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Sabrina Butler

Mr. Pace

Honors Literature and Composition, C Block

December 21, 2022

Fitzgerald’s Pessimistic View of Wealth and Success in The 1920s

The Roaring 20s was a period of dramatic social, economic, and political change in the

United States. One of the most prominent outcomes of industrialization and urbanization during

this time was a massively increased wage gap between the rich and the poor. However, being

rich did not, and still does not, always equate to fulfillment and happiness. The Great Gatsby, a

novel set in the 1920s, focuses on the lives of seemingly happy, self-made, successful people.

However, through the unbiased lens of Nick Carraway, we see that this is actually not the case

for most of the characters. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott. Fitzgerald portrays the 1920s in a

pessimistic manner because the character’s aspirations and use of wealth were dishonorable and

never fulfilled what they truly wanted.

The Great Gatsby holds a negative view of wealth and success in the 1920s because

many characters treated their relationships with little care, suggesting they only cared about their

elevation of social and financial status. For example, the seemingly perfect, wealthy couple, Tom

and Daisy, were actually both unhappy and engaging in affairs with other people. Tom had long

before been engaging in an affair with another woman, Myrtle. Unfortunately, Daisy is aware but

feels no point in fighting him about it because she feels locked into their marriage with their

daughter’s birth, Pammy. Daisy reflects on her grief about her daughter’s future with Nick. She

says, “‘I hope she’ll be a fool - that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little

fool’” (Fitzgerald 17). Daisy believes that being oblivious to the world should be the highest

ambition of a woman in her society. She hopes her daughter does not have to endure the remorse
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and pain she feels from a man like Tom and wishes she had stayed clueless about his dalliances

with other women. Most women of her time had no other choice but to be dependent on their

husbands in a highly male-dominated society. Tom’s misogynistic toxicity is further

demonstrated when Tom takes Nick to the Valley of Ashes to visit his mistress, Myrtle. He once

said to Nick, “Life is something you dominate, Nick! If you're any good." ( Fitzgerald, 15). He

then proceeded to have intercourse with Myrtle while her husband, Wilson, was away. His words

highlight the dominating, careless mindset he has towards women and people in general. Tom

holds dominance over Daisy both financially the gender roles of the time period, resulting in a

toxic abuse of power in their marriage. Tom’s character reflects how wealthy, white men were

superior in the United States during the 1920s. Similarly, Daisy herself took it upon herself to

have a flirtation with another man, Jay Gatsby. Eventually, Daisy finds herself in a situation

where she’s socializing with a group that includes both Tom and Gatsby. Daisy stirs up the

already-tense pot by telling Gatsby she loves him in front of Tom, “He was astounded. His

mouth opened a little, and he looked at Gatsby, and then back at Daisy as if he had just

recognized her as someone he knew a long time ago” (Fitzgerald, 119). Tom’s realization

shocked him, and he saw Daisy as her past self: a young woman with numerous lovers. Her

reciprocated unloyalty humbles him, but it also emphasizes the lack of love and respect in their

marriage. The dynamic of multiple affairs going on confirms that no amount of money or success

can buy true love and loyalty. Instead, it ignites an endless cycle of greed and mistrust. In The

Great Gatsby, relationships are used to elevate one’s social status which are highly superficial.

Fitzgerald uses Buchanan’s marriage to depict wealth and success as bribery for relationships

during the 1920s. After all, the reason Daisy stayed with Tom, despite them both having affairs,

is because of the wealth and security he provides her, as well as the child they have together.
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The Great Gatsby portrays wealth and success in the 1920s through a pessimistic lens

because, despite all the wealth and success obtained by the main character Jay Gatsby, he was

still unfulfilled in life since his heart was stuck in the past with his ex-lover. Although, to some,

Gatsby can be viewed as an inspiring and respectable man due to his “rags to riches” story. He

went from dirt poor to one of the richest men in East Egg. It takes a unique amount of

determination and effort to go from a relative nobody to the highest levels of the social and

financial realms. Jesmyn Ward, a writer for the New York Times, states, “Readers fall for

Gatsby's passion, and his insistence that life should be relished and executed well…They have

fallen in love with the persistence of his devotion to Daisy” (Ward). This quote emphasizes how

readers fall for Gatsby’s strong adherence to his aspirations. Readers can admire his self-made

quality and how he overcame a multitude of obstacles. Despite starting on the lowest rung of

society he pushed himself to stay relentlessly busy towards the achievement of his goals. For

example, after the loss of his family, he goes off to fight in WW1 and becomes a much admired

leader and decorated soldier. He acquires numerous medals of honor from various countries,

“‘Orderi de Danilo,” ran the circular legend, “Montenegro, Nicolas Re.”... “Major Jay Gatsby…

“For Valour Extraordinary’” (Fitzgerald, 67). His military feats, as described in this quote, were

impressive for any man, but especially for a man like Gatsby who previously felt hopeless and

lost. Perhaps, after enduring so many hardships, he began to seek fulfillment through external

rewards, such as medals, money, and then, of course, his love interest, Daisy. While he has

accomplished so much, his ultimate goal is underwhelming. Gatsby develops an obsession, a

need to be wealthy because he was convinced it was the only reason his ex-lover, Daisy, chose

another man, Tom, over him. He is determined to get her back because he was the happiest he

ever was with her. Adam Meehan, a writer from the University of Arizona, believes that through
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his attempts to relive his past with Daisy, “Gatsby realizes that his compulsion to repeat [the

past] has already taken him beyond the pleasure principle and into the realm of pain and oedipal

punishment.” (Meehan). This quote reveals how Gatsby’s obsession with the past has only led to

a crippling cycle of dissatisfaction. While he’s committed to re-igniting a relationship from 5

years ago, he fails to recognize how Daisy herself has changed since then. He instead chases a

false conception of her that he created and glorifiied based on their long ago romance in

Louisville. By being stuck in the past, he is forever held back from achieving true fulfillment.

