m willing to hear all considerations, but I think that the pandemic is going to create an understanding of a new cultural divide between an old and new way of thinking. It will be one founded in tragedy but covers the struggle to build back something better. I don’t know who it will be or what the specific story is, but I imagine it will be one that will grow in the public’s consciousness, reflecting the human condition in a new century that is developing faster than ever before.
After all, it isn’t often that a seismic cultural shift takes place that could be used as some deeper universal symbolism. It happened in the 1920s and it currently looks like something will come of the years ahead. With “The Great Gatsby” entering the public domain, I wonder how it will be seen as it likely gets overexposed and becomes even more recognizable as tropes than it already has been. I fear it will cheapen things, though I think the book is nonetheless impressive. How it’s managed to be such an achievement for near-100 years is impressive.
Then again, to know that Fitzgerald’s masterpiece is a century old is amazing unto itself. To have a book that has withstood the test of time for that long, inspiring so many adaptations and interpretations speaks to how brilliant the ideas are. I would love to write 150 pages that are half as influential as Fitzgerald’s. In fact, I love how he makes it so intellectual without losing the human condition, showing the power of meticulous decisions. It’s the simple things like green lights and the colors of cars that speak volumes about the characters on a deeper level. It’s what I hope to achieve as a writer. I don’t feel bad calling “The Great Gatsby” one of the best novels ever written, Fitzgerald one of the best American authors. To me, anyway, that continues to feel true and I hope that continues to be the case.
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