Sunday, May 17, 2009

8. Social and Moral Behavior

Evaluate the accepted social and moral behavior exhibited by the wealthy people in the novel. What was Fitzgerald criticizing?
Posted by at

4 comments:

  1. Eduardo M.July 29, 2009 at 3:41 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Eduardo M.July 29, 2009 at 3:45 PM

    In the novel, the characters display a great sense of sophistication by talking about current issues or greater ideas that influence their way of living. They are all educated or have a certain degree of education. They always seem to display politeness on regular occasions though it is evident that they still are human and express anger, sadness, and other emotions, breaking their polite and perfect characters. There is a difference, however, between the behavior of the East and of the West. Tom, for example, fits more to the initial description, and educated, strong man that talks about ideals and complex subjects, enjoying only small company and a quiet get-together. Gatsby, on the other hand, is a man that enjoys crowds of people, where sharing happiness and possession is more important than privacy. He talks more about direct issues to his life and is less idealistic, though displays polite and educated character. they all get overwhelmed by their human nature and how humans deal with their feelings, and i think this is what Fitzgerald is criticizing. No matter how polite and "perfect" one may look, the real human emotions and their true nature will always be overpowering. Tom for example, being so high and mighty gives in to his manly urges for a relationship with Myrtle (Fitzgerald 31). Though he is expected to have high moral values and self control, he is the one that falls lowest when he's cheating on his wife.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownJuly 30, 2009 at 10:47 AM

    Since most of the characters in The Great Gatsby are wealthy, Fitzgerald criticizes the fact that they act any way they want because they are "permitted" to because of the amount of money they have. They can act as though they were more important than other people with less money. Sometimes, they would loose their temper like Tom Buchanan who when in New York, Hit his mistress Myrtle (Fitzgerald 37). Acts like these were shrugged off after a while because it was considered fine for a wealthy man to to what he wished.
    Fitzgerald is criticizing the fact that people had no moral standards or values, but were more driven by their material needs. The American Dream was degrading morally.

    ReplyDelete
  4. UnknownAugust 3, 2009 at 11:15 AM

    Fitzgerald was criticizing materialism going out of hand in America during the Roaring Twenties. Both the West and East Eggers were doing what they wanted only because of their wealth. Tom is an example of an East Egger who does this. The fact the he is having an affair with Myrtle is well-known to the people; even Daisy knows it. However, no one really criticizes Tom for doing this, or reprimands his behavior. It is almost excused because of the fact that Tom is rich. In The Great Gatsby, the people are allowed to do what is convenient to them if they have money. The people are so captivated by money that it is their only priority. Everyone seems to have lost the sense of morality. Even the West Eggers are like this. Even Gatsby, who made his fortune, is lost by the frenzy of materialism. He throws his grand parties to attract Daisy and to maybe have a chance to see her. Time after time he shows his wealth in front of Daisy to impress her, and ultimately, to bring her closer to him. What he fails to see is that Daisy is only with him because of his money, not because of true love or anything like that. Therefore, Fitzgerald criticizes the failure of materialism to substitute real feelings and morals. By showing Gatsby and his throwing of parties, Fitzgerald also shows that nobody is really free from this frenzy; everyone is affected by it.

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)