In relation to the wealth and success acquired by Gatsby, there are generally two main

evaluations of him. One major viewpoint is that Gatsby is a respectable, big dreamer, who

accomplished even more than he set out for. On the flip side, others may challenge the concept of

what success really means. They might evaluate him based on the reason and purpose behind his

drive for success. In this case, it was Daisy. While Gatsby had an honorable amount of courage

and persistence in achieving his dream, the dream itself was meager and fabricated out of an

inability to move on from Daisy. Gatsby’s failure to achieve his dream portrays the 1920s in a

pessimistic light because it suggests that love was the only thing holding him back from

obtaining true success and fulfillment. Wealth could not fill the deep void he carried.

The Great Gatsby depicts the 1920s in a poor light because the illegal ways Gatsby

obtained his wealth reveal how his success was not achieved honorably. During the 1920s, the

country went through a severe post-war economic depression, leaving many financially

desperate. In addition to the economic crisis, the 18th amendment, banning alcohol, only boosted

the demand higher. As a result of this increased demand, the illegal manufacturing and sale of

liquor (known as bootlegging) became highly profitable. According to a New York-based

organization, Strengthen America Campaign, “Underworld leaders such as Al Capone acquired

both wealth and international notoriety during the Prohibition period” (“The Shadow of

Danger”). Bootlegging became a way for bootleggers to make a lot of money fast. While it

provided quick rewards, it had drawbacks because of it’s illegalality. Gatsby’s involvement with

such activities tainted his reputation and explains his secretive nature. In the novel, Gatsby brings

Nick to a bar where he introduces him to Wolfsheim. He claims Wolfsheim ‘fixed’ the World

Series and Nick asks, “‘Why isn’t he in jail?” [Gatsby:] “They can’t get him, old sport. He's a

smart man’” (Fitzgerald, 73). Gatsby’s association with such a character reveals his connection

to shady characters and illegal activities. Furthermore, it reveals that he wasn’t actually as much

of a hard-working individual as previously thought, - rather he cheated his way up to great

wealth through illegal sales of alcohol. Prohibition during the post-war economic depression

gave rise to the illegal sales of alcohol, which, confirmed by both sources above, was a very

profitable business. The illegal methods through which Gatsby acquired his wealth add to the

conception that wealth in the 1920s was often made in a disreputable way.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby portrays the wealth and success of the 1920s in a

bad light because many of the characters failed to obtain actual fulfillment in life, and instead

seek fulfillment through materialistic goods, careless behavior, and meaningless relationships.

The reckless way in which characters treated their relationships with others revealed their selfish

intentions to elevate their external image. Gatsby’s commitment to an unattainable dream

highlighted that no matter how much wealth and success he achieved, love was ultimately

holding him back from reaching satisfaction. Finally, the illegal ways through which Gatsby

attained his wealth reveal that his money did not come from a honorable source. The Great

Gatsby proposes a controversial concept regarding if wealth and success can really bring

happiness.
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There are multiple cases where billionaires are depressed despite living comfortably, and

there are also many rich people whose partner is only with them solely because of money and

status, making their relationship superficial. Money by no means can buy love or happiness.

Happiness is something that comes from within, but unfortunately, many try to get it through

external rewards and instant gratification.

Works Cited
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Fitzgerald, F. Scott (Francis Scott), 1896-1940. The Great Gatsby. New York :C.

` Scribner's sons, 1925.

Meehan, Adam. "Repetition, race, and desire in The Great Gatsby." Journal of Modern

Literature, vol. 37, no. 2, winter 2014, pp. 76+. Gale Literature Resource Center,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/A365690364/LitRC?u=mlin_n_newhigh&sid=bookmark-LitRC&xid=da

35c8a1. Accessed 9 Dec. 2022.

"The Shadow of Danger." Family in Society: Essential Primary Sources, edited by K. Lee

Lerner, et al., Gale, 2006, pp. 287-290. Gale In Context: U.S. History,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX2688300116/UHIC?u=mlin_n_newhigh&sid=bookmark-UHI

C&xid=d6d94f0a. Accessed 13 Dec. 2022.

Ward, Jesmyn. "The Doomed Dreamer." The New York Times Book Review, 22 Apr. 2018, p.

10(L). Gale Literature Resource Center,

link.gale.com/apps/doc/A535687920/LitRC?u=mlin_n_newhigh&sid=bookmark-LitRC

&xid=29f0d4a3. Accessed 13 Dec. 2022.